Business want more engagement with their customers. Good feedback on websites increases visitor engagement, web traffic and increases time visiting the site. This helps search engine rankings and the ability to be found on Google. It helps to foster sales, creates new opportunities, and attract loyal customers that will support businesses for years to come.
Customer engagement like feedback has already helped companies like Netflix or Amazon grow rapidly.
The most important part about engagement, however, is that it can show you where you should take your business next. Feedback, which is one of the most valuable types of engagement you can have with your visitors, can do just that.
The problem is giving your customers the means to leave feedback. You don’t want to require it from them, but you do need a way to encourage and retrieve it.
Let’s examine some ways you can encourage your customers to leave feedback about your business using your website.
1. Ask for It
It sounds simple, but sometimes you need only ask to get feedback from your customers. Many people will be happy to give you their opinions on a product, service or even your business as a whole.
You just need to ask first.
You can ask on product pages, or alongside any kind of ratings system you have for products. Avoid pop-ups, since that annoys many users.
2. Make It as Short as It Needs to Be
Long forms scare customers. They avoid most types of feedback because they can’t see how involved leaving feedback is, or because the process is simply too involved.
Keep your feedback process as short as it needs to be, while giving customers who want to leave more information the ability to do so. You’ll improve your feedback rate when you do this.
3. Follow-Up Asking for Feedback
You don’t have to ask for feedback when your visitors are on your website. If you have their email address, then you can send them personalized emails asking for feedback on your website.
This allows your customers to leave feedback at the next convenient time. It also reduces the amount of pressure they feel while browsing your website, which could negatively affect your overall business.
4. Publish Feedback When Appropriate
If you’re looking for feedback on items, then you’re going to want to publish good and bad reviews. You want to prove to your customers that their opinions will be published without any selectivity. When you address bad reviews proactively, you show how you help solve your customer’s problems.
If your feedback is to be used privately, then you may ask if your users have something to say about your website. You then might ask them for permission to use their testimonials, which could be placed on your website.
5. If In Retail, Use Yelp
Yelp.com is a popular review site where customers can also leave reviews. Make sure your Name, Address and Phone (NAP) are correct on Yelp for proper attribution, and to give search engines the proper information when someone searches for your business.
Encouraging Feedback
You should now have a good idea of how to encourage your customers to leave feedback on your website. You can use this feedback in many ways to propel your business forward and in the right direction.