Are Your Local Reviews Up-To-Date?

 

New reports have shown that freshness is crucial when it comes to online reviews, with 40% of consumers saying they only look at reviews of local businesses written in the last two weeks, and a massive 85% saying reviews older than three months are no longer relevant.

Here are 6 important stats regarding reviews that you shouldn’t ignore:

• 86% of people now read reviews before contacting a business.

• 85% of consumers disregard reviews more than three months old.

• 40% will only look at reviews written in the last two weeks.

• The average person will read 10 reviews for a local business, but they want to see at least 40 reviews to trust the accuracy of the star ratings.

• 89% of people said they look at the responses to reviews from the business.

• 60% of reviewers will only consider businesses with ratings of 4 stars or above.

The report showed that consumers reliance on online reviews are growing, even though there is still some distrust towards the reviews.

Most people will research and read reviews regarding a local business via a mobile, and the review usage is constant and growing for all ages. However, it is the 18 to 34 year olds that rely more so on reviews when researching local businesses.

Supposedly, when researching a local business, a user will first look at the star rating, then assess the review quality, followed by how recent the review is and the length of the review. 60% of people will only use a business that has 4 stars or above, and on average a consumer wants to see at least 40 reviews to believe that the star rating is accurate.

But why does this matter?

As an estate agent, there will be a lot of agents within your local area competing for the same business. Vendors and landlords need a way of deciphering which estate/letting agents is the best in the area and will likely turn to the internet to search for reviews to see past customers experiences.

Consumers expectations of reviews are growing, and they now want to see more reviews, that have been recently posted and with a higher star rating. Their decision making relies heavily upon trusted reviews; however, they are warier of fake reviews (which of course is why they want to see more reviews).

It is vital that you actively encourage existing customers to leave reviews of their experience with you on trusted review platforms such as Google, Feefo and Facebook. If you don’t reach your potentially customers expectations, you may risk missing out on new business.