Surprising Review Stats To Feed Your Local Strategy [Study]

If you’ve already walked a agelong mile successful your local SEO shoes, chances are you person plentifulness of lived experiences that let you to foretell immoderate of the responses to large-scale section concern reappraisal surveys.

It’s affirming to see, for example, that 85% of our respondents spot a grade of spot successful local concern reviews, and 92% present judge that brands responding to reviews person go portion of offering bully lawsuit service.

Consumers are besides seeking reappraisal contented crossed a wide assortment of platforms, including accepted section concern listings similar Google Business Profiles, societal media sites similar Instagram, and different localized online spaces.

You could person made an educated conjecture astir stats similar these, but wage attraction to the information successful this survey that contains genuine surprises.

Statistics that situation your biases supply captious learning moments that tin provender into your section hunt selling strategy.

Unexpected information points tin besides assistance you gain buy-in from decision-makers for section SEO initiatives you privation to explore.

I’d similar to stock six section concern reappraisal findings from our survey of 1,200+ North American consumers that taught maine thing new, positive 1 stat I accurately predicted and that I privation to beryllium definite is accessible to anyone progressive successful selling section brands.

1. Young Consumers Are Surprisingly Patient When It Comes To Owner Responses To Reviews

Screenshot from GatherUp, January 2025

I was genuinely amazed to observe that consumers aged 45 to 60 person the highest expectations erstwhile it comes to reappraisal effect clip frames, with 46% of them expecting to perceive backmost from businesses wrong 1 day.

I wrongly expected that our youngest demographic would person the slightest patience due to the fact that they person grown up successful an epoch of specified aggravated automation.

Brands that chiefly service youthful consumers are perpetually told that each processes indispensable beryllium made arsenic frictionless arsenic imaginable to debar abandonment and loss.

Still, this survey question reveals that – astatine slightest erstwhile it comes to proprietor responses to reviews – 18- to 29-year-olds are the ascendant radical that volition tolerate reviews taking 1 oregon much weeks to person a reply.

The champion signifier remains to respond to each incoming reviews arsenic rapidly arsenic you perchance can.

If your user basal is young, determination could beryllium different elements of your section hunt selling and brand-consumer communications that necessitate much urgent action.

2. Word-Of-Mouth Recommendations Are Far More Trusted Than Reviews

Screenshot from GatherUp, January 2025

The survey recovered that conscionable 31% of consumers spot online section concern reviews arsenic overmuch arsenic they bash idiosyncratic recommendations from household and friends.

This stat volition travel arsenic a genuine shocker to anyone who has concluded from different surveys implicit the past mates of decades that astir radical spot reviews arsenic overmuch arsenic they bash word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals.

It’s captious to cognize that 45% of your user basal is apt to trust much trustingly connected whether the radical they cognize successful existent beingness deliberation your concern is worthy trying than they bash connected the sentiment of online strangers.

This uncovering emphasizes the captious request for lawsuit work standards that animate consumers to urge your marque to their circle.

Formal loyalty programs should beryllium powerfully considered successful your section hunt selling strategy.

3. Review Reading Is On The Rise

Screenshot from GatherUp, January 2025

Due to our tech-driven society’s fascination with the latest caller thing, I mightiness person thought this survey would output signs that the reappraisal honeymoon could beryllium over.

After all, section concern reviews are present much than 20 years old, and the net is progressively afloat of distractions that could supplant the quiescent wont of perusing reappraisal content.

As it turns out, I couldn’t beryllium much wrong.

A important 59% of consumers study spending much clip speechmaking section concern reviews than they did 5 years ago.

We tin theorize astir whether this uptrend mightiness beryllium the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic causing much dependence connected the web, the outrageous outgo of distant shipping prompting consumers to hunt for section alternatives, oregon different contributing factors.

Whatever the cause, the communicative you request to instrumentality to your adjacent section hunt selling strategy league is that the worth of reviews is connected the rise, meaning reputation management deserves precedence resources.

It’s important to enactment that Google continues to put successful highlighting reappraisal content, some connected Google Business Profiles and successful different formats similar the bonus substance snippets called section justifications that tin look successful local packs and Maps. Google intelligibly thinks that reviews matter.

4. Are Star Ratings Less Important Than You Think?

Image from GatherUp, January 2025

My gut would archer maine that the wide prima standing of section businesses connected listings similar Google Business Profiles would beryllium the eventual origin determining whether a peculiar concern gets chosen by a user for a transaction. The information says otherwise.

Just 23% of respondents stated that they looked astatine the wide prima standing of brands the past clip they consulted reviews.

This pales successful examination to the 67% who focused connected the astir caller reviews, and the 50% who prioritized looking astatine the lowest-star reviews first.

This is simply a takeaway I find truthful astonishing that it is challenging to conception immoderate different communicative surrounding it than this: Modern consumers person realized that mean ratings see each of the reviews a concern has ever received, and that this whitethorn not beryllium reflective of existent quality.

The nationalist is astute if they are trying to find retired however chap consumers consciousness astir a concern today, this week, oregon this month, alternatively of however a marque has performed historically.

The learning present is obvious: A palmy reputation absorption program is 1 that delivers a dependable watercourse of fresh, incoming reappraisal content.

If your reappraisal stream is stagnating, you request to find immoderate is damming it and region those obstacles to guarantee that your assemblage tin rapidly entree caller sentiment astir your brand.

5. Only A Minority Of Review Readers Are Interested In Responses That Detail Brand Improvements

Screenshot from GatherUp, January 2025

In the past, I’ve recommended section concern clients beryllium definite that their proprietor responses to antagonistic reviews see a elaborate mentation of the improvements they’ve made to guarantee that different customers don’t acquisition the aforesaid occupation the reviewer encountered.

For example, if an unhappy reviewer mentioned that their pizza was delivered cold, I would person typically advised the marque to analyse whether this sentiment astir acold nutrient was emergent and uptrending, and past to marque an operational fix.

I would person counseled them to respond to each specified antagonistic reviews with the accusation that the concern had invested successful caller insulated bearer bags, oregon what person you.

Now, seeing that conscionable 34% of reappraisal readers highly worth this benignant of explanation, I whitethorn change my champion signifier proposal successful a peculiar usage case.

I americium often asked by ample multi-location enterprises astir however to prioritize reappraisal responses erstwhile dealing with hundreds oregon thousands of incoming reviews.

I person seen immoderate marketers suggest that the concern should lone respond to antagonistic reviews to marque scaling much manageable, but I stay leery of this proposal due to the fact that surveys similar this 1 corroborate for maine that 73% of consumers admit being thanked by the concern for their affirmative feedback.

Instead, if scaling reappraisal absorption is necessitating a shortcut astatine the moment, you mightiness experimentation with limiting the substance of your proprietor responses to antagonistic reviews to a sincere apology and interaction accusation for in-person resolution, alternatively than taking other clip to picture operational improvements.

6. Instagram Is Definitely In The Local Business Reputation Game

Screenshot from GatherUp, January 2025

I perceive a batch of grief from tiny concern owners astir Instagram’s algorithm, and though I usage the level reasonably frequently, I find its formatting a spot of a mess.

These are biases connected my portion that led to my astonishment that 52% of modern consumers are relying connected this societal media abstraction for section concern recommendations.

I deliberation YouTube is simply a much earthy acceptable for section concern marketing for astir brands, but if there’s 1 mantra to enactment astatine the bosom of your company, it’s to beryllium wherever your customers are.

Of course, your vertical comes into play here. Business models that subordinate to pleasance (think restaurants, bakeries, travel) person an vantage successful the Instagram community.

If you are selling a ineligible steadfast oregon a plumbing franchise, this peculiar societal sphere could beryllium a hard 1 to marque headway in.

My wide takeaway from responses to this question is that a increasing fig of platforms are influencing section purchasing decisions. It’s not capable to negociate your estimation connected Google, Yelp, oregon TripAdvisor.

You request a beingness and a fandom connected whichever platforms are favored by the towns and cities you service to maximize the referrals your marque receives astir the web.

7. The One Stat I Don’t Want You To Miss!

Image from GatherUp, January 2025

92% of consumers present see proprietor responses to reviews arsenic portion and parcel of providing bully lawsuit service.

This is the statistic that did not astonishment me, but which I had ne'er seen codified by immoderate different section concern reappraisal survey.

It confirms for maine the proposal I’ve been giving small-to-enterprise brands for galore years present that creating the champion imaginable online user experiences is arsenic important to gathering a beardown estimation arsenic what happens wrong premise walls.

Your customers’ online and offline experiences with your institution enactment successful performance to signifier their opinions and find whether they volition travel to you for repetition transactions, urge you to others, and talk good of you socially.

Given this, timely, professional, accountable proprietor responses to reviews indispensable beryllium seen arsenic a top-tier enactment successful your section hunt selling strategy.

Few brands are ample capable to safely beryllium capable to disregard a lawsuit who is trying to pass with them via a review.

Monopolies and near-monopolies who are getting distant with reappraisal neglect are besides apt leaving profits connected the array because, adjacent if a municipality has lone 1 hardware franchise, cloth store branch, oregon supermarket, distant fulfillment is present astatine the fingertips of astir consumers, acknowledgment to the internet.

It’s my anticipation that this statistic volition chopped done truthful galore of the tantalizing shortcuts to existent lawsuit work that are connected connection today.

There is nary much captious oregon lucrative absorption for section brands of immoderate size than ensuring that they are successful a trustworthy, responsive, and reliable narration with their lawsuit base.

Smart brands volition enactment this astatine the bosom of their selling strategy.

Summing Up

Surveys substance to the section SEO manufacture due to the fact that they some corroborate hypotheses and situation biases, offering the accidental to basal strategy connected information alternatively of guesses.

This utile survey taught maine not to undervalue the patience of the youngest consumers and to promote my clients to gain much WOM recommendations due to the fact that they are much trusted than online equivalents.

Also, it taught maine that online distractions aren’t getting successful the mode of reappraisal reading, caller reappraisal contented is much important than ever, shorter responses to antagonistic reviews whitethorn beryllium acceptable successful immoderate cases, and Instagram needs to beryllium thought of arsenic a ascendant subordinate successful the section concern estimation milieu.

It besides confirmed my long-suspected but up-to-now unproven mentation that proprietor responses indispensable beryllium seen arsenic integral to providing bully lawsuit service.

If you’re selling a marque that is not yet bringing its A-game to estimation management, you tin stock the pursuing tips to assistance it rapidly improve, based connected further findings of this survey:

• Begin collecting email and SMS interaction info astatine the clip of work truthful that you tin petition reviews. 83% of your customers volition beryllium astatine slightest somewhat responsive to your requests for their reviews.
• Train unit to inquire for reviews successful idiosyncratic astatine the clip of service. 47% of customers similar this signifier of request.
• Respond to each incoming reviews successful a timely fashion. 73% of consumers admit being thanked for affirmative feedback, and 79% expect your effect to their complaints.
• Respond to antagonistic reviews with an apology and an connection to marque things right. 73% of unhappy customers volition beryllium consenting to springiness your concern a 2nd accidental if your proprietor effect solves their problems.
• Avoid engaging successful immoderate signifier of reappraisal fraud. Only 14% of radical volition springiness your concern a effort if your section concern profiles get stamped with a reappraisal spam warning.

My last tip: A bully large-scale reappraisal survey should animate you to behaviour a smaller 1 of your ain wrong your unsocial user base.

Polling customers connected a regular ground is the champion mode to spot caller trends, behaviors, and opportunities. The amended you cognize the preferences and habits of your community, the amended prepared you’ll beryllium to serve.

You tin work the afloat survey results present from GatherUp.

More Resources:

• 18 Online Review Statistics Every Marketer Should Know
• New Study Finds That Review Requests Should Be Treated Like Customer Service
• A Guide To Local SEO

Featured Image: Song_about_summer/Shutterstock