Why Canadian Customers Trust Online Reviews

Consider the last time you visited a new restaurant, hired a contractor, or used a service that you haven’t used before. Chances are you looked it up online first. You read the rating, looked at some reviews, and based your decision on other people’s words. This isn’t something that you’re the only one experiencing. Most Canadians act this way now before they invest their money.

Online reviews are the modern-day version of a neighbour’s word of mouth. It’s no longer an option for small businesses across Canada to know why customers trust them and how they can gain more customers’ trust. One of the most useful moves you can make towards growth.

The Canadian Consumer and the Review Habit

Canadians are one of the most review-conscious consumers in the world. Studies have consistently found that most Canadians check online reviews prior to buying a product or service; for some, it has become a required step and not an optional one.

This is a behaviour seen in all age groups. It is not only younger Canadians reading reviews on their mobile devices. For older Canadians who were slower to embrace online shopping, it has now become a fundamental part of the buying process to check reviews. When it comes to searching for a flooring company in Saskatoon, a dentist in Brampton or a restaurant in Quebec City, the first thing they will do is check what others are saying.

There are a few reasons this habit is particularly strong in Canada:

• The Canadians are cautious and value-oriented consumers. A poor investment is even worse when the cost of living is high, and budgets are tight.
  
• The influence of word of mouth is always strong in Canadian communities, especially in smaller cities and towns. Online reviews are nothing more than the same impulse transferred online.
  
• Canada’s geography makes it difficult for many consumers to visit a business before purchasing a product. Reviews are what fill the gap.
  
• People’s trust in advertising has been declining over the years. Customer reviews are more likely to be authentic than any marketing message a business can proclaim about itself.

What Canadians Actually Look for in Reviews

Not every review is of equal importance to a Canadian consumer. If you are familiar with what people read and how they interpret it, you will have a better chance of managing your online reputation.

• The first filter is the overall rating. Unless there is a specific reason, most Canadians will not click on any business with fewer than 4 stars. Getting above 4.0 and keeping it there is a baseline requirement, not a bonus.
  
• The number of reviews is as important as the score. A business that has a rating of 4.8 out of 12 reviews is less trustworthy than a business with a 4.6 out of 140 reviews. Volume is an indicator that real customers have enjoyed a consistently good experience and not just a few good friends.
  
• Recency is important. An online string of glowing reviews from three years ago is not enough to calm a potential customer who’s booking a service now. Recent activity is important to Canadians. An overall score of 30 reviews in the last six months indicates a business that’s active. A review which is 18 months old provides doubts about the ongoing sustainability of the business.
  
• How you respond tells them a lot. A lot of Canadian consumers will read the reply of the business owner before they make a decision. A well-crafted, professional reply to a bad review will win over more trust than ten good reviews. It demonstrates that the business is concerned, is taking accountability and is doing things the professional way.

Google Reviews Carry the Most Weight in Canada

There are multiple platforms that Canadians use to review businesses, but Google reviews have the greatest impact on local businesses. They are prominently displayed in the search results, are visible on Google maps, and are incorporated into the local pack listings that appear at the top of the search results when someone searches for a service in their geographic area.

Yelp Canada continues to be utilised, especially by restaurants and hospitality companies. If people have active Facebook pages in your community, then Facebook reviews are important. HomeStars is highly reputable in the home services and trades industry in Canada. Healthcare providers have credibility with RateMDs.

For the majority of small businesses in Canada, however, the place to start is Google. Having a solid Google review profile will provide you with a better local search visibility, boost the chances that someone will click on your listing, and create the type of trustworthiness that will turn browsers into potential customers.

Why Fake Reviews Backfire Badly in Canada

This is a topic that often arises so it should be discussed directly. There are some companies that attempt to game the system with fake reviews, whether they buy them, encourage employees to post them, or pay people to post higher ratings.

This is a temporary solution that has long-term consequences.

The detection systems used by Google have improved greatly to recognise spurious review patterns. Spikes in reviews, accounts that have no review history, reviews that are located from the same IP address, and language that is not consistent with a true customer’s writing are all signalled. If Google removes a bunch of fake reviews, it may also remove legitimate reviews.

But in addition to the platform risk, Canadian consumers are becoming more adept at identifying fake reviews. If the language is vague, if there are a lot of five-star reviews in a brief period of time, and if the reviewers never see anything else posted, it all sounds suspicious. Having fake reviews does more damage to your credibility than none at all.

The only way to have a long-term review strategy is to get actual reviews from actual customers.

How Canadian Small Businesses Can Earn More Reviews

The companies that have the best ratings don’t always have the highest number of customers. They are the ones who ask consistently and make it easy.

• When to ask is a key factor. Ideally, the best times to request a review will be immediately after a successful experience when the customer is still happy and the work is fresh in their mind. Any moment is a good moment, whether in person, at the end of a service call, or in a follow-up message within 24 hours of the service call.

• Make it simple. Send a direct link to your Google review page. Do not ask the customer to find you themselves. Each additional step decreases their chances of taking action. That friction can easily be eliminated by a QR code on the invoice, a clickable link in a follow-up e-mail or a simple text message with the link right there.

• Personalise the ask. This generic “leave us a review” message is ignored. A brief, specific note referring to the specific task will be more effective.

• Please don’t request a positive review exclusively. Google’s guidelines prohibit review gating, which means filtering customers and only directing satisfied ones to leave a review. Ask everyone. More trust is gained through honest reviews than a suspiciously perfect score.

• Ensure to address all reviews received. Be sure to thank those who leave positive reviews, but do it with a specific comment, not a copy-pasted one. Handle negative reviews professionally and calmly, take the time to understand why they are feeling upset and let them know what you have done or will do to address the situation. This shows potential customers that you take your work seriously.

Reviews and Local SEO Work Together

Your review profile is directly tied to your business’s local search ranking in Canada. Google takes the following three elements into consideration when determining local rankings: relevance, distance, and prominence. Reviews directly contribute to prominence.

Even if a competitor has existed longer or a larger website, a business that has more reviews, ratings, and recent activity in its profile will rank higher in the local pack than a business that has a weak profile. This is not a trust exercise, instead it’s a process of building your review profile. It’s one of the active components of your local SEO strategy.

Each new genuine review provides Google with a signal that your business is active, trusted and a business worth displaying to people who are looking in your region.

The Bottom Line for Canadian Small Businesses

Online reviews are not going to become less important. With increasing reliance on them for all kinds of buying decisions, the disparity between companies with a strong review profile and those who don’t is sure to continue to grow.

It’s not about changing your marketing strategy completely; it’s about making the right moves in the right direction. Request a review from your happy customers after each and every task. Respond to what people write. Maintain your Google Business Profile up to date. If you do this on a regular basis, your review profile will become one of the most powerful sales weapon your business has.

Trust takes time to be developed, one honest review at a time. Get started creating yours today!