Ratings & Reviews

Archive for the ‘Ratings & Reviews’ Category

January 7, 2019

Why Five-star Reviews Fail to Perform (and How to Fix Them)

Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center analyzed 57,000 reviews from anonymous consumers and 65,000 reviews from verified buyers of more than 13,500 unique products in diverse categories. They made a startling discovery. Reviews could increase marketing conversion rates by a whopping 270%. Their groundbreaking research covers a variety of areas. Their research validates the importance and effectiveness of…

Contributed by: Andrew McDermott

January 2, 2019

Three Local SEO Predictions for 2019

Because most companies don’t have unlimited funds to put towards SEO initiatives, this is the time of year when many of your clients are deciding where to direct their digital marketing dollars. How can you help them to get the most impact for their money? To help, here are three of our 2019 predictions: Online…

Contributed by: Chris Gregory

December 10, 2018

Study: Almost 90% of Consumers Now Consulting Local Reviews

BrightLocal released its annual Local Consumer Review Survey, which covers a range of issues, including local business review habits, the trust and influence of online reviews, responding to and posting reviews. The study surveyed 1,000 US consumers. Reviews have become increasingly important for consumers and marketers alike, which is reflected in the survey results. Not…

Contributed by: Courtney Dobson

December 4, 2018

Local Search Ranking Factors Then and Now (2008 vs. 2018)

The latest edition of the Local Search Ranking Factors is out. This is the 10-year anniversary of the study with the first edition of the Local Search Ranking Factors released by David Mihm back in 2008. After 10 years, it’s interesting to see how the results have changed and how they haven’t. Over the years…

Contributed by: Joe Morsello

November 28, 2018

Study: Positive Experiences Motivate Consumers to Write Reviews

Although many merchants believe negative sentiment is the leading motivator of online reviews, research says that since 2010, the average review has become 12% more positive. In fact, according to LSA data, consumers are most often motivated to leave reviews because of positive experiences. The data are featured in the report, “The Great Conversational Divide”…

Contributed by: Courtney Dobson

November 19, 2018

New Study: The Consumer-SMB ‘Conversational Divide’

There’s no longer any debate about whether reviews influence consumer purchases across categories and industries. And while most local businesses understand the general proposition, to what degree do they act in accordance with that idea? A new report from LSA (commissioned by SOCi), “The Great Conversational Divide: What SMBs Don’t Understand About Reviews and How…

Contributed by: LSA Editors

November 16, 2018

Replay: The Online Reputation Gap — What Businesses Think vs. What Consumers Expect

During a recent webinar, LSA’s Greg Sterling and SOCi’s Monica Ho discussed the results of two parallel surveys conducted by both companies, one of online US adults and the other of local business owners and decision makers. The studies aimed to answer the following questions and “bridge the online gap” between business understanding and consumer…

Contributed by: Courtney Dobson