This post was sponsored by ReviewInc, the opinions expressed in this article are those of the sponsor.
You receive this notification of a new review in your inbox.
Then you hold your breath and say a short prayer before opening the email.
You’re setting yourself up for a bad review.
Business owners like you regularly experience this dread; you know a picture can say a thousand words – just like a review (even with a character limit).
We know that consumers rely heavily on reviews for their business decisions.
So your first thought might be to do your best and avoid any negativity like the plague.
Should I Remove Negative Reviews?
You might be surprised, but no, don’t delete negative comments.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but trust us – negative reviews have a very positive impact on your brand visibility, sales, and search engine results page (SERP).
Can Bad Reviews Be Good?
Yes! Bad reviews can be good, especially when it comes to online reviews.
Why Is Some Negativity Good When It Comes To Online Reviews?
Unbelievably, having a lot of positive reviews can be a red flag for consumers.
More people will trust a 4.7 rating than a perfect 5-star rating, according to a study by ReviewInc.
This is because some companies “gamble”, fake or provide payments and exchanges for positive reviews – and customers know this.
Customers know when something seems too good to be true, and when that happens, they often decide to take their business elsewhere.
Also, the FTC has a lot to say about bribing customers for good reviews and playing the system (and what they have to say is not what you want to hear).
That said, a good rating that includes negative reviews is a strong indicator of authenticity, regardless of platform.
We know what you’re thinking next.
How Often Do People Leave Bad Reviews?
The good news is that bad reviews aren’t as common as you might think.
In 2022, ReviewInc conducted a survey and found that 65% of people don’t leave bad reviews when they have a negative experience.
It is also interesting to note that there was no measurable difference in gender; all genders reported an equal rate of avoiding writing negative reviews.
In other words, the probability of getting a positive review is much higher than receiving a negative review.
Based on ReviewInc’s overall measurements, 92% of reviews are positive (and 96% of positive reviews are 5-star ratings).
Less than 5% of ratings 1-star ratings.
Google ReviewInc Search Results, January 2022
So what are the exact reasons why negative reviews are good for your business?
Let’s dive into how bad reviews can really boost your brand.
How Negative Reviews Help SEO & Online Reputation Management
By keeping your bad reviews in place and managing those reviews with online review management tools, your star ratings can:
1. Negative Reviews Provide Authentic SEO
Reviews and ratings on sites like Google, Facebook and Yelp are Google search engine optimization factors.
Google describes how reviews play an important role in SEO rankings. Specifically, “High-quality, positive reviews from your customers can improve your business’s visibility and increase the likelihood that a buyer will visit your location.”
Encouraging all reviews and responding to them is a good practice that will improve your local SEO and online reputation.
When it comes to negative reviews, they tend to provide a necessary balance, as an abundance of false “positive” reviews or biased reviews can result in all reviews of a site being suspended from important reviews, which will heavily affect SEO.
Regardless, don’t be afraid of a bad review, there’s good news.
2. Negative Reviews Build Brand Trust & Loyalty
“The average Yelp review score is 3.65, which is the lowest of these platforms. Average ratings on the other major platforms are 4.42 on Facebook, 4.3 on Google and 4.25 on TripAdvisor.” (Neil Patel)
While these numbers, especially on Yelp, might seem daunting, the truth is that reviews are trust-building mechanisms that help customers know what they’re getting into before they buy.
In short, bad reviews are a necessary ingredient of authenticity, which can lead to more sales.
The trick is to use a sympathetic response, which will:
With this technique, a previously bad reviewer can actually upgrade their review to a higher star rating.
According to Google guidelines, “when you reply to comments, you publicly post as your business. Answers may not appear on Google right away. However, reviewers will receive a notification when you reply to their review. Once they have a chance to read your response, they can update the review.”
How do I respond to negative reviews?
We know that bad reviews often feel like bad news, but a well-crafted response can counteract the effect.
Responding properly to a negative review can also be seen by other customers.
How you handle the situation matters more than negative criticism. (Here are some tips on how to respond to a bad review.)
Responding to reviews shows that a company cares about its service and reputation.
The answer alone generates greater trust in a company.
3. Negative Reviews Help Improve Business Operations & Profits
So, what about that 1-star review?
There is a genuine benefit to negative comments and what your intention should be.
Negative reviews tell a company what it needs to fix and improve.
This is especially important in today’s competitive environment.
Sometimes criticism can make us better as people and companies.
If a customer has a frustrating experience and writes a review, it will draw your attention to an issue you may not have noticed:
Not all bad reviews need to end a deal – they can be an opportunity to improve and strengthen customer service.
How To Manage All Your Reviews
The great importance of online reviews and star ratings makes it necessary to have an online reputation management strategy.
It’s vital to monitor your reviews, campaign for more reviews, and have a strategy for responding to all reviews.
After all, your answer can influence a negative review to turn into a positive one.
This strategy will improve both your business reputation and SEO.
With reputation management software, companies can have a team overseeing their online reputation and all other assessments.
A good service will also have tools that will help you compose responses and manage them.
The software allows your business team to respond quickly and appropriately so you don’t have to deal with the stress of negative reviews.
Featured Image: : Phoenixns/Shutterstock
What are the 7 qualities of good customer service?
What are examples of essential customer service qualities?
- Giving respect to your customer. …
- Get your agents to practice active listening skills. …
- Empathy: the key to customer success. …
- Ability to communicate clearly with the customer. …
- A positive attitude. …
- Be patient. …
- Customer service agents determined to serve.
What are the 3 important qualities of customer service? Essentially, the 3 important qualities of customer service revolve around three “p”s: professionalism, patience, and a “people first” attitude. While customer service varies from customer to customer, as long as you follow these guidelines, you are on the right track.
Why is it important to review work?
Provide Feedback Performance reviews provide important feedback to the company and its employees. They provide the opportunity for your employees to receive recognition for a job well done or to highlight areas that may need more attention. Recognition and constructive criticism help motivate people to improve.
Why is performance rating important in an organization? Performance appraisal systems provide a means of systematically evaluating employees on various performance dimensions to ensure organizations are getting what they pay for. They provide valuable feedback to employees and managers and help identify people who can be promoted as well as issues.
Why performance rating is necessary?
The performance rating helps people do their jobs better, identifies training and education needs, assigns people to jobs they can excel at, and maintains fairness in pay, benefits, promotions, hiring, and firing. Most workers want to know how they are doing at work.
Is performance review necessary?
Performance reviews in most organizations are so bad that they do more harm than good. Traditional performance appraisals and feedback approaches are often so bad that they actually degrade performance about a third of the time. Learn why the manager is critical to every aspect of your workplace.
How reviews affect sales?
Reviews drive an average 18% increase in sales Having greater confidence in the business makes the customer buy more from you and is also expected to come back for more purchases. According to a research study, customer reviews produce an average 18% increase in sales.
How do reviews affect a business? Negative reviews can seriously affect your business. Every time a negative review appears in Google searches, you have the potential to lose customers. 86% of customers are hesitant to buy from companies with negative reviews. Negative reviews end up costing web traffic and revenue.
How important are reviews to customers?
Analyzing comments left by your customers helps your business to understand overall customer satisfaction as they can provide feedback to your business about what your customers really want.
How do reviews affect customers?
Customers are more likely to buy from a site that has customer reviews than a site that does not. Displaying reviews on your website gives potential customers more confidence in their purchasing decisions and reduces doubts, leading to a higher conversion rate.
How important are reviews to consumers?
Purchase decisions are based on customer reviews Positive or negative reviews can significantly affect your sales because consumers will seek feedback before making a purchase decision. If they find the reviews reliable and accurate, they are likely to listen to them.
Why reviews are important for sales?
Reviews not only have the power to influence consumer decisions, they can also strengthen a company’s credibility. Reviews have the power to earn customer trust and encourage people to interact with the company. Customer interaction ultimately leads to greater profits for companies.
Why having good reviews is important?
Really good (or bad) reviews have a way of spreading quickly. Encouraging consumers to rate your business is an easy way to expand your brand’s reach. When people have good things to say, they’re also more likely to share their reviews on more sites, including external sites like Yelp, FourSquare, and TripAdvisor.
How important are reviews to consumers?
Purchase decisions are based on customer reviews Positive or negative reviews can significantly affect your sales because consumers will seek feedback before making a purchase decision. If they find the reviews reliable and accurate, they are likely to listen to them.
Do reviews impact sales?
2. On average, reviews produce an 18% increase in sales. Customers are more likely to buy from a site that has customer reviews than a site that does not.
Do product reviews increase sales?
According to a study by the Bazaarvoice network, one product review can result in a 10% increase in sales and 200 reviews can result in a 44% increase in sales.
How much do reviews impact a business?
Reviews are trustworthy: 88% of consumers trust both online reviews and personal recommendations. Good reviews equal better revenue: Consumers are likely to spend 31% more money on a company with great reviews.
How do I add product reviews to my website?
Open your site’s review page in your preferred editor. Paste the header code between the <head></head> HTML tags on this page. Copy the content code. Paste this code where you want to display the review.
How do I add comments to my site? Open your site’s review page in your preferred editor. Paste the header code between the HTML tags on this page. Copy the content code. Paste this code where you want to display the review.
Is Gmail for business free?
More about Google Workspace An ad-free Gmail account with your business domain name, such as susan@example.com. Ownership of employee accounts. 24/7 phone, email and chat support. Even unlimited Gmail and Google Drive storage.
How do I create a Gmail account for my business?
Is there a free version of Google business?
Google Workspace includes all the main services available in the free legacy edition of G Suite, such as Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet and Chat. When choosing which edition of Google Workspace to upgrade to, we recommend that you consider these factors: Number of users: Google Workspace Business editions can have up to 300 users.
Is Google G Suite free?
Join the waitlist for a free option without the premium features of using Gmail with your custom domain (e.g. your-name@example.com) and the ability to manage multiple users. Know this option.
How can I use Google Workspace for free?
When you sign up for Google Workspace, you start with a 14-day free trial subscription. Up to 10 users can explore all Google Workspace features, including business email and online storage. If you switch editions during your free trial, unused days will be applied to your new subscription.
How much does Gmail for business cost?
Choose your Google Workspace pricing plan. Try it free for 14 days. Google Workspace plans start at $6 per user per month for Business Starter, $12 per user per month for Business Standard and $18 per user per month for Business Plus.
How much does Gmail cost per month?
The free version of Gmail comes with 15GB of space for your documents, emails, photos and other files. The paid version has 30GB on the $5 per month plan and unlimited storage for $10 per month (or 1TB if your company has less than five users).
How much does it cost to use Gmail?
Gmail is free to sign up and use and has no hidden fees. There is no limit to how many emails you can send or receive, the number of people you can contact, or how much time you can spend using it. Gmail has some features you can buy, but they don’t drastically change the user experience.
Is Gmail for business paid?
To use Gmail for business, connect your company’s custom domain to your email address (for example, jane@yourcustomdomain.com). Paid plans start at $6 per user, per month as part of the Google Workspace ecosphere.
Is Google account for business Free?
Is Google Business Profile free? Yes, it’s free to create your Business Profile on Google. Create your profile for free and manage your business on Google Search and Maps to start reaching more customers.
Is there a fee for business Gmail account?
A Gmail business account is an affordable option for just $5 a month, per user. If you can commit to 12 months, the cost drops to $50 per user, per year.