What Are Ratings and Reviews?

Ratings and reviews are an important part of the customer experience. 

They offer prospective customers a firsthand account of what it’s like to buy from your company. If you have great ratings, people will be more likely to purchase from you than if they see bad reviews about your business.

This blog post is going to discuss the importance of ratings and reviews, how they are generated, and some best practices for getting them on your site!

What Are Ratings and Reviews?

Ratings and reviews are an important part of the customer experience. They offer prospective customers a firsthand account of what it’s like to buy from your company. If you have great ratings, people will be more likely to purchase from you than if they see bad reviews about your business. This blog post is going to discuss the importance of ratings and reviews, how they are generated, and some best practices for getting them on your site!

How Do You Generate Ratings and Reviews?

You generate ratings and reviews in one of two ways. You can ask for them or you can solicit them from your customers.

Asking Customers For Ratings and Reviews

The easiest way to get a good review is to simply ask the customer! This process, called “nudging” has been proven time and again as an effective method for generating feedback about any type of service or purchase experience.

Nudging asks customers at key points during their interaction with your company if they have thoughts on how it went: Was this helpful? How would you rate our quality? Would you recommend us to others? It takes just seconds but results show that as many as 93% follow through when asked such questions by phone reps and 89% when asking via email.

One thing we've learned from nudge studies is that people will not always give honest answers unless prompted. The simple act of asking one question goes a long way when it comes to generating feedback.

Best Practices to Generate Ratings and Reviews

• Initiate a feedback loop by asking for ratings and reviews at key points in the customer experience.
• Ask permission to contact customers with an offer of free product or service upgrades, such as expedited shipping on their next order.
• Offer $25 off your next purchase if you leave us a review.
• Incentivize them with discounts or other rewards which provide social proof around how great they are (ie "We appreciate our customers!"
• Offer a public acknowledgment of respondents, with their permission.
• Offer the ability to rate your product on various dimensions and offer prizes for those who come in the first place (top ratings).
• Encourage them by setting up an award program that rewards customers when they give feedback via ratings and reviews.
  
  

Do you know what's been really helpful in getting people to take action? 

Rewards programs! These are systems where you can reward customer loyalty or participation using points or other incentives, like discounts. And while it might sound too good to be true at first blush—you don't need tons of cash upfront—these types of programs actually work surprisingly well as long as there is some sort of tangible value tied into participating in it--like free shipping.

To learn more about how LevelUP Digital Solutions can help you realize your website objectives, contact us today at 401-298-9361. Our knowledgeable SEO experts can deliver the results you’re looking for.