Why Local Business Reviews Are the New Word of Mouth

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Infographics, Reports, Reviews.

Negative word of mouth keeps people out of local businesses. Good word of mouth, meanwhile, brings people in. That’s why it’s so critical for business owners to be able to monitor and manage what is considered today’s most potent form of word of mouth: online reviews. According to an infographic released recently by customer satisfaction system Local Viewpoints, 72 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (from individuals whom they know). 57 percent will avoid a business that has negative online reviews or ratings, while a staggering 90 percent of people use and monitor online reviews… Read more »

Google Overhauls Maps, Introduces New Rating System for Businesses

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Reviews.

A lot of people use Google Maps for more than just getting directions. They’re using it to find a local business’ contact information, read online business reviews, and rate their favorite (or least favorite) local spots. They’re using it to find the yummiest place to eat, the friendliest baristas in town, the coolest new club to go to, and the hippest hotel to check out. To make all of this easier to do – to make every place in town easier to find – Google is launching the new Google Maps. It’s a tailored, more interactive map that enables users… Read more »

OpenTable Updates Android App and Revamps Restaurant Profile Pages

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Reviews.

Hopefully our recent post on how OpenTable can help your restaurant will have convinced you to get listed at this popular online reservation service and restaurant reviews aggregator. (Or hopefully you’ve been an OpenTable member restaurant for much longer than that.) If not, then here’s another reason to join: OpenTable has recently updated its Android app, updating restaurant profile pages to improve navigation in a way that more easily and effectively displays your business information. The pages now show info such as: items on the menu, aggregated restaurant reviews, your restaurant’s overall rating (based on OpenTable’s five-star rating system), user… Read more »

More SMB Owners Integrating Mobile and Social Media Marketing into Their Strategy

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Infographics, Reports, Reviews.

These days, it’s not enough that your business has an online presence. It’s not enough to merely have a website up and running. You also have to be active and visible in newer, less traditional, and increasingly popular media channels: namely, on social media, online review sites, local business listings, and mobile platforms. This obviously presents a challenge – especially for businesses with fewer marketing resources and staff – but more and more small business (SMB) owners are recognizing the importance of taking on and responding to this challenge. (Check out: “More Mobile Phone Owners Checking Online Reviews While Inside… Read more »

5 Ways OpenTable Can Help Your Restaurant

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Reviews, Tips.

Running a restaurant? We know it’s a tough business. And it’s tougher now more than ever. Not only do you have to worry about delighting your diners and serving up yummy dishes; you also have to worry about the Internet, marketing your business online, and monitoring restaurant reviews. (And yes, these reviews have a direct impact on the performance of your restaurant. According to a study released last year by two Berkeley economists, a half-star improvement in aggregated online reviews and ratings makes a restaurant 30 to 49 percent more likely to be fully booked during peak dining times.) So… Read more »

Foursquare Updates Website Again – Adds Advanced New Location Filters and other Local Search Enhancements

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Reviews.

Foursquare is no longer just a location check-in service. If you’ve been following the Review Trackers blog, you know by now that we’ve been talking about this subject a lot. Founded in 2009, Foursquare has since evolved to become a top online reviews aggregator and feature-rich local business recommendation service. In short, it’s become a pretty impressive tool for consumers for finding the perfect places to go. It is in line with this vision that Foursquare recently introduced extra data filters on its website. These filters are designed to offer a better, more extensive search service – one that can… Read more »

More Travelers Using Google+ to Research Information and Plan their Trips

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Infographics, Reports, Reviews.

Everybody’s talking about Facebook and Twitter. But if you’re a local business owner or a marketer, here’s one thing to remember: don’t let Google’s own social networking service – Google+ – fall out of your radar. According to travel reviews aggregator TripAdvisor, more and more people are using Google+ to do research and find information for their travel plans. The social network has, in fact, become a rising influence for travelers, with 40 percent of respondents in TripAdvisor’s TripBarometer survey saying that they turned to Google+ for travel information while planning their trips; 22 percent even said that it’s the… Read more »

The Growing Influence of Automotive Reviews on Car Buyers

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Infographics, Reports, Reviews.

People are consulting consumer reviews the way they used to consult professional critics’ reviews. But apparently, these days, what the customer has to say weighs more heavily than what the critic has to say. Don’t believe us? Just check out the findings from this recent Weber Shandwick study. One of the sectors where the influence of online customer reviews is most apparent is the automotive industry. According to a new eMarketer report, more and more customers are contributing their car-buying opinions to automotive review sites like DealerRater, Cars.com, and Edmunds.com. More and more shoppers are also placing their trust in… Read more »

TripAdvisor Unveils Review Express, Making it Easier for Hotels and Travel Businesses to Generate More Online Reviews

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Reviews.

Early this year, travel and hotel reviews aggregator TripAdvisor celebrated a pretty impressive milestone: 100 million reviews and opinions. But naturally, it’s not stopping at that number. The plan? To get 100 million more – and faster than the time it took to reach the first hundred. With this in mind, TripAdvisor recently announced Review Express, a fast, free, and easy way for TripAdvisor-listed businesses to get more traveler reviews. Review Express is basically an E-mail tool that enables business owners (hoteliers, hotel GMs, and restaurant owners in particular) to bulk upload up to 1,000 guest E-mail addresses at a… Read more »

Online Doctor Reviews Reveal What Matters Most to Patients

Posted by Review Trackers & filed under Industry News, Reports, Reviews.

In 2010, a man in Minnesota did not like the bedside manner of the neurologist treating his father. The man posted online reviews on a couple of popular doctor review aggregators – reviews that referred to the neurologist as a “real tool.” The whole thing sparked a controversial legal battle in which the Minnesota Supreme Court ended up deciding that the reviews were not defamatory. It’s a pretty long story – spanning four years! – but apparently this case is very crucial in understanding what patients really want in the age of Yelp and Dr. Oogle. (By the way, if… Read more »