Trust in Online Reviews When Searching for a Private Investigative Agency
Every year, an organization named BrightLocal conducts a Local Consumer Review Survey aiming to uncover how consumers are influenced by online reviews. They strive to understand the extent to which consumers trust online reviews and read them before making a purchasing decision. The findings of this research are geared towards reviews of local business services and are not product specific.
The 2016 study discovered the following trends:
- 54% of consumers will visit a website after reading a positive review about that business.
- 84% of people trust digital reviews to an equal extent they do to a personal recommendation.
- 70% of users who are asked to leave a review will do so.
- 90% of people read <10 online reviews before forming an opinion about a business, whether positive or negative.
- 73% of people believe that reviews three months or older are no longer relevant.
- 74% of consumers attest that positive digital reviews increase their trust in local businesses.
- 58% of people believe the overall star rating of a business is of utmost importance.
The question then remains – why are digital reviews so important? Research supports the conclusion that online reputation provides social proof (through both star ratings and reviews) to consumers, enabling them to expedite their research process and make informed purchasing decisions faster. They also make these decisions with higher confidence levels than ever before. Year to year trends also show that trust and confidence in online reputations of businesses will continue to grow in the future.
When searching for a private investigative agency, it is important to diligently research the organization’s online reputation. Google+ Reviews, the most common research platform around the world, provides a great source of information for consumers. However, be wary of fake and illegitimate reviews. Some agencies may try to trick the general public into believing their reviews came from customers, when in fact the business owner’s themselves post reviews pretending to be satisfied customers. While Google+ and other common review platforms attempt to dissuade this behaviour, fraudsters still manage to get away with dishonest practices.
During your search for an investigative agency, ask yourself five important questions:
- Does the investigative agency have a positive online reputation?
- How many positive reviews does the investigative agency have?
- Does the investigative agency receive positive reviews frequently?
- Are the investigative agency’s last reviews recent?
- Does the investigative agency’s reviews appear truthful and legitimate?
Here at Investigation Hotline, we take pride in our digital reputation. Client satisfaction is our number one priority. We value feedback and continually ask for ways that we can improve. We also ask our clients to leave truthful feedback about their experience with us. With 146 Google+ reviews and a 4.9/5 digital reputation, we welcome you to read our past customer’s feedback to make an informed decision for yourself.
Source: https://www.brightlocal.com/le
