Yext: Why Reviews Matter

Learn how reviews can impact your club and best practice for responding to reviews.

The modern-day consumer relies on online reviews to help direct their purchasing decisions. So it’s not an understatement to say that online reviews can make a huge impact on your bottom line. Not only do reviews help consumers make purchasing decisions, they also provide Google with data on where you should rank in a given search result. Typically, businesses are ranked on Google using distance, relevance, and prominence. When a business has recent, frequent, and quality reviews on google, it helps rank the business higher in prominence compared to competitors who have fewer reviews. Are you in need of more reviews for your club? Try encouraging members to leave a review by asking them directly, including a link in your member newsletter, and adding signage in your club or on a Myzone TV. You can add a QR code to signage that leads straight to your Google business profile!

Respond to a review, positive or negative. When businesses respond to reviews (no matter the sentiment), they have a 0.35 higher star ranking than businesses who don’t respond to reviews at all.

Ask questions when details aren’t clear. See a review from a member that you don’t fully understand? Don’t be afraid to ask questions to the author! It is proven that consumers like when a brand is transparent and offers to help find a solution to the issue.

Include SEO keywords. When writing your response to a review, consider using top SEO keywords to help Google rank your club higher. Some top SEO keywords to consider using include “gym”, “24-hour gym”, and “gym membership”.

Sign your name at the end of your response. This is a small detail that goes a long way. Signing your name after each reply shows the author of the review that you’re a real person responding and that their review matters to you.

Ask for help. Need some extra help learning about responding to reviews or want additional strategies? Talk with your regional Marketing Specialist or your FBC for more information. •

Overview Of Reviews From The Uk Clubs

From January - March 2023, there was a total of 2,400 reviews with an average rating of 4.85 stars.

Negative Response Templates

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. I’m sorry to hear that your experience hasn’t met your expectations on this occasion. It sounds like [insert reason for the miscommunication]. I’ve shared this with the team so we can make our [insert policy] a little clearer. Please do reach out [insert contact info] if we can assist further.

Hello [Reviewer Name],

I’m sorry to hear about your disappointing experience with us. It’s always our intention to provide great customer service and useful, transparent advice. Please accept our sincerest apologies that we didn’t live up to your expectations on this occasion. I’m thankful that you reached out to share your experience as your valuable feedback helps us to improve our processes and better serve our clients. Please reach out to us at [insert contact info] to discuss how we can make this right.

Customize your response based on the issue

Keep in mind that your responses will be public and using a “copy and paste” response approach, especially for negative reviews, could look worse than if you hadn’t responded at all as it could come across as though you don’t care about the issue. Here are some examples of responses to help get you started.

Positive Response Templates

Hello [Reviewer Name],

We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed [insert experience] and look forward to welcoming you again soon!

Hello [Reviewer Name],

First of all, thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us—we really value your input and flagging up areas where we can further improve. I’m so happy to hear that [insert staff name] was able to help you [insert outcome] and put things right. It sounds like you [insert end result]. I’m pleased we were able to help!