BrightLocal a Good Source
One of the sources that I have come to trust and appreciate is BrightLocal (BL). They do all things SEO and do it well. Among their services are tools for creating, updating and managing directory citations. Another is curating review sites. Recently they offered their 2017 list of 300+ Industry categorized review sites. What a treasure!
Just how do you get the best reviews from the best review sites?
Reviews Are Important
We all know that reviews really count. In fact, through surveying consumers BL learned that 84% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Which is saying a lot. You can imagine how powerful a review on a website with a positive online reputation would be. These reviews drive traffic from real customers ready to purchase your services or products.
Now kick that up a notch. Not only a quality website with a review valued like a personal recommendation, but a review site in your specific business category. If you’re a plumber, you want reviews at a plumbing site. If you’re a CPA, a CPA site is best. A doctor? A medical site! So it is no small benefit to have over 300 industry review sites categorized into over 30 different business categories. An excellent help to find the best site to feature pleased reviews from your customers.
Benefits to Online Reviews
It’s great when a recommendation can be accompanied with a smile or a handshake. But for all those times when personal presence is not possible – searching late at night or on a work lunch break – the online review site is there to lend you a hand. And a smile!
“Who reads reviews?” you may ask. Consumers searching for local businesses do! 91% of consumers read online reviews when they are searching for products and services online. And 84% of these say they consider an online review as helpful as that personal handshake.
But what is the most important stat? 70% of consumers will leave a review if the business asks them to do so. All you need to do is ask. Start now! Amazon is always asking me to review products I purchase. And look where they are! Simply because they ask. Repeatedly!
Cautionary Tale
Not all review sites are created equal, however. There are those who will list your review or your site and place it in company with those who can hurt your credibility and your page ranking with Google. The key consideration is to find a quality site where that review of your satisfied customer can really shine.
Quality Reviews on Quality Sites
The work which BL has done on their collection of over 300 business categorized review sites has sorted through the quality question for you. They considered the Domain Authority of a site through Moz. They considered the Trust Flow and Citation Flow through Majestic. They refined their choices by evaluation of the overall quality of the site. That’s the list they offer. And here are the categories developed:
For a look at each category and the specific review sites, go to BL’s report.
Alliant is always ready to help you with your website and marketing efforts. Just call 626-461-1300.
