In a world where consumers rely more and more on the wisdom of others to guide their choices, reviews have become a critical factor in search visibility, consumer trust, and conversions.

In a world where consumers rely more and more on the wisdom of others to guide their choices, reviews have become a critical factor in search visibility, consumer trust, and conversions.

Read on to learn some statistics about online reviews and better understand why they are so important to your business, regardless of your industry.

General Statistics on Online Reputation and Reviews

  • On average, a consumer will read 10 reviews before trusting a business (Statista)
  • 85% of consumers don’t think that older reviews are relevant (BrightLocal)
  • 89% of global consumers say that checking online reviews is a part of their buying journey (Trustpilot)
  • 40% of consumers say that reviews build product credibility (g2)
  • High ratings are good, but 68% of people don’t trust them unless there are a lot of other reviews to back them up (Luisa Zhou)
  • 68% of consumers don’t trust a 5-star rating unless there are other reviews (Podium)
  • 55% of customers say that if a business owner responds to their review, they would feel good about the business (BrightLocal)
  • But 22% say it’s not likely for them to choose a business that doesn’t respond to reviews online (BrightLocal)
  • 56% of consumers change their perspective of a business based on how they respond to a review (Trust Pulse)
  • 56% of customers say that a company’s response to a review has shifted their perspective on how “responsive, responsible, and caring” a business is (Podium)
  • 92% of customers interested in B2B services have been shown to be more likely to make a purchase once they have read reliable reviews (G2 and Heinz Marketing)
  • Companies with more than nine current reviews have been shown to accrue 52% more revenue on average, and those with twenty-five reviews can raise that number to 108% (Womply)
  • Reviews significantly give users more confidence in a company and its services, as 71% of users are more comfortable making a purchase from a business featuring reviews (Shift4Shop)
  • Consumers have been shown to spend 31% more money on businesses that feature strong reviews (Broadly)
  • 83% of users believe a company showcasing a user-generated review on their landing page is to be trusted (BrightLocal)
  • 78% of customers who read reviews of a company prior to a purchase were satisfied following the sale (Broadly)
  • Consumers want companies to respond to their reviews fairly quickly, with 11% expecting a response the same day, 14% the following day, 34% within 2-3 days, and 22% within a week (BrightLocal)
  • Users who are considering a business expect approximately 20-99 reviews to be able to trust a business, so make sure to pump up those numbers (BrightLocal)