Types of Business Reviews
Local Reviews
Google Reviews
Google reviews are powered via Google My Business.
For local reviews, look no further than Google Reviews. Not only will these reviews help your company rank higher on Google Maps, but it is also a strong organic ranking signal for SEO.
Your ratings will show on Google Maps and on your Google company profile.
Google Seller Ratings
Google Seller Ratings are the star ratings that show under your Google Ads. This gives instant credibility starting at the search engine. If you are using Google Ads, you are guaranteed a positive ROI or you get your money back (from Shopper Approved).
In addition, your seller ratings will also show on Google Shopping listings.
Seller ratings work well for service-based businesses and eCommerce websites. One great feature is that every Google 3rd Party Review Partner has a widget where you can embed your reviews directly on your website.
Best Google 3rd Party Review Partners to Gather Seller Ratings
Google Customer Reviews
You might end up spending $5,000-10,000 USD because you’ll need a team of programmers
$0/mo*
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Ratings
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Ecommerce Companies Only
- Not for Service-Based Companies
OUR #1 PICK
Shopper Approved
30-Day FREE Trial
No Credit Card Needed
1-Year RISK FREE!Triple Money-Back Guarantee!
SEE MORE DETAILS
$199/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Ratings
- For Small/Medium Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
- Unlimited Reviews for Locked-In Rate
Verified Reviews
You only get UP TO 400 review “requests” per month. That doesn’t mean you will get 400 reviews.
30-Day FREE Trial
10% Discount
No Credit Card Needed
Pricing is based on # of orders.
If you cancel, your reviews will still show on Verified Reviews.
SEE MORE DETAILS
$99/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Small/Enterprise Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
Yotpo
Pricing is mainly based on monthly orders.
SEE MORE DETAILS
$799/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Ecommerce Companies
- Not for Service-Based Companies
TrustPilot
$599/mo starting for Product Reviews
Subscription must be paid annually.
Pricing is based on “# of Email Invitations” sent, not on actual reviews collected.
SEE DETAILS
$199/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
Feefo
Based in UK
You’re paying for SEO, CRO, Insights, Reviews, etc.
SEE DETAILS
£99/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Ratings
- For Enterprise Businesses
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
Google Product Reviews
Google Customer Reviews
Google has a program called Google Customer Reviews. It’s only for online stores (eCommerce). Basically, once a person makes a purchase from your website, Google will ask your customer (normally via a popup) if they can follow up in a few days.
Structured Data Markup for Reviews
The reviews show rich snippets directly on Google organic search results. There are many different types of markup that will show rich snippets in search results. The image below is specific to showing structured data markup for reviews.
To get this type of markup, you’ll need to hire a programmer, find a plugin, or use one of Google’s 3rd Party Review Partners.
Google allows ratings for the following content types:
- Book
- Course
- Event
- How-to
- Local business
- Movie
- Product
- Recipe
- Software App
Directory Reviews
Yelp
This is great for organic search ‘if’ you can make the reviews stick. We stopped getting reviews on Yelp because, as you can see in the image, reviews get filtered into “not currently recommended”.
Planet Marketing recommends the free version of Yelp to collect reviews from Yelpers.
Many business owners hate Yelp. This is so widely known that Amazon has a movie called “Billion Dollar Bully” which specifically targets Yelp.
BBB
BBB is a great place to get reviews. The only problem is that if you don’t guide your customers to leave a positive 5-star review, they’ll probably only leave negative reviews, especially on BBB.
If you’re collecting reviews for your company, you should get some here and on Google My Business, especially if you have a local-based business
Planet Marketing’s Reputation Management Software
Planet Marketing has a program to get you onto 20 directories (only the most important ones). Our software will get ensure your visibility on search engines, review sites, social sites, and directories. We will also show the accuracy of your company information across all directories.
Learn more about Planet Marketing’s Reputation Management Software.
Social Media Reviews
Facebook Business Reviews
The only reason we mention Facebook is that Google shows the reviews on your Google profile. Also, it’s most likely a ranking factor.
We recommend getting a few reviews here, then focusing on getting reviews on platforms that have more impact.
For instance, if you own a local-based business, get a few reviews on Facebook, but then change focus on getting reviews on Google Local Maps. Google Local Maps will send way more business compared to Facebook. But you still shouldn’t ignore Facebook reviews.
Learn more about managing Facebook business reviews here.
LinkedIn Recommedations
You can get “Recommendations” on LinkedIn for a personal profile. While a company can get LinkedIn testimonials, it’s really hard to find.
We recommend getting LinkedIn Recommendations for freelancers who connect with other people on LinkedIn. If you have a company, you may want to focus your efforts on one of the other platforms, like Google My Business or one of the Google 3rd Party Review companies.
8 Reasons why online reviews are important for businesses
Online reviews are important because they have become a reference point for buyers across the globe and because so many people trust them when making purchasing decisions. Here are 8 reasons why online reviews are important;
1. 90% of people first check out online reviews before making a purchase
90% of people first check out what their peers are saying about a business before making the decision to further the interaction. Reviews are, therefore, a major driver of the commerce that takes place across the globe on a daily basis.
2. 87% of people trust online reviews
A study that was carried out by BrightLocal in 2020 found that
87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020 – up from 81% in 2019
BrightLocal
The fact that people are willing to trust perfect strangers is a truly amazing piece of data and should be motivation enough for every business to make sure that they get positive online reviews.
3. Online reviews lead to increased sales
Online reviews are clearly an important way through which you can increase sales for your business. This applies whether or not the business operates globally or is a local-based business. In fact, up to 31% of people are likely to spend more on a business that has positive reviews.
4. 72% of people will only interact with brands that have positive reviews
This is what makes it important for you to make sure that the reviews that you get are positive. Negative reviews tend to put people off so much that they usually put off the decision to do business with you.
Having said that, negative reviews can also be turned into a positive. You can, as an example, reach out to the concerned customer and try and resolve the issue to their satisfaction. Should you do this, it becomes much more likely that they will come back and leave a positive review.
5. Online reviews give you a clearer picture of what your customers expect from you
Another of the many reasons why online reviews are important for your business is that they give you a clearer understanding of what your customers expect from you. Most businesses, it has to be said, tend to get detached from their clientele as they grow. This can have a devastating impact on the relationship that exists between a brand and its customers.
It is important for all businesses to not only get online reviews, but also to make sure that they take the time to read the feedback. Reviews are a good way through which you can steer your business towards the ultimate goal of meeting your clients’ needs.
6. For the customer: Online are an easy way of getting the best deals
The Customer is often neglected when people talk about the importance of online reviews. However, customers stand to benefit the most by getting feedback from their peers who have already used a particular product or service.
A person who is looking to buy a blender from Amazon, as an example, has access to information from people across the globe who have already purchased and used the brand in which they are interested.
Again, the issue comes back to the business; in order to maintain positive reviews that drive sales, a business needs to make sure that its products and services are beyond reproach.
7. Online reviews help boost your SEO
Having positive reviews is also another way through which you can improve your website’s Search Engine visibility. The more that people talk about your brand online, the greater its visibility to Search Engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Although Google denies this, some BrightLocal (SEO experts) claim that reviews account for 16% of local search engine rankings factors. What this means is that businesses should be seized with the process of generating positive reviews as a way of boosting their Search Engine Visibility.
8. Reviews create brand loyalty
Another reason why reviews are important is the fact that they help boost customer loyalty towards a brand. A person who takes the time to leave a positive review on Yelp about a particular brand or product is likely to come back for more business should the need arise.
Our picks for the best online review companies
| Company | Purpose | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews (Google My Business) | Local Rankings on Google Maps | Free |
| Shopper Approved | Shows ratings on Google Ads. Known as Google Seller Ratings. Also, they do Google Product Reviews. | $199/mo |
| Shows directly on your Google company profile | Free | |
| Tripadvisor | For the travel industry | Free |
| BBB | Credibility, especially if your target audience is older. | Free |
| Yelp | Reviews only stick if someone reaches out to you via Yelp. If you give your customer your review link and your customer never went to your Yelp profile, your customer’s review will not be recommended. | Free |
How to Get Positive Online Reviews
Local SEO Software for Gathering Reviews
Getting reviews can be hard for small business owners because they are busy running their companies. Many times it can become a chore to be asking customers for a review. To get positive reviews, you’ll need to reach out to your customer via email and/or text message.
For the business owner, getting reviews all comes down to making sales. If people don’t trust your company, they will not buy. That lack of trust will come from 1) bad reviews or 2) lack of reviews. Luckily, Planet Marketing’s Local SEO Software can help if you don’t want to do the tedious task of manually sending reviews to customers.
If you want to manually get positive reviews, go to your Google My Business settings. Click on ‘Share Review Form” and send the link to all your past customers.
This works best with Google Reviews, but it’ll work with the other types of business reviews mentioned above, like Google Seller Ratings, Directory Reviews, Social Media Reviews, etc.
Reputation Management Software. Repair/Increase Your Online Reputation
Here at Planet Marketing, we have had many clients who were rude AND STILL ARE rude to their customers! For these types of ol’ school clients, we always have to repair their online reputations. Every time we help a new client with their online reputation, their rankings on Google go up. Watch our video on reputation management.
