In 2025, authenticity has become the currency of trust.
And nowhere is that more apparent than in the world of online reviews once the internet’s greatest trust signal, now one of its biggest vulnerabilities.

The era of fake reviews is far from over; in fact, it’s evolving.
With the rise of AI-generated content, fraudulent feedback has become faster, cheaper, and harder to detect. Consumers know it, regulators know it, and brands that fail to act risk losing not just credibility but conversion, visibility, and long-term loyalty.

Let’s unpack the real cost of fake reviews and why authenticity has quietly become your brand’s most valuable differentiator in 2025.

The Problem: When Trust Becomes a Commodity

A decade ago, a five-star rating could make or break a product. Today, it’s not the stars that matter, it’s whether those stars can be trusted.

Fake reviews are now a systemic issue. 30% of global online reviews show patterns consistent with automation or coordinated manipulation. Some come from bot farms or click-for-hire schemes, others from over-enthusiastic affiliates or even AI tools trained to mimic human tone and sentiment.

For consumers, the effect is fatigue.
They scroll past perfect grammar, repeated phrases, and oddly uniform positivity. They’ve learned to distrust anything that feels “too polished.”

For brands, the damage goes deeper.
Fake reviews create a false sense of performance, hiding product flaws and blurring real feedback loops. They distort marketing analytics, misguide product development, and inflate short-term metrics at the cost of long-term brand equity.

And as platforms crack down, the penalties are no longer just reputational, they’re financial.

The Cost: Fines, Filters, and Falling Credibility

In 2024, the European Union introduced tighter enforcement under the Digital Services Act (DSA), requiring online marketplaces and review platforms to verify the authenticity of reviews. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to 6% of annual revenue.

Meanwhile, Google and Amazon have both rolled out new layers of AI-powered moderation to identify fake activity, removing millions of suspicious reviews monthly. In 2024 alone, Amazon reported deleting 200 million reviews deemed inauthentic a figure expected to rise.

For brands, the implications are clear:

• Short-term shortcuts can lead to long-term invisibility.
  Once flagged, your listings lose ranking power, and your brand can be blacklisted from ad placements or recommendation carousels.
• Algorithmic trust is fragile.
  AI search systems like Google SGE, ChatGPT, and Gemini are trained to prioritize verifiable sources. A brand tainted with review manipulation risks disappearing from these results entirely.
• Consumers talk and they remember.
  A single exposé or viral TikTok calling out “fake reviews” can undo months of paid media and brand storytelling.

Fake reviews break growth.

The Shift From Volume to Verification

The good news is that the industry is changing fast.
Both platforms and brands are shifting from review volume to review validity as the new metric of credibility.

Platforms Are Getting Smarter

• AI moderation tools are now trained to detect syntactic repetition, identical sentiment arcs, and non-human behavioral patterns.
• Cross-platform verification (linking review profiles to purchase data) is becoming standard practice.
• Transparency badges such as “Verified Buyer” or “Collected via Post-Purchase Email” are replacing generic star icons as trust signals.

Consumers Are Getting Sharper

Modern shoppers know how to read between the lines. They recognize real voice patterns slight imperfections, mixed emotions, honest caveats. They scroll straight to the “most helpful” section, looking for experiences that mirror their own.

62% of consumers are concerned about encountering fake, AI-generated reviews.

Consumers expect honesty. And honesty converts.

Authenticity as a Competitive Edge

If fake reviews have diluted trust online, then genuine reviews are now premium content.
They are credible, compliant, and most importantly influential.

Authenticity doesn’t just protect your brand; it propels it.

1. Verified Reviews Feed AI Trust

AI-driven search experiences (like Google’s SGE and ChatGPT Browse) are increasingly referencing verified review data in their responses. When a user asks, “What’s the best vacuum for pet hair?” the models aggregate real human sentiment, not paid placements to generate answers.

Brands with structured, fresh, and verified reviews are far more likely to appear in these AI-generated summaries. In this sense, authenticity isn’t just ethical; it’s algorithmic.

2. Real Feedback Drives Real Optimization

Verified reviews serve as a continuous feedback loop between brand and consumer. Negative reviews, when handled transparently, highlight opportunities to improve and improve perception.

For instance, French retailer Lapeyre leverages verified reviews to track recurring product issues. When multiple reviews cited factory defects, the brand acted directly with its manufacturing partners cutting complaint volume and increasing satisfaction.

3. Transparency Builds Emotional Loyalty

Responding to reviews, especially negative ones, signals care and accountability.
Studies show that satisfied customers who receive a response to their complaint increase their loyalty by 21%.

Authenticity, therefore, becomes a loyalty strategy not just a compliance box.

The Future: Verified Voices in an AI World

The next wave of review credibility won’t come from more content but from verified ecosystems.
Brands are moving toward centralized review management systems that collect, authenticate, and analyze feedback from every touchpoint eCommerce, marketplaces, social media, and post-purchase surveys.

This unified approach does three things:

1. Protects reputation — by filtering fake or duplicate submissions early.
2. Feeds AI visibility — by structuring data that generative engines can read and trust.
3. Amplifies marketing impact — by turning verified feedback into UGC for social ads, PDPs, and newsletters.

As we move deeper into the age of AI search and social commerce, reviews will do more than influence purchase decisions; they’ll shape discovery itself.

Imagine this:
A consumer asks ChatGPT, “Which sunscreen actually works for sensitive skin?”
The AI pulls from verified reviews, cross-references social sentiment, and lists your brand first not because of your ad spend, but because your authenticity score is high.

That’s the new marketing edge.

Conclusion

In 2025, fake reviews are easy to generate and even easier to detect.
What’s rare, and increasingly valuable, is credibility.

Authenticity is no longer a moral choice; it’s a business strategy.
It determines how search engines rank you, how shoppers perceive you, and how AI recommends you.

The brands that will lead in 2025 are those that listen before they speak, who treat customer voices as assets, and who prove through every review that their reputation is earned, not engineered.

The post The Hidden Cost of Fake Reviews appeared first on Avis vérifiés.

79% of consumers say user-generated content, including reviews, highly impacts their purchasing decisions. Preparing your review strategy now ensures your summer sales aren’t just busy, they’re high-converting.

Here are 5 ways to prepare your brand for summer sales:

Audit Your Review Coverage Before the Sales Spike

When traffic surges during summer sales, the last thing you want is a shopper landing on a product page with no reviews. Zero-review products instantly raise doubt and in a high-competition sales period, that often means a missed conversion.

Start by running a review audit across your catalog. Identify products with few or no reviews, especially in your summer collection or promotional lines. These seasonal products are often front and center during campaigns, yet they’re also the ones most likely to lack recent feedback.

Next, close those gaps by:

• Seeding early reviews through sampling or gifted campaigns to build credibility before the rush.
• Refreshing older products with new reviews recency is key, since shoppers trust recent experiences more than feedback from a year ago.
• Leveraging syndication to push existing reviews across your brand site, retail partners, and marketplaces for maximum visibility.

By ensuring every hero product is backed by authentic shopper voices, you’ll remove friction from the buying journey and set the stage for higher conversions when the sales traffic hits.

Highlight Seasonal Use Cases in Reviews

Shoppers don’t just want to know if a product works, they want to know if it works for them, in their current context. During summer sales, that means highlighting reviews that showcase seasonal use cases.

Encourage customers to leave feedback that speaks to:

• Travel-friendliness → compact, easy-to-pack products that make vacations smoother.
• Heat-proof performance → makeup that lasts in humidity, tech that holds up in the sun, or fabrics that stay breathable.
• Outdoor lifestyles → gear for barbecues, festivals, workouts, or beach days.

Curate and feature reviews that naturally tie your products to summer-specific needs. For example:

• “Perfect sunscreen for long beach days. No greasy feel.”
• “This lightweight dress kept me cool even during a heatwave.”
• “A durable cooler bag survived an entire camping trip.”

These real-world, seasonal testimonials do more than build trust. They help shoppers picture themselves using your products this summer, creating a stronger emotional trigger to purchase.

Optimize Review Recency

When shoppers are browsing during high-traffic summer sales, stale reviews can stall conversions. A glowing testimonial from three years ago won’t carry the same weight as feedback from last month. 69% of consumers say reviews older than one month are no longer relevant. 

Recency signals relevance that your product still meets expectations today.

• Collect fresh reviews in advance: Run micro-campaigns, influencer gifting, or sampling programs weeks before your summer sale to generate timely content.
• Showcase what’s new: Add “Most Recent Reviews” or “Latest Feedback” callouts on product detail pages so shoppers can instantly see up-to-date experiences.
• Spotlight recent upgrades: If you’ve improved packaging, updated formulas, or added features, recent reviews validate those changes.

By ensuring every product has current, credible, and visible reviews, you reduce hesitation and give shoppers the confidence to purchase right when urgency is highest.

Leverage Star Ratings and Visual UGC in Promotions

Star ratings and customer visuals aren’t just proof points, they’re conversion drivers. During summer sales, when shoppers are bombarded with promotions, ratings and UGC help your brand cut through the noise. Adding photos and videos from customers can increase conversion by up to 91%.

• Spotlight top-rated products: Feature “Bestsellers with 4.5★+ Ratings” in email subject lines, landing page banners, and ad creatives to instantly signal trust.
• Bring reviews into your campaigns: Pull snippets like “Best purchase for my beach holiday” directly into social ads or promo emails to add authenticity.
• Use visual UGC to inspire: Customer photos and videos of products in real-life summer settings at the beach, by the pool, or outdoors show shoppers how your products fit their seasonal needs.

When you pair promotions with ratings + authentic visuals, you turn marketing claims into proof, boosting both click-through rates and buyer confidence.

Prepare Review Response Workflows

Summer sales mean a surge in site traffic and with that comes a flood of new reviews and shopper questions. How you respond can make or break buyer trust in the moment.

• Anticipate the volume: Plan ahead knowing that higher sales = more reviews and inquiries. A delayed or missed response during peak season can feel like silence to a potential customer.
• Build scalable workflows: Use AI or pre-approved templates to draft fast, personalized replies without losing brand tone. This ensures consistency and speed, even when review volume spikes.
• Show you’re listening: Acknowledging both praise and concerns in real time signals that your brand cares. Shoppers often check how brands respond before deciding to buy making active engagement a loyalty driver.

When shoppers see reviews answered quickly and thoughtfully, it transforms your brand from just another discount option to one that values its customers beyond the sale.

Conclusion

Summer sales bring intense competition and even higher shopper expectations. But they also present the perfect opportunity to turn seasonal browsers into loyal customers. By leading with a review-first strategy, your brand gains the credibility and trust shoppers look for, boosts conversion when it matters most, and builds the foundation for long-term advocacy.

Get your reviews summer-ready now and turn seasonal shoppers into lifelong fans.

The post 5 Ways to Prepare Your Brand for Summer Sales appeared first on Avis vérifiés.

Brand trust and emotion play pivotal roles in shaping consumer perceptions and behaviors. Trust forms the bedrock of any successful brand-consumer relationship, while emotion serves as the catalyst for engagement and loyalty. In marketing, the synergy between UGC, brand trust, and emotion creates a powerful dynamic that can propel brands to success. Understanding this relationship is key to unlocking the full potential of UGC in modern marketing strategies. This article delves into the intricate interplay between UGC, brand trust, emotion, and ultimately, business success.

The Power of UGC

User generated content encompasses a wide array of content created by consumers, spanning from product reviews and testimonials to social media posts and unboxing videos. Examples abound on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and review websites, where users freely share their experiences, opinions, and creations.

Impact of UGC on Consumer Behavior and Decision-Making

In a 2023 Statista survey on “Attitudes towards online shopping,” the majority of participants indicated that they find “Customer reviews on the internet to be highly beneficial.” UGC holds immense influence over consumer behavior and decision-making processes. Unlike traditional marketing messages, user generated content is perceived as authentic, genuine, and trustworthy, as it reflects real experiences and opinions from fellow consumers. Studies show that consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from peers over branded content, making UGC a potent tool for shaping purchasing decisions and brand perceptions.

Advantages of Incorporating UGC into Marketing Strategies 

Ads incorporating UGC receive 73% more favorable comments compared to conventional ads. Furthermore, 31% of consumers perceive UGC ads as more memorable than their traditional counterparts. Integrating UGC into marketing strategies offers several advantages. Firstly, it boosts brand credibility and authenticity, fostering stronger connections with audiences. Additionally, user generated content provides valuable social proof, reassuring potential customers about the quality and reliability of products or services. Moreover, UGC is cost-effective and scalable, as brands leverage existing content created by their own loyal customers. By harnessing the power of UGC, brands can amplify their reach, engagement, and ultimately, drive sales and business growth.

Building Brand Trust through UGC

UGC serves as a beacon of authenticity and credibility in the crowded digital landscape. Unlike polished marketing campaigns, UGC originates from real consumers sharing genuine experiences and opinions. This authenticity resonates deeply with audiences, fostering trust in the brand and its offerings. By showcasing user generated content, brands demonstrate transparency and openness, which are crucial elements in building long-term relationships with customers.

 Strategies for Encouraging UGC that Enhances Brand Trust:

• Create Shareable Experiences: Design products or experiences that naturally lend themselves to user-generated content creation. Encourage customers to share their experiences through incentivized campaigns or branded hashtags.
• Engage and Reward Advocates: Identify and engage with loyal customers who are already creating UGC about your brand. Show appreciation for their contributions through shoutouts, rewards, or exclusive access to events or products.
• Provide Clear Guidelines: Offer clear guidelines and suggestions for creating user generated content that aligns with your brand values and messaging. This ensures consistency and quality while maintaining authenticity.
• Amplify Positive UGC: Showcase user-generated content prominently across your marketing channels, such as social media, website, and advertising campaigns. Highlighting real customer stories and testimonials reinforces brand trust and credibility.
• Listen and Respond: Actively monitor and engage with user-generated content, whether it’s positive feedback, inquiries, or concerns. Demonstrating responsiveness and attentiveness reinforces trust and fosters a sense of community around your brand.

The Role of Emotion in User-Generated Content

Emotion lies at the heart of consumer engagement, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with content. UGC has a unique ability to evoke emotions due to its authenticity and relatability. When consumers encounter user generated content that resonates with them emotionally, whether it’s joy, excitement, nostalgia, or empathy, they are more likely to engage with the content, share it with others, and form deeper connections with the brand behind it.

Types of Emotional Responses Elicited by UGC:

• Joy and Excitement: UGC showcasing happy moments, such as unboxing videos, travel experiences, or success stories, can evoke feelings of joy and excitement in viewers.
• Trust and Security: Testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers can evoke feelings of trust and security, reassuring potential buyers about the quality and reliability of the product or service.
• Inspiration and Aspiration: User generated content featuring aspirational content, such as fitness transformations, travel adventures, or creative projects, can inspire and motivate viewers to pursue their own goals and dreams.
• Empathy and Connection: Stories of overcoming challenges, personal struggles, or acts of kindness shared through UGC can evoke feelings of empathy and connection, fostering a sense of community among viewers.
• Nostalgia and Sentimentality: UGC that taps into nostalgia, whether it’s through throwback photos, childhood memories, or sentimental moments, can evoke warm feelings and emotional connections with the brand.

Leveraging Emotional Content for Brand Resonance:

• Storytelling: Use UGC as a storytelling tool to convey authentic and emotional narratives that resonate with your target audience. Highlight real-life experiences, struggles, triumphs, and moments of connection that evoke strong emotional responses.
• Personalization: Tailor UGC campaigns to appeal to specific emotional triggers and preferences of your audience. Use data-driven insights to understand their motivations, values, and interests, and create content that speaks directly to their emotions.
• Interactive Experiences: Encourage audience participation and engagement through interactive user generated content campaigns that elicit emotional responses. Whether it’s challenges, contests, or user-generated content competitions, create opportunities for consumers to share their stories and emotions.
• Empathy and Authenticity: Demonstrate empathy and authenticity in your brand communications, responding genuinely to user-generated content and actively listening to customer feedback. Show appreciation for user contributions and foster a supportive community where individuals feel valued and understood.

By understanding the role of emotion in user-generated content and leveraging it effectively, brands can forge deeper emotional connections with their audience, driving engagement, loyalty, and brand resonance.

Best Practices for Incorporating UGC into Branding Strategies

1. Engaging with Customers to Encourage UGC Creation: Engagement is key to fostering a thriving community of user-generated content creators. Actively interact with your audience on social media, respond to their comments and messages, and encourage them to share their experiences with your brand. Host contests, challenges, or campaigns that prompt users to create and share user generated content, and provide incentives or rewards to incentivize participation. By building genuine connections and empowering customers to be part of your brand story, you’ll naturally spark more UGC creation.
2. Curating and Showcasing UGC Across Marketing Channels: Once you’ve collected a treasure trove of user-generated content, it’s crucial to curate and showcase it effectively across your marketing channels. Feature UGC prominently on your website, social media profiles, email newsletters, and advertising campaigns. Create dedicated UGC galleries or highlight reels that celebrate customer stories and experiences. By amplifying the voices of your customers, you not only demonstrate appreciation but also provide social proof and authenticity that resonates with potential buyers.
3. Continuous Optimization and Adaptation Based on UGC Performance Data: To maximize the impact of your UGC efforts, it’s essential to continually monitor and analyze performance data. Track metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and sentiment analysis related to UGC content. Identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement, and use these insights to optimize your UGC strategy accordingly. Experiment with different types of content, messaging, and distribution channels to see what resonates most with your audience. By staying agile and data-driven, you’ll ensure that your UGC efforts remain effective and relevant in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Conclusion

Brand trust forms the foundation of consumer relationships, influencing purchasing decisions and long-term loyalty. Emotion, intertwined with trust, serves as a powerful driver of engagement and connection, forging meaningful bonds between brands and their audiences. In an era where authenticity trumps, brands that prioritize building trust, evoking emotion, and harnessing the power of UGC will continue to thrive and resonate with audiences in the competitive landscape of marketing.

As we look ahead to the future of marketing, one thing remains clear: user-generated content will remain a cornerstone of brand success in the digital age. By embracing user generated content as a catalyst for authenticity, trust, and emotional connection, brands can cultivate vibrant communities of advocates who willingly champion their products and services. However, success in leveraging UGC requires more than mere participation; it demands active engagement, strategic curation, and continuous optimization. Brands must listen to their customers, empower them to share their stories, and adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing. By doing so, brands can harness the full potential of user generated content to not only drive business growth but also foster genuine connections that stand the test of time.

The post Unpacking the Dynamics of Brand Trust, Emotion, and Success in UGC appeared first on Avis vérifiés.

300,000 € and 2 years’ prison: this is what professionals risk if they generate false customer reviews. Consumers are not spared: an Internet user was ordered to pay €2,500 in damages and €5,000 in legal costs after publishing a false negative review of a restaurant… that hadn’t even opened yet. The DGCCRF (French Department of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) takes action against misleading commercial practices and false online reviews. However, for some companies, identifying false customer reviews and protecting themselves against them is not always an easy matter.

In this article, we’ll help you spot fake customer reviews and give you 4 tips to avoid them.

Checklist of tips for detecting fake customer reviews

According to a Bazaarvoice survey carried out in 2024, 75% of consumers express concern about fake customer reviews. These represent a serious challenge to a company’s e-reputation, and it’s important to identify them. Here are our tips for successfully detecting fraudulent customer reviews:

• Author’s identity. The first thing to check is whether the reviewer’s profile has been created recently, or whether he or she has published a single review, especially if it is extremely positive or negative. These are usually the hallmarks of fraudulent reviews.
• Review content and length. Fake customer reviews are often succinct and lack precise details. A negative review lacking justification and context can betray a fake customer review. It also happens that some negative reviews target products or services not offered by the company… This should arouse your suspicion.
• Vocabulary and spelling. It’s important to pay attention to reviews that are full of superlatives or numerous spelling errors. These characteristics may be signs of reviews fabricated with the intention of damaging your reputation.
  Suspicion of unfair competition. Negative customer reviews that promote one of your company’s direct competitors should arouse your suspicion. It’s not impossible that the reviewer is the competitor in question. In this case, a false review is tantamount to an act of unfair competition.

4 tips to avoid false negative reviews

You now know the criteria for judging the veracity of a customer review. Detecting false reviews is only the first step. Now let’s take a look at how to protect yourself from false customer reviews. Here are 4 tips from Verified Reviews.

1 – Prioritize dialogue to identify the veracity of a review

If you decide to collect and manage customer reviews via a platform that allows voluntary contribution, you run the risk of receiving reviews from anyone – including people with malicious motives… At no time can you be sure that the reviewers are real customers with experience of your products and services. Having to deal with a customer review whose authenticity you question? When faced with a review that raises doubts, adopt a proactive approach and engage in dialogue with the author of the review under doubt. By interacting with the author of a potentially suspicious review, you show that your company values listening and understanding, even when misunderstandings arise. Nevertheless, to minimize risk from the outset, it’s a good idea to adopt a verified review platform. Which naturally leads us to the second tip.

2 – Only collect certified customer reviews

Allowing anyone to publish a review without proof of actual purchase is unfortunately the best way to collect false customer reviews. The solution to protecting your e-reputation from the potential damage caused by inauthentic reviews? Adopt a collection solution that only authorizes certified reviews. Collecting reviews from certified customers is the guarantee of receiving genuine customer reviews. This is the philosophy behind Verified Reviews. With our customer review platform, you can collect reviews only from customers who have made a purchase. In concrete terms, our solution enables you to automatically request customer feedback by email after a purchase. All reviews collected with Avis Vérifiés are authentic. Our platform is a guarantee of authenticity, since the merchant is obliged to survey all customers who have purchased a product or service..

3 – Choose a trusted partner to collect authentic customer reviews

If you want to guarantee the integrity of the customer reviews you collect, we strongly recommend working with a certified and trusted partner. Since 2014, the NF Z74-501 standard, now known as NF ISO 20488, sets out clear requirements for the transparent collection, management and publication of customer reviews. Obtaining NF Service certification, based on this standard, is an indicator of quality for companies and platforms collecting online reviews. Verified Reviews is proud to have been NF Service certified since March 28, 2014, underlining our commitment to transparent and ethical practices. Moreover, we actively participated in the development of the NF ISO 20488 standard, helping to define a legal framework for an activity that, at the time, benefited from little regulation. By adhering to the guiding principles of AFNOR, Verified Reviews ensures that the collection of customer reviews is both reliable and authentic, eliminating the risk of false reviews.

4 – Collect customer reviews continuously

It’s vital to maintain your reputation on the Internet and social networks – and that means sound, ongoing management of customer reviews, which are the main vectors of your brand image. To minimize the volume and impact of false customer reviews, we advise you to implement a continuous customer review collection strategy. In concrete terms, we recommend that you systematically solicit your customers’ feedback after each purchase. Collecting post-purchase customer reviews will not only help you improve your brand image, but will also have an impact on:

• Your SEO performance. Customer reviews are user-generated content (UGC) that enriches the content of your website.
• Your conversion rates. The presence of authentic customer reviews on your website (and elsewhere) builds trust with your potential customers and multiplies your chances of winning them over.

According to one study, 93% of consumers read customer reviews before buying online. Other studies corroborate these figures. Customer reviews are a must if you want to improve your sales performance and boost your sales on digital channels.

Here’s another argument in favor of collecting continuous customer reviews: according to a study by BrightLocal, 44% of consumers believe that a customer review must be less than a month old to be relevant. Buyers prefer recent reviews. If you collect reviews continuously, negative or suspicious reviews will eventually be diluted by more recent ones.

Conclusion

The risk of receiving false customer reviews can be virtually eliminated. Provided you use a certified review management platform and adopt a continuous collection approach. If you want to make the most of customer reviews, we strongly recommend that you set up an automated post-purchase review collection scenario. We hope we’ve convinced you. This will guarantee not only a good volume of reviews, but also, and above all, the authenticity of these reviews. The Verified Reviews platform can help you implement this virtuous approach.

The post How to Spot and Avoid False Negative Customer Reviews appeared first on Avis vérifiés.

Read on to find out how to give your opinion on a product. Written reviews, videos, photos… The possibilities are endless. Ready to get started? Follow this guide!

What is a product review?

Do you want to share your experience after a purchase? You have several options:

• Brand reviews: ratings and reviews about your buying experience (online or in-store) and the company
• Product reviews: ratings and reviews about a specific product you bought

These types of customer reviews are essential and go hand in hand, as they help consumers form an opinion. They are drivers of trust and reassurance. Especially when the reviews are reliable and authentic! Brand and product reviews collected by certified solutions, such as Verified Reviews, are all linked to a proof of purchase.

Let’s take an example. You buy some cosmetics products from your favorite store: face cream, conditioner, deodorant, etc. A few days later, after you’ve had a chance to test them, you get an email with a satisfaction survey.

When you share a rating or a review on each of the products, you set a virtuous cycle in motion. Customer feedback helps brands to continuously improve their products and better meet customer expectations. Good reviews also strengthen a brand’s reputation.  And finally, online reviews help future customers make a purchase. It’s a win-win!

Beyond a Trend: Fostering Lasting Engagement Through Product Reviews

The consumer’s voice carries more weight than brand content… In 2024, this trend looks set to continue. 92% of consumers think reviews are more reliable than ads (source: IFOP study for Guest Suite, 2023). As consumers lose interest in traditional advertising, trust in UGCs is increasing.

UGC, or User Generated Content, is content created by customers… for customers. This content comes in the form of videos, photos, or written reviews. According to Stackla (2019), consumers are 2.4 times more likely to say that UGC is more authentic than brand content. Especially in times of inflation, when customers are more careful about what they spend their money on… Hence the importance of transparent advice from satisfied (or dissatisfied) customers!

As you will have guessed, consumers have become brand ambassadors. Customers are no longer passive buyers; they are engaged in the decision-making process and post-purchase actions. This trend has led to an increase in customer reviews (in particular, product reviews), as consumers want to share reliable and transparent feedback.

When you post a product review, you become an ambassador and influencer for the products you buy… Did you know that, according to a Northwestern University study, product quality reviews increase the likelihood of a purchase by 79%? You can help your peers make the right choice… Find out how to create your first product reviews.

The Different Types of Product Reviews

Product Photos

Let’s circle back to the previous example. You’ve bought some cosmetics, including a revolutionary face cream that you want to recommend to others. The first option is to take a photo and share it on social media.

Product photos are the most widespread forms of UGC. Visual UGC is said to be 33% more effective at building consumer trust than other types of User Generated Content (source: Nesto, 2022). Product photos can be one photo, a carousel, a montage, etc. They can be published on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or even a personal blog.

Brands can also use these product photos with the customer’s permission. Many companies add these authentic photos to their product pages. This technique builds trust and authenticity which is the most important factor for 88% of consumers when choosing a brand (source: Stackla, 2021).

For example, La Redoute invites its customers to share photos of products they’ve bought (furniture, home décor, etc.) on social media, with a specific hashtag and tag. These publications are then shared and added to the product pages so that potential buyers can see them in a real-life setting… Which speeds up the decision-making process!

Product Videos

According to a Cisco report, 82% of content published on the Internet in 2024 will be videos. This is no surprise since video is one of the most popular and engaging formats today. Especially ones showcasing or trying out products since, with the rise of online shopping, fewer people go to physical stores. Online product videos are visually appealing, authentic, and easy to watch on mobile devices, making it easier for consumers to visualize products and their benefits.

Nowadays, consumer videos come in several different forms. The most widespread are live streams on social media platforms such as Instagram or TikTok. During these live videos, customers present their latest purchases and answer other consumers’ questions.

Another, even more ephemeral format is stories. This entertaining and engaging content is only available for a few hours on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Snapchat.

Finally, videos can also be published on consumers’ YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. These videos are available for longer, appealing to both brands and consumers, who can watch them anytime.

Among these videos, those promoting products tend to be tutorials, hauls, product tests, etc. Some sectors even have specific trends, such as ‘get ready with me’ videos to promote make-up or clothes, etc. And even testimonials from sportsmen and women, like Van Rysel.

Decathlon Van Rysel wanted to raise the profile of cycling and show the quality of its bikes in an innovative way. Find out how the brand gave real cyclists a voice, enabling them to share their experiences and opinions in a series of videos with Skeepers. The videos were then optimized and published on the brand’s e-commerce product pages and YouTube channel.

Written Reviews

According to Statista (2023), 32% of consumers prefer to read online reviews and testimonials before making a purchase. This type of review is particularly effective when it comes to products. Especially when these reviews include a rating and a written testimonial. 82% of French people believe that they are reliable!

To collect written reviews, brands can either prompt customers post-purchase (via a satisfaction survey) or gather spontaneous reviews (on non-verified sites). Prompted product reviews are reliable because each one can be linked to an actual purchase. These verified reviews tend to be more positive; when a company reaches out to a customer post-purchase (especially a trusted third party such as Verified Reviews by Skeepers), the average rating is 4.34/5. Yet, when an Internet user leaves a spontaneous online review, the average score is 3.89/5, a difference of 0.45 points (or stars).

Once collected, brand and product reviews are moderated, approved, and posted online. They can appear on a brand’s certificate page, product pages, or social media account. Reviews and ratings are concise, so they’re easy to identify and quick to read. In just a few seconds, potential customers can compare different authentic reviews and form their own opinions.

According to a YouGov study (2022), most online reviews are positive (66%), rather than negative (19%). Either way, brands are not allowed to delete reviews, unless they are offensive or fail to comply with the legal framework for customer reviews. So, any Internet user can access this social proof during their shopping experience.

Take Bricozor, for example. On each product page, potential buyers can read reviews linked to a particular product. You can filter the reviews by score or by date. The comments include information about the quality of the product or its use. The brand also mentions the solution they use to collect these transparent reviews, and the various buyers have a ‘verified’ status. Ideal for building potential customers’ trust while giving existing customers a voice!

So, there you have it! You now know how to share your opinion on a product you’ve bought. Whether an online or in-store transaction, sharing feedback is becoming a consumer habit. More and more people are turning into spontaneous influencers and making their voices heard.

Do you want to join the movement and create your own UGC? Written reviews, product photos, social media videos… You choose. Every review counts!

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This article takes a look at the link between feedback and loyalty. So, how can you turn your customer reviews into drivers of loyalty? Can you retain customers with mixed or negative reviews? Read on to find out.

Why Does Listening to Customers Drive Sustainable Loyalty?

In 2023, brands are looking to build customer engagement. The idea is to cultivate a transactional relationship… as well as an emotional one. To empower customers to express themselves and act in an engaged manner.

Engaged customers take action: they recommend brands or create content about their buying experience. The proof is in the pudding… but also in the Voice of the Customer, through reviews. Brands need to channel this need for self-expression by listening to the customer.

The first step to fully leveraging the Voice of the Customer is to listen. Not just every now and again, but all the time, to truly hear and get to know your customers. A solution to collect, moderate and publish post-purchase reviews, such as Verified Reviews, enables you to listen to your customers and build loyalty!

Segment to Boost Loyalty

Defining a customer-listening strategy to collect feedback is key… But it is not enough. Sure, you will discover the customer’s reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction after a buying experience. But to acquire real knowledge (and appreciation) that will build loyalty, you need to segment your reviews.

Analyzing and segmenting customer reviews is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to divide customers into homogenous groups, according to their different levels of satisfaction. Which in turn means that you can implement different action (and retention) plans depending on if your customers are fully satisfied or dissatisfied.

Secondly, this segmentation enables to identify any recurring reasons for delight or friction. In your satisfaction surveys, do customers complain about the quality of your products? Do they praise your sales assistants for their friendliness? What do they think of the waiting time at checkout or the ease of shopping on your online store? By identifying all your strengths and weaknesses, you can implement targeted improvement and loyalty programs.

Turning Detractors into Promoters

“You can’t retain an unhappy customer.” This is a common misconception. All is not lost if a customer expresses their dissatisfaction in a review. A negative review doesn’t necessarily mark the end of your customer relationship… As long as you listen and act quickly!

At Verified Reviews, we believe that detractors can be turned into promoters, and even brand ambassadors. Show that you are active and respond to consumers. Customers expect a dialogue, a two-way conversation and a presence at their side. Here are our tips to retain disappointed customers:

• Respond to all negative reviews and provide solutions. These solutions should be personalized for each customer, to demonstrate your commitment and make them feel valued. This will encourage customers to trust you again.
• Remember that your response to a specific customer will also be read by lots of Internet users! Make sure that there are no spelling mistakes, and that your answers are relevant and empathetic. This will improve your brand image: public engagement is reassuring and boosts customer loyalty.
• Complete your public response with a one-to-one conversation, depending on the situation. Grain de Malice, for example, which collects post-purchase reviews with Verified Reviews, has implemented this strategy. If a customer gives a rating of less than 3 out of 5, the store calls them directly. The results are positive: Grain de Malice has increased its repurchase rate by 20% when handling dissatisfied customers in this way!

Engage Satisfied Customers to Boost Loyalty

Increasing the retention of your best customers by 5% can generate a profit increase of 25% to 55% (Bain&Cie). There is no question about it: customers who post positive reviews are a gold mine… Retain them!

But even satisfied customers are volatile. Satisfaction should not be confused with preference or “exclusive” engagement. To achieve sustainable loyalty and true engagement, brands must be engaged too. The first step is to get closer to your customers. For example, by responding to positive customer reviews with a thank you. Acknowledgment is a powerful retention lever.

Cultivating the customer relationship on a daily basis (particularly through the power of conversation), promotes repurchasing, attachment, and appreciation, as well as engagement in other forms. In this new era of UGC (User Generated Content), beyond posting reviews, consumers don’t think twice about creating content to showcase brands.

It is not uncommon to see customers express their views on a brand or product via social media, with or without compensation. Some even take on the role of “consum’actors”, bordering on customer advisors, and answer user questions on forums or directly on product pages with a Q&A (Questions&Answers) feature.

Customer engagement goes far beyond a transactional relationship and needs to be cultivated on an ongoing basis. This will ultimately result in a virtuous circle: loyalty leads to engagement, which in turn leads to growth… According to a Constellation Research study, brands that improve their customer engagement approach increase their sales by 22%! So, are you ready to take action, starting by collecting customer reviews and transforming them into drivers of loyalty and growth?

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There are more and more customer review sites on the market today. So, how do you choose the right platform? Which online review sites reassure users throughout their purchasing journey? Read on to find out. 

More and More Customer Review Platforms 

When a product gets five reviews, the probability of it being purchased increases by 270% (source: G2). Stars play a key role in the decision-making process. Reviews are powerful types of social proof and strong selling points. Which is why more and more companies are eager to get feedback after an online or in-store purchase… And why more and more platforms are popping up on the market to facilitate the collection, moderation, and publication of these brand or product reviews. 

You’ve probably heard of Trustpilot, Google My Business or our Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS solution. But there are lots of other customer review platforms out there, and new solutions keep appearing every year. Some rely on unprompted reviews, without prior verification and authentication of a purchase. Others, like our customer review platform, prompt customers for verified reviews by sending post-purchase satisfaction surveys by email. 

There are, of course, other criteria that differentiate online review sites: price of subscriptions, compliance with the law and AFNOR standards, technical integrations and widgets, analytics dashboards, etc. So, how do you choose the “right” solution? Which criteria should you take into account? 

How to Choose a Customer Review Site: 4 Key Criteria

1. A Reliable and Certified Review Site

In recent years, the legal framework surrounding customer reviews has been tightened. In 2014, the NF ISO 20488 (formerly NF Z74-501) was the first standard in the world applicable to the processing of online consumer reviews. Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS was even involved in drafting and implementing it! 

Then, in 2018, the decree 2017-1436, derived from the law for a Digital Republic (article L111-7-2 of the Consumer Code), dated 7 October 2016, came into force. Finally, in 2022, the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161 strengthened the protection of European consumers, by modernizing the regulations applied within the European Union for several years. 

Standards, certifications, decrees… As you can see, there is a solid legal framework for customer reviews on the Internet. But not all customer review sites comply with these rules in the same way. For example, a lot of solutions don’t comply with AFNOR standards, and don’t certify brand or product reviews to prove their authenticity. 

Make sure to take these guarantees of trust and reassurance into account when making your decision!  

2. A Customer Review Site Partnered With Google

74% of company managers think that Google reviews are an essential business driver (Source: OpinionWay). But not all online review platforms offer Google review integration. Ask yourself this: wouldn’t it be better to choose a solution in partnership with Google, so that customer reviews are also visible on the US’ favorite search engine? 

If the answer is yes, look at solutions that offer customer review integrations with Google My Business or Google Maps. For example, our syndication partnership means that any reviews you collect with Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS, will automatically appear at the top of your Google My Business profile, Google Shopping or Google Ads. 

It’s also worth checking which customer review sites offer simple and intuitive widget integration. A widget looks like a custom block, thumbnail or panel. This tool allows you to highlight brand or product customer reviews, display stars and promote your average score in different places, such as on your website or via your Google page. This is a great way to optimize your SEO, boost conversion and improve your brand image!

3. A Review Site With Personalized Support

A platform that enables you to collect, moderate and publish online customer reviews is great. But one that supports and guides you every step of the way is even better!

When choosing an online review website, find out what kind of support they offer. This can vary depending on the platform. For example, at Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS, we offer:

• Support via a Customer Success Manager (CSM): if companies want a close relationship and one-to-one help, they can opt for a CSM (customer review expert).
• Resources accessible 24/7: if companies prefer to find their own answers, they can check out our blog articles, guides and white papers.

4. A Review Site with Customer Centric Features

“All-in-one” solutions present multiple benefits. We recommend opting for a review site that offers review collection, moderation and publication, as well as custom satisfaction surveys and analytical reports.

It’s also best to choose a platform with other complementary and “Customer Centric” features. For example, beyond customer reviews, our tool offers:

• A Review Management + module: this tool enables you to manage your online reputation on all customer review sites, from a centralized interface. You can respond to Google, Facebook and other platform reviews, with one solution.
• A Review Balancing module: this feature enables promoters to speak up in places that tend to be dominated by detractors. This promotes a more even distribution of ratings and a consistent reputation across the different review platforms. All stemming from one place: Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS.
• A Question & Answers module: this Q&A feature allows you to engage your consumers, by letting them answer prospective customers’ questions. Your brand can join in the conversation by providing additional information about a product or service, for example. This is a great way to foster community engagement!

Google, Trustpilot, Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS… There are lots of online review solutions out there. Now you know which criteria to look at when making your decision. Would you like to take things a step further and discuss your expectations with a member of our team? Contact us now:

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Whether stars, scores out of 5, or comments, customer reviews are key elements of reassurance, credibility and conversion. This article will look at how to deploy them at each stage of the customer journey. Ready to find out more? 

1. Customer Reviews and the Awareness Stage

Every customer journey starts with the emergence of a need. To buy a new couch from a store, find the best restaurant, order office supplies, etc. Whatever their need, the first step for any prospective customer is research.  

Most people’s first instinct is to search the Internet. Which is why at this stage, Google is the customer’s best friend: they can type requests or key words, like “cheap velvet couch”, “Italian restaurant in Marseille”, or “fast delivery printer”. They don’t always have a specific brand, restaurant or shop in mind. But whatever their query, the search engine always suggests lots of different options.  

This is where customer reviews come into play. Customer reviews are Rich Content in the Google search results (SERP), and help direct users’ search for information. They provide valuable information for the rest of the customer journey: positive or negative reviews, comments, number of stars, etc. All these criteria are key to forming an opinion. 

And users don’t take this phase lightly: according to BrightLocal, 93% of consumers spend, on average, more than a minute reading online reviews.

2. Customer Reviews and the Consideration Phase

As the customer’s search for information progresses, the second stage is consideration, or comparison. The consumer considers different stores, products or restaurants, and assess the various offerings before making a final decision. 

Once again, customer reviews are key. Prospective buyers need to feel reassured and confident before they build a customer relationship. Which is why they turn to their peers to compare different experiences. During this stage, they read, analyze and compare different types of reviews: brand, product or location reviews, depending on the kind of experience they’re looking for. 

According to BrightLocal, several criteria come into play when comparing customer reviews, in the following order: the score (84%), then the authenticity and reliability of the review (81%), the recency of the review (80%), the content itself (79%) and finally, the company’s response (78%). 

Companies should optimize each of these points to increase their chances of being chosen during the comparison stage. By collecting, managing and publishing reviews via a trusted third-party like Verified Reviews, companies can benefit from the Verified Reviews certification page. 

This page includes all the important criteria for users: ratings, comments, review dates, proof of reliability, company responses, etc. During this phase, a certification page gives you a competitive edge to stand out from the rest and reassure prospective customers.

3. Customer Reviews and the Decision Phase  

There is no doubt that customer reviews influence purchasing decisions. We recommend leveraging this feedback in different ways. As the customer journey becomes more and more omnichannel, so should the deployment of your reviews! 

For example, customer reviews are effective when they are part of a digital communication strategy, and deployed on a website’s homepage, product pages, social media, in a newsletter, etc. 

But reviews also belong on offline channels, to reach customers making an in-store purchase: flyers, POS, posters, etc. Anything goes if it improves satisfaction and encourages customers to buy! 

But reviews also belong on offline channels, to reach customers making an in-store purchase: flyers, POS, posters, etc. Anything goes if it improves satisfaction and encourages customers to buy! 

 4. Customer Review and the Loyalty Phase

The customer journey doesn’t end with a purchase: the customer then consumes or uses the product or experiences the service in real time. This experience is the moment of truth that can lead to satisfaction or, on the contrary, regret. 

Once again, customer reviews are particularly useful at this stage. With a solution like Verified Reviews, you can prompt consumers for feedback after their experience, and collect and analyze their satisfaction. The aim here is to build loyalty. 

With personalized satisfaction surveys, companies can collect their customers’ reasons for delight or friction points, in a precise and transparent manner. During this phase, customer reviews can also be used to identify high-value buyers, i.e., the most satisfied, engaged and profitable customers. And what better way to segment your customers than with feedback.  

Based on this segmentation and the most positive reviews, you can then implement loyalty action plans. Firstly, don’t hesitate to respond publicly to all the reviews you get, whether positive or negative. This will show your customers that you care about them and their opinions. This can encourage customers who are satisfied with their experience or your personalized response to buy again or give you a second chance. 

Finally, we recommend deploying specific loyalty building actions for customers identified as satisfied, engaged and profitable: a gift to collect in-store, an online offer, a VIP invitation to an event, etc. The analysis of satisfied consumer reviews and verbatims can even help you identify their preferences and habits! So, deploy this approach and aim for 5 stars.  

Reviews play an important role throughout the customer journey. Their content is a goldmine to build customer loyalty and acquire new customers. 

Would you like to find out how to deploy customer reviews at every stage of your digital, physical or omnichannel customer journey? Wait no more: 

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All businesses should get into the habit of responding regularly and effectively to Google reviews, whether they are positive or negative. Ready to find out why and how, with 7 tips from Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS?

Why Respond to Google Reviews?

Customers are your allies. Sharing an in-store or online experience on the Internet is becoming a habit. And this positive or negative feedback is a goldmine of information! Reviews also provide you with an opportunity to engage with your customers through public responses.

Brands can respond to all positive and negative reviews posted online. Our solution, Verified Reviews by SKEERPS, makes responding to reviews and comments easy. These answers will allow you to:

• Show that you are authentic and transparent.
• Create a Customer Centric strategy based on dialogue and co-construction.
• Build reassurance and trust for all users.
• Help your company grow, by strengthening your SEO and attracting new customers. 96% of customers read company responses to online reviews, especially when they’re looking for local businesses! (Source: Brightlocal, 2020)
• Build customer loyalty. Responding to a Google review is a sign of attention which strengthens the relationship with your loyal customers.
• Boost your company’s brand image, reputation, and credibility with “real” personalized comments.
• Turn detractors into promoters: a positive response to a negative review can transform your relationship!

We recommend responding to customer comments as regularly as possible, to improve your customer satisfaction and maintain your reputation. The aim is simple: provide quick, effective, useful and transparent responses to all your Google reviews.

How to Respond to Google Reviews: 7 Verified Reviews Tips

1. Thank the Consumer

Always thank consumers in your Google review responses. It’s important to acknowledge a consumer’s contribution, even if their comment is negative. Whatever the situation, a “thank you” will make an impression and improve satisfaction.

2. Personalize your response

You can configure predefined answers with our Verified Reviews by SKEEPERS platform, according to the type of review and score (as mentioned in our Terms of Use). Make sure to use this feature sparingly though. The best solution to effectively respond to a Google review is personalization.

Here are our recommendations:

• Specify the customer’s first or last name at the beginning of your comment.
• Mention the order number for an e-commerce experience.
• Include the date of purchase.
• Reiterate the problem or situation to show that you have properly understood.
• Write and offer a personalized solution for the customer.

Use all the above to provide tailored responses, strengthen your credibility and avoid generic comments. According to the 2021 Qualiweb Barometer, 65 % of customers strongly dislike standardized answers.

3. Add a Human Touch

A good, personalized answer is (always) accompanied by a “human” sign-off.

Your customers want to know that a customer service representative has read their feedback. If you want to build a stronger relationship with that customer, remember to sign off with an advisor’s name and job title. Here are a few examples:

• Lea, Community Manager
• Jules, Customer Service Representative
• Isabelle, Customer Relationship Manager

A personalized sign-off creates reassurance, trust, and credibility.

4. Pay Attention to Form

When responding to a brand, product, or establishment review, the form of your message is just as important as its content. Spelling and style are key. For 97% of customers, spelling is an essential element that impacts customer relationship. (Orthodidacte, 2020)

Here are a few tips for writing comments:

• Be professional and polite.
• Avoid spelling or syntax errors by using a spellchecker.
• Show your company’s personality through your writing… For example, a touch of humor strengthens attachment and emotional impact.

5. Apologize and Offer Solutions

The customer is king, and their voice is sacred. Your response to a negative review should be respectful and kind. There’s no need to question the client’s dissatisfaction with a brand, establishment, product, or service. Here are our recommendations:

• Always apologize if the customer leaves a bad review or rating.
• Take responsibility for any mistakes made by your company and admit you were wrong.
• Adopt a “Problem-Solution” strategy, by offering tangible solutions (a discount voucher, 1:1 conversation with customer service, etc.).

6. Ask Questions

Horizontal communication is key to effectively responding to Google reviews. The aim is to avoid a top-down approach, which doesn’t lead to a conversation.

Responding to a positive or negative review provides an opportunity to have a real conversation with the customer. So, ask questions, especially to clarify a situation and show your willingness to improve their experience.

7. Suggest a 1:1 Conversation

Your interaction with the customer doesn’t have to end with a Google review response. Take the opportunity to have a more private and direct conversation. Here are a few tips if you think the situation calls for a more personalized approach:

• Openly ask the customer if they want to continue the conversation with your company.
• Provide your customer service email address or telephone number to facilitate the conversation.
• Inform the customer of your availability and responsiveness, to plan a private exchange.

Are you a BtoB or BtoC company that collects, manages and publishes customer reviews? Good for you! Now it’s time to respond to all your positive and negative reviews, using our recommendations.

Here’s a recap of our tips:

• Personalize your greeting (Hello + customer’s first/last name)

• Thank the customer for their review

• Apologize or provide contextual elements

• Ask questions, and offer solutions or a 1:1 conversation if necessary

• Add a personal touch to your sign-off

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Google My Business is a tool for companies to create and list their businesses online and boost their local SEO. Their profiles appear in search results in a geo-targeted manner, i.e., based on the searcher’s location. Google My Business, therefore, allows local businesses to be listed first in Google Search and Google Maps results.

Let’s take an example. If someone is looking for a bike repair shop in New York, and your company provides that service in the same town, your profile will appear in the Google Maps search results.

This marketing tool will boost your visibility on search engines, making it a must in any successful SEO strategy.

Well-constructed GMB profiles can also be displayed in the so-called “local pack”, i.e., Google Search results.

Appearing in the top 3 local Google Search results increases a company’s visibility and drives traffic to their website. A GMB listing is therefore a powerful tool to stand out from the competition!

But how can you create and optimize an effective GMB profile to maximize your chances of appearing in the “local pack”?

1. Create a Google My Business Profile

After creating a Google account, connect to GMB and click on “Add your business”. Enter your basic information, including:

• Business name
• Categories: i.e., your business’ activities. Be as specific as possible and use keywords you want to be listed for. For example, if you are a dentist and provide an emergency service, select “Dentist”, “Dentist’s office” and “Emergency dental service”.
• Address: you can add several locations if you have more than one
• The areas you serve
• Your contact info: phone number and website

Make sure that your GMB details match those on your website, so as not to be penalized in SEO.

2. Verify your Google My Business Profile

Once you’ve entered your details on your GMB profile, it needs to be verified by Google. There are three ways to get a Google verification code: by SMS, telephone (although these 2 options are not always available) or mail (a letter with the code).

Once your profile has been verified, it will appear online.

3. Complete your Business Information

Your profile has now been approved and includes basic information about your company. But don’t stop there! Add more information to stand out from the competition. Here are a few important details you can add via the “Info” tab in your account:

• Opening hours
• Special hours: e.g., public holidays
• Description of services: make sure to write an accurate and unique description of your company’s activities
• Links to make a booking
• Products: you can add details about your products (description, photos, category and price)
• Unique selling propositions: highlight what makes you stand out from the competition. Add information that you cannot display elsewhere (e.g., an outdoor seating area or free Wi-Fi).

4. Add Photos to your Profile

Now that you’ve entered all of your business information, make your profile look nice! Several studies have shown that adding photos to your Google My Business listing boosts user trust. Which in turn increases the number of clicks.

Make sure that you add your logo, a cover photo and a few other pictures. Choose your photos carefully; think about what users want to see. For example, if you are adding to a restaurant listing, add a photo of the outside and a few interior shots to make potential customers want to come and eat.

5. Talk to your Customers

The impact of reviews on your GMB profile’s SEO is huge! Google sees companies with good reviews as more trustworthy and displays them more often in the local pack.

To optimize your chances of being displayed at the top of the search results, collect plenty of customer reviews, check that they are well rated (ideally, you want an overall rating of 4 stars or more) and, finally, respond to them.

Remember that most users won’t leave reviews unless you prompt them. You’ll get more results if you ask, especially since the process is so easy. Simply send customers a link to your profile (available in the “Home” section of your GMB dashboard).

You can also activate the “Messaging” option so that users can ask you questions directly. However, if you activate this option, make sure to answer as quickly as possible, because your average response time will be displayed.

One final tip: never buy fake customer reviews! Google strongly penalizes this practice.

6. Check Account Updates

Make sure to check all the information on your GMB profile. The Google algorithm, as well as any user, can suggest changes.

Go to the “Home” section on your dashboard and click on the option “Review updates” to make sure no false information has been added. You can edit or discard any updates you don’t want.

7. Go One Step Further

To get the most out of GMB, you can also add any sales events or campaigns (new products, open houses, exclusive deals, etc.). This will turn your GMB profile into a real marketing communication tool!

You can create and personalize your ads via the “Message” option. Remember that ads are only displayed for 7 days.

And there you have it! If you’ve followed all these tips, your GMB profile is now fully optimized. So, stack the odds in your favor to appear in the top local results and boost your company’s visibility!

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