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How to make a review as beneficial as possible for local businesses

Patronizing a business and thanking its staff on your way out can help business owners and their employees feel good about the work they’re doing. Though such gestures will never go out of style, customers can do even more to help the small businesses in their communities.

Since the internet became such a vital part of life, online reviews have become increasingly important for small businesses. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2022, 78 percent of consumers use the internet more than once a week to learn about local businesses. WhatÕs more, the survey found that a whopping 99 percent of consumers have used the internet to find information about a local business in the last year.

The BrightLocal survey also found that positive reviews can be especially beneficial to local businesses. Consumers indicated that written reviews describing a positive experience and reviews with a high star rating were the most significant review factors to make them feel positively about a local business.

The value of positive reviews for local businesses in undeniable. Consumers who want to help the small businesses in their communities can consider these tips to ensure their reviews prove as beneficial as possible for local businesses.

• Go to the right place. A review is only helpful if it’s seen. The BrightLocal survey found that, in 2021, Google

(81 percent), Yelp (53 percent) and Facebook (48 percent) were the three most utilized sites or apps to evaluate local businesses. The popularity of Google and Yelp in particular grew considerably between 2020 and 2021, suggesting that consumers can do the most good by leaving positive reviews on one or both of these sites.

• Recognize that recency matters. BrightLocal notes that the number of consumers willing to trust reviews left as long as year ago is on the rise. However, consumers who have already reviewed a company in the distant past should know that only 7 percent of consumers feel that recency of review does not affect their decision. Consumers who really to want to help a local business they’ve already reviewed can leave a new review if their previous one was posted more than a year ago.

• Leave a review even if the business already has plenty. The value of recent reviews has already been noted, but it’s equally important to point out how valuable the volume of reviews can be. The BrightLocal survey found that 39 percent of consumers indicated a business having more reviews than another business they’re considering is one of a handful of deciding factors when they must choose which firm to patronize. So even if a business already has lots of positive reviews, one more positive review can still prove beneficial.

Consumers can tailor their online reviews so they’re as beneficial as possible for the local businesses that help their communities thrive.