Most local businesses have a lot to gain from positive reviews and a lot to lose from negative reviews. According to a BrightLocal consumer review survey, nearly 9 in 10 consumers read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business and 39% do so on a regular basis. 72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a business and influence their decision to purchase. It is evident that in this digital age, online reviews have an enormous impact on a consumer’s final decision based on where to give their business.

Online reviews, when used strategically can become powerful pieces of information that persuade people to go to your auto shop. They have a significant impact on consumer behavior, consumer loyalty and the entire purchasing process. Therefore, every auto shop owner needs to start thinking of a strategy for acquiring reviews and managing their online reputation, if they don’t have one in place already. Being able to inspire positive reviews of your auto shop services is crucial to long-term success.

Positive reviews are important!! They will do the following things for your auto shop:  

1. Positive reviews will give you a competitive advantage. Your competitors can list the same products, services or prices on their websites but online reviews will sets your auto shop apart from the rest. Consumers can obtain the information they need from reviews to make a decision about which auto shop to go to. These reviews increase the conversion rates leading to higher sales by eliminating any doubts potential customers may have regarding the quality of your services. Online reviews also help in product and service selection.
2. Online reviews are considered personal recommendations. Genuine customer reviews will encourage potential customers to trust your shop, and this can go a long way to persuading them to spend their money on the services you offer. People like reviews because they provide third party insight into the quality of both the services and the customer service at your shop. The greater the number of positive reviews your business receives, the better your reputation will be, which brings you more customers. However, it should be noted that negative reviews in terms of constructive criticism are important too, as they help reveal that the business is real and show the willingness of the business to respond to them by commenting back.
3. Reviews will help your SEO rankings. Online reviews do more than improve the relationship between you and your customers. They work towards increasing your website ranking in local search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing and more. Unique content that is regularly updated and user reviews are a great way to get considerable SEO benefits attracting more traffic to your website. The more that is written about your business, the more important a search engine will consider you to be.
4. Positive reviews reassure potential customers that the action they are about to take is the right one. As an auto shop owner, you clearly understand that everywhere you turn, there is more competition. Getting an average review rating of 4 stars or higher and having positive reviews will help steer purchasing decisions. Consumer reviews are more trusted than descriptions that come from the product manufacturers. The appearance of a number of reviews appears to be enough to give new visitors the confidence to add their views on that particular product, breeding more reviews for the product.

If you need help establishing or making the most out of your positive reviews, give CarCareCONNECT a call at 1-800-591-8675 to see what we can do for you and your online reputation!