Top 5 Places to Ask Your Clients for Reviews

When you started looking for merchant accounts to accept credit card payments, what was the first action you took? If you are like most people, you probably searched for some sort of reviews to help you understand which company had the best deal to offer. Online reviews are a powerful way to build up your online reputation, and people rely on them to make their buying decisions. If you want them to have the most significant impact, here are the top 5 places to ask your clients for reviews.

1. Yelp!

Yelp! has become one of the most influential local review websites online today. Its significance was further enhanced when Apple began using it as their standard local search tool for the iPhone. If you operate a retail location, it is absolutely essential that you start using Yelp! Not only to ask for reviews, but also to build a robust business profile.

2. Google Local

Google is the number one search engine. It has become so popular that many people no longer say they are going to “search” for something and instead say that need to “google” it. If you set up and receive reviews on Google local, which is one of the top 5 places to ask your clients for reviews, people can easily find those reviews when you look for the service you offer, enhancing the visibility of your brand significantly.

3. Yahoo Local

Yahoo may not be as large as Google, but it still has a significant user base. Many Yahoo users have been loyal for decades before Google even began and they have remained with Yahoo. If you are not on Yahoo local, you could be losing a large portion of your customers.

4. Bing Local

As Microsoft works to enhance its mobile presence, Bing’s search base is growing every day. Though it does not have as many users as the larger search engines, it has its own demographic that relies on these search results. If you leave yourself out of Bing consider as one of the top 5 places to ask your clients for reviews, you could be missing significant opportunities to gather in those customers.

5. Industry Review Site

Most industries have their own review website specifically for that industry. Regardless of what industry you are in, it is important that you do your homework and find out what this website might be for you. If there is one specific to your industry, sign up and ask for all of your customers to leave a review there.

For example, if you operate a restaurant you will probably want your customers leaving reviews at Urban Spoon. On the other hand, a hotel owner will want their clients leaving a review on Trip Advisor. Pretty much every industry has a website like this, so make it your business to find out what applies to your industry. Once you do, make sure to include the top 5 places to ask your clients for reviews to share their experience and look for feedback.

When you can get a good enough online reputation, you can really get ahead of your competition and be seen by the public as an effective business.