Results from BrightLocal’s 2016 research revealed that 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 90% will read up to ten reviews before making a decision to visit or not. This, coupled with an ever-growing variety of trusted platforms that accommodate customer reviews, means that online reputation management is becoming more and more crucial for the long-term survival of all restaurants, regardless of size.
Platforms like TripAdvisor and Google continue to streamline the review submission process, and are placing an increased focus on restaurant reviews in the user journey. If anyone has left you a review online, these ratings are very likely to show up as soon as someone searches for your restaurant.
Unfortunately, leaving it up to your guests to post reviews online of their own accord might not result in your online reputation being an accurate reflection of the experience you provide, as guests will often only go out of their way to review an establishment that has either fallen far short of or exceeded their expectations.
The good news is that GuestRevu has found that when asked directly for a review, it is the guests whose expectations you did meet who are happy to oblige. But how does this affect your bottom line?
- A Harvard Business School study showed that a one-star rating increase on Yelp can result in a revenue increase of 9%
- Even just a half-star improvement on Yelp’s five-star rating system makes it 30 to 49% more likely that a restaurant will be fully booked during peak hours
This means that your revenue is directly impacted by how well you actively manage your reputation. But where to begin? Below, we take a look at three simple steps to a sterling online reputation for your restaurant.
1. Getting the lay of the land
What are people currently saying about your restaurant? Do a Google search and trawl through as many review sites as possible to get a clear understanding of how your business comes across to the world, focusing especially on the first page of results. Some major review sites include Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, OpenTable, The Fork, Dining City, Gayot, Zagat, Zomato and Foursquare.
