Every business wants to generate positive reviews. However, negative reviews aren’t as bad as many businesses think. In fact, there are some situations where negative reviews can be beneficial.
Keep reading to learn the real impact of negative reviews.
Negative Reviews Increase the Total Number of Reviews
When someone searches for a local business, Google provides results that highlight the number of stars each relevant business has.
However, did you know that Google also displays the number of reviews the business has overall? The total reviews you have help increase social proof for your business while contributing to the localized search ranking factors.
However, there is no clear answer regarding how reviews help SEO.
The goal is to have a diverse array of opinions, which include some negative reviews. This helps search engines verify if you have a legitimate business.
The Impact of Negative Reviews on eCommerce Businesses
Even eCommerce sites aren’t going to experience instant negativity due to bad reviews. The people who set up Google algorithms understand no one is perfect.
According to internal SEO guidelines provided by Google, website reviewers know that even the best websites get bad reviews from time to time. While you don’t need to ignore the negative reviews, just a few aren’t going to tank your reputation.
The opposite is actually true.
Increase Credibility with Negative Reviews
If customers don’t see anything but positive reviews, they may get suspicious.
Consumers think that negative reviews have much more credibility than positive reviews. It has also been found that moderately positive reviews are often more persuasive than reviews that are over-the-top and positive.
To put it simply, these extremely happy customers are just a little too unbelievable, and the reviews often generate skepticism. Research has suggested that consumers want to see a mix of bad, moderate, and good reviews when trying to figure out if a business is trustworthy.
This applies to all businesses, including local establishments or eCommerce stores, with a global reach. More reviews, good, bad, and neutral, will encourage customers to spend more time on the website, which is going to help increase search rankings over time.
The amount of time someone spends on a page and the duration of the session are both essential measures when trying to improve SEO.
Negative Reviews Are an Opportunity
When you receive negative reviews, you are getting feedback about your business you can act on. If there is a customer service issue or another problem, you will find out what it is and be able to take steps to fix it. When you take time to respond to negative reviews appropriately, it will show that you value your customer’s feedback and that you are willing to take the necessary corrective actions.
Help Your Client’s Harness the Power of Negative Reviews
Negative reviews aren’t all bad. However, you have to make sure you use them properly to benefit from them. If necessary, enlist the help of the pros to ensure negative reviews help to build your client’s customer’s trust.