Google Reviews are Increasingly More Important
February 26, 2018 By Practice Growth Pras
You likely know the importance of online reviews to your business by now. In the same way that word of mouth was a main determining factor of consumer choices in the past, online reviews have become the same type of determinant. In fact, SearchEngineLand.com found that “85 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” So in many ways, online reviews are just another form of word of mouth.
But not all online review websites are created equal. Google has dominated the online review landscape since 2016, overtaking facebook as the number one source of online reviews. However, it is still important to be active with your facebook reviews, along with Yelp to a lesser extent.
By paying attention to the major online review websites, you can not only see what your business’ word of mouth is, but you can respond to it and help shape the narrative that is being told about you and your employees.
Why has Google dominated the world of online reviews in recent years? SearchEngineLand.com identified three main reasons:
- Google’s sheer scale, visibility and primary purpose as a search engine means every time someone searches for a local business, they’re offered the option to leave a review.
- Google’s native integration into Android devices means that it’s able to get its Google My Business reviews in front of a very large number of smartphone users.
- Google has been significantly pushing for more users to leave reviews, with a notable increase in the number of notifications users receive after frequenting a business.
As you can see in the following chart from BrightLocal, Google’s growth in online reviews reflects their dominance over their competitors. What this means to business owners is that your potential clients are most likely to read about you on Google, underscoring the importance of managing your Google reviews.
Of course, managing your online reviews is easier said than done. As a busy medical health professional, you likely don’t have the time to properly manage your reviews. But don’t worry, that’s where Doctor Multimedia can help. Call us today at 800-679-3309 for a free consultation.
