The need for attention isn’t just something limited to individual people: brands need attention, too! In a world where a seemingly unlimited amount of competition is just waiting to snag our customers and clients, targeting people within your business or brand niche is crucial for long-term success.

One of the easiest ways to attract real and lasting business – whether you operate online or in the physical realm – is through reviews. With many platforms such as Google and Yelp catering to the review crowds, encouraging your customers and clients to leave good feedback is a must. However, no brand can ever rest easy knowing they have enough positive reviews.

Today, let’s examine the reasons why brands must constantly generate new online reviews.

Customers Don’t Read Old Reviews

If online reviews are desired in the pursuit of convincing people to make a purchase or commitment, then the benefit is lost if they don’t read them. Recently, evidence has come to light that suggests a majority of potential customers do not pay attention to online reviews for brands if they are more than a few months old. While pinging servers with positive reviews does have benefits in terms of SEO and visibility, if they are too old, the persuasion factor is completely lost.

As such, targeting your customers to leave feedback consistently is highly advised. With so many shoppers thinking that older reviews might not be reflective of the brand’s current level of service, you owe it to yourself to constantly be pursuing new reviews.

Search Engines Evaluate Frequency

If your brand has generated a number of great positive reviews and then suddenly seems to go dark, that can be detrimental to your performance. Ultimately, search engines such as Google that allow users to leave reviews analyze the number of reviews and the frequency at which they are left. If suddenly your brand does not have any feedback coming through, it can send indicators that your brand is no longer serving the public or otherwise living up to its prestigious reputation.

While your formal ratings won’t be impacted when users inspect your overall scores, old reviews – as we’ve already discussed – aren’t necessarily persuasive for customers. When combined with search engines potentially prioritizing your competitors’ visibility over your own due to this, a recipe for disaster can quickly form.

Shoppers Look for Relevant Reviews

If your online store or brand provides an array of products and services, then you obviously want to aim for reviews that confirm the quality of all offered items. As new items or services are added to your inventory, many may be skeptical to be the first to try them. For brands that constantly generate detailed online reviews, the likelihood of persuading potential customers to take the plunge is easier.

When shoppers read reviews that explicitly mention products they’re considering, their confidence in the brand increases substantially. As such, it is imperative that brands are always pinging servers with new reviews – especially if they are constantly adding new products and services to their inventories.

You probably already knew that online reviews mattered, but they matter for many different reasons. It’s never enough to be satisfied with the number of reviews you have: by constantly pursuing new reviews, you’ll please both customers and search engines.