E-commerce Product Reviews. Why Are They Important and How Do They Affect SEO?
Before clicking the “buy now” button, potential customers want to make sure that they’re making the right choice. Which elements can reassure them and at the same time support SEO for your online store? E-commerce product reviews!
Table of Contents:
- Why does your store need product reviews?
- How to get more e-commerce product reviews?
- E-commerce product reviews and SEO
- E-commerce product reviews: your challenge for upcoming weeks
95% of customers read product reviews before finalizing transactions. As buyers, we have access to hundreds or even thousands of various suppliers delivering the same or similar products. It’s impossible to gain expertise in every field. It’s infeasible to become a knowledgeable expert on car oil, baby beds and dog cosmetics at the same time.
Every day, we make hundreds of micro-choices and we constantly need support. We don’t want to feel responsible, instead, we want to be sure that we’re doing the right thing. That’s why e-commerce product reviews are a must. Consequently, as an online store owner or marketer you should take care of them.
Why does your store need product reviews?
Is offering quality products at attractive prices enough to succeed? Not necessarily. Today, customers expect more. They want to know how many people chose a given product or service. Our purchasing decisions depend on recommendations and social proof. So why shouldn’t you underestimate the process of acquiring e-commerce product reviews?
- Make your business stand out from the crowd – if your store sells similar or identical products like the one offered by your market rivals but additionally can boast positive reviews, the probability that potential customers will choose you increases.
- Evidence that you’re a trustworthy brand selling quality items – social proof achieved thanks to the positive product or store reviews improves your authority as a supplier. According to 80% of online retailers, reviews have an impact on credibility.
- Increase the attractiveness of your product and landing page – in some cases, writing a product description attracting attention may not be a piece of cake. With product reviews, the description is created naturally, of course only if you sell something special.
- Improve your positions in SERPs and enjoy user-generated content created by real customers who complement your website with unique long-tail phrases and support SEO for product subpages and landing pages.
What can e-commerce product reviews include?
General e-commerce reviews in Google? A piece of cake. However, when on a conversion path, customers may be in need of reviews devoted to different aspects. So what can online store reviews include?
- Product – this aspect is clear. As potential buyers, we want to know how others evaluate the item.
- Customer service – during the decision-making process, potential buyers may wish to ask questions, however, they might worry that your customer service won’t respond or will force them to fill in a contact form or register. However, seeing a review stating that a question was answered immediately will probably encourage people to send their queries and continue their shopping path to the “buy now” button.
- Shipment – when talking about delivery options, highlight the one rated as the best and safest by customers.
- Product corresponding to customer needs or photos – see the H&M example above.
How to get more e-commerce product reviews?
Ok, you already know that the game is worth the candle. So, how to get more e-commerce product reviews? Below you can see a few effective ways of obtaining product reviews from your online store customers:
- When products are delivered to customers, thank them for their purchase and ask them by email to write a review. Provide a direct link to a form where they can give the product a specific rating and write a few words. When it comes to those who didn’t open your email or react, send another message after 2 or 3 weeks or even a month to give them time to test your goods. #marketing_automation
- Encourage customers to write product reviews with the use of social media remarketing and platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.
- Complement the package (or email if you sell digital products) with a short note asking for a positive review, e.g. a QR code linking to the product page.
How to encourage customers to write reviews?
Wait… why should customers devote their free time to write reviews of your online store?
- Discounts, special offers, loyalty points – it’s not surprising. This standard solution is employed by most online stores. Write a review to receive an x% discount on your next order.
- Free gifts – these aren’t encountered so frequently. To thank engaged customers for writing positive reviews, you can complement their next package with a small gift.
- Access to special offers and pre-orders – we like to be first and become a VIP at least for a while, so this method can be very encouraging. Access to sales and pre-orders of products in exchange for reviews of already ordered items? Sounds appealing.
- Gamification – this solution is employed by stores such as H&M which encourages users to collect points for purchases. This way, they can become Premium Club members, who have access to extra discounts, free shipping, and returns regardless of the value of the order.
- Invitation to tests – a group of such active reviewers is a must if you want to create a base of micro influencers who can be testers or promoters of your products in social media in the future. An invitation to participate in such a program can be truly rewarding.
- Contest for the most interesting review.
E-commerce product reviews and SEO
Let’s start with content. Product reviews placed on your website support SEO for e-commerce. Each comment is a piece of unique and reliable content for Google algorithms. Moreover, it’s a rich source of knowledge for potential buyers.
Technical SEO. What types of data are appreciated by Google? The information contained in schema.org tags, usually hidden in the HTML code. Thanks to them, robots are able to analyze your website (understand its content) and its structure. Consequently, they know what to show to users.
Check out: Schema markup for e-commerce. What kinds of data are helpful?
Appropriate product descriptions enriched with structured data such as stars, average ratings or reviews as well as prices, photos or product thumbnails will make your website look better in the SERPs as such search results attract greater attention. This will translate into improved CTR and more clicks.
E-commerce product reviews: your challenge for upcoming weeks
If you’re reading this it means that you know that e-commerce product reviews matter. That’s enough theory. Now it’s time to practice: select a few points, methods, and ideas from today’s entry and try to implement them in your online store. Share the effects and ideas on how to encourage users to review e-commerce products and services in the comment section below. Good luck!
