Online reviews have become a cornerstone of consumer decision-making.
Consumers often turn to online reviews for guidance, whether choosing a restaurant, booking a hotel or purchasing a new gadget. They search for online reviews accompanied by star ratings that share honest experiences from other consumers like them.
However, as more people become aware of bots and fake reviews, more users take online reviews with a grain of salt. Although 50% of users trust online reviews, many users need several elements present in reviews before they can deem them credible.
Given the impact online reviews can have on brand trust and a business’s reputation, it’s important to understand what makes users trust online reviews.
But what exactly makes an online review credible?
Let’s define the characteristics of trustworthiness, why consumers rely on them and how businesses can cultivate more reliable reviews.
What Makes an Online Review Trustworthy?
There are various elements users should look for when reading online reviews before they consider them credible reviews. Although they vary from person to person, these generally include:
• Verified Purchases: These labels confirm that the user has purchased the product. These contribute to trustworthy reviews as they confirm that the reviewer has used the product or service. Platforms like Amazon highlight these reviews so that users can get legitimate and credible reviews.
• Reviewer Profile: Reviews from profiles with a history of online reviews and who regularly leave balanced feedback are deemed more reliable. The reviewer’s username should “inspire confidence and appear to be a real name and real person,” said Tim Clarke, Thrive Local’s Senior Reputation Manager. “Users that write more reviews, have a profile with a long track record and appear to be super users are more trusted.”
• Balanced Perspective: A 2023 BrightLocal survey found that reviews that raise suspicion are either too positive or negative. If a user has a genuinely positive or negative experience, Clarke said the review should “give specific reasons why they liked or didn’t like a business.”
• Consistent Language: Reviews written in a natural, consistent tone are more credible. In contrast, reviews with excessive punctuation, exaggerated language or inconsistent tone may make trusting online reviews difficult for many users.
• Writing Quality: Reviews with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation are more likely to be trusted. Poorly written reviews can seem less credible and may be disregarded by potential customers.
• Date of Review: Users are more likely to search for a business’ recent reviews, as they reflect the current state of the product or service. Whether positive or negative, older reviews may not accurately represent the current quality, especially if they significantly contrast with newer ones.
• Supporting Media: Reviews with photos or videos provide tangible evidence of the reviewer’s experience. This additional proof can significantly enhance a review’s credibility.
• Community Feedback: Platforms allow users to like or vote for other users’ reviews that they deem helpful or credible. Many helpful votes indicate that the review resonates with the broader community.
• Platform Used: Some platforms have strict moderation policies against fake or unreliable reviews, ensuring reviews are generally more trustworthy. These platforms actively filter out fake reviews and ensure that only genuine feedback is published.
In addition to these features, statistics have found additional details that affect customer trust in reviews, their platforms, and, ultimately, the brand itself.
Users Need at Least Five Reviews
Respondents of a 2022 Yelp survey claimed they read a median of five reviews before they formed an impression of the brand that affects their spending decisions. This means that for every platform where a brand gets customer reviews, cultivating a positive platform needs at least five reviews to sway customer trust.
Around 60% of BrightLocal’s survey respondents support this, saying that the number of reviews providing similar insights can affect their decision.
Additionally, Podium’s 2021 findings on online reviews found that 68% of consumers don’t trust high star ratings unless there are many trustworthy reviews.
Users Rely on Text Reviews With Star Ratings
While star ratings are still important for users, they do little to sway review readers if there is no text review explaining the review. Following a 2022 review-bombing attack in which many U.S. restaurants were blackmailed to send gift cards in exchange for removing fake 1-star ratings, many platforms require a minimum number of characters to post a review. Yelp’s survey found that 85% of users trust reviews with texts; BrightLocal supports these findings, claiming that around 31% doubted reviews without star ratings.
Users Have a Minimum Star Rating
How low is too low? According to Podium, 3.4 stars out of 5 is the average minimum rating businesses need to get consumers to engage. Users are more likely to ignore businesses with low ratings, with only 9% considering companies with less than two stars.
Users Expect Responses
Aside from the other factors that determine trustworthiness, users also expect a response from the business. BrightLocal’s survey found that 88% of users were likely to engage with a company that responded to all reviews, compared to only 47% who didn’t respond. Additionally, most users expected a response within a week or earlier.
Why Do Users Rely on Online Reviews?
Most consumers today trust online reviews as though they were personal recommendations from their own circle. While we’re seeing a rise in consumer trust, more people are becoming wary about business advertising. Any business can easily say they’re the best in their industry, only to disappoint consumers with their products or services. This, along with many other factors, drives users to trust online reviews before engaging with brands:
• Authentic Experiences: Users value the real-life experiences shared in online reviews, which provide insights that are often more relatable than promotional content.
• Risk Mitigation: Reading reviews helps users minimize the risk of a bad purchase by learning about potential issues and how they were resolved by the seller or service provider.
• Social Proof: Positive reviews serve as social proof, improving brand trust and reassuring potential customers that others have had good experiences with the product or service.
• Unbiased Opinions: Reviews from other consumers are perceived as more impartial than advertising, offering a more honest assessment of the product or service.
• Trust Building: Consistently positive reviews build trust in a brand or business, encouraging repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
How To Increase Your Business’s Trusted Reviews: 5 Tips
Businesses can benefit from online reviews as these build consumer trust in brands and improve their reputation. Unfortunately, surveys and research have found that although consumers trust online reviews and frequently search for them, they’re less likely to write them.
While a few active users leave reviews for all or most businesses they engage with, around 81% create four or fewer reviews yearly, while 20% have never left a review. It doesn’t help that unhappy customers are more likely to leave reviews unprompted or that users are actively searching for negative reviews.
Increasing trustworthy reviews starts with getting your customers to leave honest reviews. This means rethinking your strategies for driving users to leave an online review – regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, including:
1. Reach Out to Customers
Around 65% of consumers will likely leave a review if a business asks. This means making an effort to reach out to your customers for a review, which increases your chances of getting one. Some ways you can prompt reviews:
• Send a follow-up email to your customer a few days after receiving your product or service.
• If your business has a physical store, train your staff to leave a review and provide a card with instructions during checkout.
• After customer service interactions, ask customers if they are willing to share their experience in a review.
• Send customers an SMS after purchasing or getting service to leave a review.
• Automate reputation management software that can send review requests at optimal times.
Keep in mind that the Federal Trade Commission has prohibited incentivized reviews, as these can create biased or untrustworthy reviews that could be considered false advertising. Avoid asking for reviews in exchange for freebies, discounts, sweepstakes and other tactics.
2. Simplify the Review Process
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews. A streamlined process encourages more feedback and reduces friction. For example, QR codes make directing customers to your review platforms easier. Restaurants can leave these QR codes on tables, while eCommerce businesses can integrate them into packaging. In these cases, customers can provide immediate feedback after receiving their product or service.
3. Encourage Honest Feedback
Not all users know what to write, which can lead to vague reviews that don’t add value to users browsing reviews. When sending review requests, include prompts that can guide clients to write more detailed responses about their experience. This gives users browsing for prompts more honest and specific details about your products or services.
4. Engage With Reviews
Respond to reviews, both good and bad, professionally. Addressing negative feedback constructively shows potential customers that you are committed to improving their experience. By showing that you actively respond to comments, your customers may build consumer trust in brands and be more motivated to share their experiences.
5. Highlight Verified Reviews
Choose credible review platforms such as Google, Facebook and Yelp. Some platforms have features that emphasize reviews from verified purchasers. Highlighting these reviews on your website or social media can enhance credibility.
Let Credible Reviews Build Consumer Trust for Your Brand
In a world where online reputation can significantly impact business success, trustworthy reviews are invaluable. They guide users and build credibility and customer trust in brands. Businesses can strategically manage their online reputation by understanding what makes a review trustworthy, why consumers rely on it and how to increase the number of trusted reviews.
Thrive Local understands how well-managed online reviews can affect your business’s online reputation. Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can make your reviews boost brand trust.
