Best & Worst Online Rating Systems Revealed

Best & Worst Online Rating Systems Revealed Online rating systems provide customers with a quick and convenient way to scope out products and services before making a purchase. Not all rating systems are created equal, however, and some systems are more helpful than others. Businesses considering sharing online reviews as part of their marketing should be aware of which rating systems work best and which ones to avoid.

According to Consumer Reports, more than 100 million consumers in 97 major marketing areas checked online ratings in the first three months of 2013 to learn about products and services. The Local Consumer Review Survey says that 72 percent of the public trusts online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. No matter how you slice it, online reviews are critically important to marketing your business. By sharing positive reviews of your company with news, social media and other sites, you can help draw more web traffic and more business to your site.

Consumers find some reviewing systems more helpful than others, however. For example, star rating systems are found to be quite popular with the public, as they are easy to read and can provide a quick summary of a product or service. Ratings of one to four or five stars are an easily understood concept and can quickly be read and processed by visitors.

Other rating systems are less effective, however. Visitors to sites often find numbered online reviews, where products are given a numerical score rather than a star rating which can be less helpful and more difficult to understand. Part of the difficulty involves deciphering the scoring system. Is the system a 1-10 scale, a 1-100 scale or another system? What constitutes a “good� score? What does each actual score mean? How much difference is there between a 70 and an 80?

Star reviews provide a more accessible and easier way for visitors to a website to quickly review information. Star reviews can be linked to written reviews by consumers to provide visitors with more detailed information, if they desire.

According to PeopleClaim, 61 percent of online consumers are more likely to do business with a site that provides a place for customers to leave reviews. Adding customer reviews to your site will help improve your chances of making a sale with consumers. Adding reviews in the right format is the next step. Giving your visitors reviews that are informative and easy to read will help further drive business to your site.

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