Positive reviews are one of the ways you can show that you are trustworthy and reliable to people searching online for a good local mechanic. Reviews are also an important part of auto repair marketing for your business. But, how do you go about getting reviews, and what kinds of reviews are most valuable?
Why Reviews Matter
Nearly 9 out of 10 people have read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business. In fact, 39 percent read reviews regularly and use them to influence where they shop, eat, and get professional services.
When your auto repair business has several positive reviews, it establishes for people that you can be trusted. People who don’t have a relationship with a mechanic fear that they may be overcharged or taken advantage of. Seeing other local people who had a good experience with you can calm those fears.
Sites Where You Should Have Reviews
There are three main sites where you should make sure you have a presence and, if possible, at least two or three reviews.
- Google. People can leave reviews on your Google Business page, and those often show up in search results. There is also some indication that the number of reviews you have helps search engines like Google confirm that you are a reliable business. This means your website is more likely to show up in the first page of local search results if you have some reviews.
- Yelp. This can be a tricky site to get reviews on, as they routinely filter or hide certain reviews for businesses, depending on a variety of factors. However, millions of people use the site and it is worthwhile to claim your page and encourage reviews there. Be careful not to offer customers anything in return for reviews, as that goes against Yelp’s terms of service.
- Angie’s List. Many people turn to Angie’s List for fair reviews of contractors and service providers. Reviews are checked before they are posted to try and make the site more dependable for finding honest businesses. Reviews are never anonymous, so that also helps establish authenticity.
- RepairPal. At RepairPal, we help millions of car owners find the right auto repair shop for them through our nationwide network of RepairPal Certified shops. Our users not only have access to a wide range of verified customer reviews about your business to help them choose the right shop, but they also have the quality and service guarantee that comes with a RepairPal Certification.
How to Encourage Reviews
Be cautious about how you ask your customers to leave reviews. Yelp, for example, is pretty touchy about just how you can solicit feedback for their site. One technique that works is to give customers a half-sheet with space for their feedback that they can return to you. On the sheet, or on a bookmark or postcard that you include with it, you can mention the different sites where you have a presence and encourage customers to take their reviews there as well.
Contact us for more information about marketing your auto repair business and getting good customer feedback — online and in real life.
