Let’s face it, your auto shop gets judged from all angles online. We’ve gone over how crucial design, mobile sites, and social media are to a successful website, but now it’s time to cover how impactful online reviews can be.

“Why are reviews so important?”

We highly recommend reading a study conducted by BrightLocal, in which nearly 90% of respondents have read reviews to determine the quality of a local business, and 72% of consumers stated they would will take action after reading a positive review. This study further proves that reviews are extremely important to gaining new patients to your auto shop, and shows that reviews are their own form of advertising. Which would you be more likely to believe, someone who was paid to advertise a service, or someone who had such a good experience that they wanted to share on their own?

“What can I do to get good reviews written about my auto shop?”

There is a simple, two part answer to that. First of all, with good service, reviews come naturally. Secondly, don’t ever write or hire someone to write a fake review. Anyone can spot a fake review a mile away, including Google. Fake reviews do not accurately represent your business, look worse to potential patients, and can lower your SEO.

Since writing your own review about your practice isn’t an option, make it easy for your customers to give you a good review. Give them a little nudge by providing them with a link on your website or remind them in person after they have an appointment.

“How do I handle bad reviews?”

Bad reviews are impossible to avoid, but you can always do your part to keep them from getting worse. For more advice on how to handle reviews both good and bad, give us a call at 1-800-591-8675 and we’ll point you in the right direction!