Did you know that nearly 90% of buyers read online reviews before making a purchase? Reviews are critical to the success of your business and they act as a form of marketing. Google, Trustpilot, and Yelp are three major places consumers leave reviews. In this article, we will show you how to create or claim your business on each of these platforms so you can take advantage of this practical form of marketing.

The Importance of Business Reviews

As mentioned, nearly nine out of ten customers read reviews before buying a product. In addition to that, 88% trust the recommendation of online reviews as much as personal references. Your business reviews (or lack thereof) can make or break your future success.

A plurality of positive reviews for your business can generate more sales, which is how reviews act as a form of marketing. Additionally, people who leave bad reviews typically explain why. This can provide valuable data on what their expectation was and how you can improve moving forward to minimize more negative reviews.

Having profiles on multiple review sites can increase your brand awareness. Google and other search engines pull in pages from review sites, such as Trustpilot and Yelp, when people search for types of places. For example, if you look for "best ice cream in [city]," you will likely find Google reviews, Yelp pages, and more. The more visibility and credibility your business has, the better you can rank in search engines.

How to Create a Free Google 'My Business' Account

Creating a Google My Business account can be a powerful tool because over 90% of searches occur on Google. Since so many people search with Google, these reviews are very important. You can monitor and engage with your reviews by creating a free My Business Account. With your account, you can also post photos, videos, incentive offers, and provide accurate business details. Here is how to set it up.

1. Head to Google My Business and click on manage. You can then type in your business and select your business category. If you have a physical location, you can have Google display your business on Google Maps (highly recommended).

2. You will then be asked a series of questions about your business (such as your address, phone number, operating hours, etc). You will then verify your information. If you provided a phone number or email address, Google will send you a verification code.

3. Next, add a description of your business. This will be available for customers to read, so make sure it's specific. You can then add photos of your store, menu, and food dishes (if you have a restaurant).

4. After that you will be taken to your dashboard where you can finalize any information, update it whenever you need, post news and announcements, and respond to reviews.

How to Create a Free Trustpilot Account

Trustpilot is another authority for customer reviews. They also offer free accounts to any company. They utilize a fraud detection software to highlight fake reviews to help ensure real reviews, good or bad, are associated with your business.

1. Head to Trustpilot.com and click on the "For Businesses" button to begin.

2. You will then need to clink on "Create free account," in the top right corner.

3. Enter in all of the applicable information. At the bottom they give you the option to review their paid plans (via email) if you would like that information. You will need to go to the email you provided them and activate your account.

4. Once you confirm your account and finish log in. Trustpilot will ask you a few more questions before bringing you to your dashboard where you can integrate your website.

How to Create a Free Yelp Account

Yelp has been a go-to customer review resource since its founding in 2004. Whether you're looking for a plumber, mechanic, or burger shop, Yelp has a vast variety of businesses. Follow these direction to create your Yelp account.

1. First, check to see if there is a yelp listing for your business already.  If it is, you're ahead of the game. Yelp will help you finish it up. If not, click on Add to "Yelp for Free."

2. You will then be asked several questions about your business. Questions include the business name, industry, operating hours, etc. Afterwards you will need to verify your account.

3. After verifying your account and answering a couple more specific questions, you will be brought to your account where you can add more information, run ads (Yelp gives you a credit in the beginning), respond to reviews, and more.

Final Thoughts

Reviews are vital to your business because a majority of buyers base their purchasing decision off reviews. Having positive reviews on the top review sites can be an invaluable and inexpensive marketing tool for your business. In this post, we showed you how to create (or claim) business profiles on three review sites so you can begin gathering reviews and use them as a tool to grow your business.

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