"If a local business wants to boost their position in Google then asking their loyal customers to review them online is an excellent way to do this” Myles Anderson
(PRWeb UK) December 13, 2010
The Local Consumer Review Survey examines the role that online customer reviews play in the research and purchase of local business services. The online survey polled 2,012 consumers across the US & UK.
Key Findings
Across the board younger consumers are more likely to read as well as trust online reviews, while female consumers are more likely than men to believe and to act on reviews they read online; including purchasing from a local business that has positive online reviews.
Age vs. Sage...
- Younger consumers use the internet more regularly to find good local businesses with 11% of 16-34 year olds using it almost EVERY day;
- More 16-34 year olds (68%) consult online reviews than people aged 55+ (60%);
- More 16-34 year olds (79%) trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations than people aged 55+ (62%).
Trust vs. Influence...
- 58% of respondents said that reading positive online reviews makes them trust local businesses more;
- But only 49% said that they would be more likely to actually use a local business based on reading positive online reviews.
Men vs. Women...
- Female consumers (74%) are more trusting of online reviews than male (67%).
US vs. UK
Additional revealing insights in the survey are the differing attitudes between US & UK consumers.
- US consumers (79%) use the internet slightly more frequently to find local businesses than UK consumers (77%);
- US consumers (71%) read online reviews more than UK consumers (61%).
However...
- UK consumer (62%) are influenced by positive reviews more than US (55%);
- UK consumers (73%) trust online reviews more than US (67%).
Customer reviews influence local consumer behavior but that’s not all...
As well as influencing the purchasing decisions of local consumers, online customer reviews play an important part in how local consumers find local businesses in the first place.
Myles Anderson, Founder of BrightLocal.com, explains; “Local search engines like Google Places, and online directories like Yelp.com, use online reviews as a way to determine the quality of a local business. This directly affects how high-up the search results a business appears, so if a local business wants to boost their position in Google and attract more customers, then asking their loyal customers to review them online is an excellent way to do this”
Full Survey Findings can be found here - http://www.brightlocal.com/blog/2010/11/29/local-consumer-review-survey-2010-part-1/
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About the Local Consumer Review Survey
The survey was conducted online using an anonymous pool of 2,012 local consumers based in the UK (874 respondents) and US (1,138 respondents). The survey was conducted from 30th September to 9th October 2010.
Full survey data (UK, US & combined data) can be viewed online at http://www.brightlocal.com/blog/2010/11/29/local-consumer-review-survey-2010-part-1/
- Findings of UK portion of Survey
- Findings of US portion of Survey
A 2nd set of survey results for the Local Consumer Review Survey will be published in January 2011. These additional findings explore how consumption & influence of online consumer reviews changes for different business & industry types.
About BrightLocal.com
BrightLocal.com is a London based local SEO company that specialises in building SEO tools specifically for the local business market. BrightLocal.com was formed in 2009 by experienced internet marketers Myles Anderson and Ed Eliot.The site is currently rolling out a suite of unique local SEO tools for SEOs, web-designers and local businesses. BrightLocal’s tools currently serve the UK & US markets with further territories launching in 2011. BrightLocal also provide local SEO consultancy and support to all types of local businesses based in London and across the United Kingdom.
Spokesperson contact:
Myles Anderson, Founder, BrightLocal.com
myles(at)brightlocal(dot)com
+44 027 183 0479
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