Business owners know the importance of online reviews for their business, but until recently, most people didnt understand what motivated consumers to leave those reviews. But a recent survey of 600 consumers who are active online reviewers show exactly what motivates them to leave the reviews.
The survey shows what Ive always suspected, says the owner of FindUsLocal, a local [business directory](http://www.finduslocal.com/) that encourages people to leave reviews for the local businesses highlighted on the site. Consumers leave reviews to help other people in the local community determine whether or not a business is good.
The study specifically shows that 33 percent of the consumers leave a review only if their visit to the business resulted in one or two extremes: great or horrible. As one respondent put it, If I am totally unhappy, I will leave a bad review. If Im totally happy, Ill leave a great one. If the service was neither good nor bad, I leave no words.
On the other hand, 25 percent of those surveyed said they only leave reviews when theyve had an exceptional experience. One of the people surveyed summed up the sentiment by saying, If I get good service. I always review when I think its needed. Everyone needs to know they are amazing.
And of those surveyed, 5 percent feel the need to leave a bad review when they receive bad service or have a bad experience. The typical responses from those consumers was that they felt the need to warn other people about the business practices.
Eight percent of the people surveyed said they left responses in order to help the community determine which local businesses were worth patronizing, said the spokesman. These types of reviewers have strong ties to their local community and are committed to helping local businesses. People leaving reviews for this reason tend to leave positive reviews in order to bolster the community.
Six percent of people who regularly leave reviews do so in order to communicate with others and tell them of their experiences. These people also tend to only leave reviews when their experience was either good or bad.
And finally, in a surprising result, 4 percent of respondents say they leave reviews for a business as a way of communicating with the business. And again, these reviewerss tend to be based on either positive or negative experiences. When asked why he felt it necessary to leave these types of reviews, one reviewer said, Because they need to know if they need improvement or simply that they are doing an awesome job.
What this means, says the owner of the [local business directory](http://www.finduslocal.com/), is that every local business owner should be doing all they can to encourage reviews. And in order to avoid negative reviews, the study indicates that people may not feel the need to leave negative reviews that if they have access to the owner to lodge complaints or make suggestions.
About FindUsLocal: FindUsLocal uses geolocation technology in visitors browsers to construct a home page focused on their city, town or community. Right there on the front page, theyll find local weather, sports results for their favorite teams, and announcements of the top musical acts and events coming to their city. Smart business owners list their businesses on the site to be seen by those who are specifically looking for businesses in their local area.
