Tips for leaving reviews for small businesses. 

In today's world of small business, reviews are a lifeblood. 

If you shop online these days, the chances are that you will have been asked to leave a review at some point. Reviews are so important for all small businesses and organisations. Here's how they help: 

1. They help us to rank higher in search results. 

This is essential for small businesses, especially those that are solely online, like mine. Appearing in a google search result is one thing, but if Germander Cottage Crafts appears and has customer reviews attached to it, it shows a few things: 

• Trust
• Authenticity
• Customer satisfaction

A customer leaving a review shows that we are authentic, not a scam website. It shows that we are trustworthy, we are people. It shows that we give the customer what they want or try to fix the situation when it's not what the customer wants. 

2. They create influence. 

If a prospective customer finds us on Google and we have a string of glowing reviews attached to us, they will be more likely to buy from us too. This is great for growth. Growth helps those small business owners put food on the table, support their families and find financial security. It feels good to do good, and leaving reviews should fall under that category. 

With that in mind, here are my tips for leaving good reviews. Note that reviews do not have to always be five stars to be good or useful. 

1. Be constructive with your feedback. Is the feedback useful? 

What do you like about the item/service and why? What are you using it for? Does it fulfil the purpose ie is the easy sock pattern exactly what you were hoping to find? Is the layout of the instructions useful? Was the owner quick to dispatch? Did you like the way the item was packaged? If not, why. If not, how could it be better? Help us to help you. 

2. Don't just talk about one element. 

Think about how the customer experience was. Did you have a smooth checkout process? Were your questions answered? Did you find the website easy to access?  All of these things are important. 

3. Give details. 

As kind as it is to leave a 4 or 5 star review, give us some reasons why. What is so wonderful or special about the product/service that needs recommendation? If you're not happy, don't just leave a 1 star review and walk away. That doesn't help anyone, as we don't know why you are unhappy. If we have no idea what upset you about your product or service, we could make the same mistake again and again. Communication is key. Help us to help you! 

4. Remember that a review is not a customer service query. 

As a customer, I personally like to message or email the seller before I leave a review if I have a problem. 9 times out of 10, the seller is more than happy to help you with your issue. As a business owner, I love problem solving and I want you to be happy. If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you. Leaving a bad review based on an issue that could have been resolved with an email leaves a bad taste. Use the customer service facility first and if you don't get anywhere, then you leave a review. 

5. There's no need to get personal. 

Reviews are a tool that consumers and businesses can use objectively. Turning it personal is unnecessary. The owner of the small business did not set out to deliberately ruin your day. We are just people, trying our best. Sometimes we can get orders mixed up or forget to provide the PDF link. We are human. Just remember that you are at the heart of what we do and we want you to be happy. We literally wouldn't be here if we didn't please customers. 

In conclusion I hope this helps you to think about how and why you leave reviews. In an age where people cam purchase reviews or followers to try and boost their sales, we are eternally grateful for honest, constructive, authentic feedback. 

If you would like to leave a review for a product purchased from Germander Cottage Crafts, just head to the product, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'leave a review'. 

If you would like to leave a shop review, we have a Google business page. 

You may already know this saying but it's true, so I'll repeat it here: