Online Reviews - Are 4.5 Stars The Best Rating?

Let’s say your business is turning a profit and you've received a bunch of positive reviews, but your online rating says 4.5 stars. 

While this might make you feel somewhat defeated because you fell short of the gold standard, don’t jump to any conclusions yet.

What if we told you that 4.5 stars are completely fine, and in most cases even better than the perfect score?

‘’Get out of there!’’ - you, presumably. We hear you - but the truth is that for many businesses, it makes more sense to have 4.5 stars.

Sounds a bit weird, doesn’t it? Here’s why you should accept these less-than-perfect scores, and more importantly, what you can do to maintain a high rating.

Why It Makes Sense to Have 4.5 Stars

Most consumers check online ratings first before making any kind of purchase, hence it’s perfectly reasonable to be pretty bummed about a few bad reviews. There’s a silver lining here, though. One of the main reasons why you should grow fond of your 4.5 stars is the fact that customers today are pretty skeptical.

A 5.0-star rating just seems a bit too perfect for modern-day buyers. We can’t blame them for thinking that perfect scores look ungenuine when, in fact, they just might be. It’s possible to buy fake reviews or use bots and whatnot to artificially boost ratings. Most people who use the internet are aware of that.

The good news is that none of this is conjecture.

According to one study, ratings between 4.2 - 4.5 stars influenced the highest number of product purchases. Technically, this means that a few bad reviews won’t ruin your business and actually might help you increase your sales.

This isn’t to say you should cherish those bad reviews, as a different study revealed that up to 70% of buyers today use filters when sifting through reviews. Most users use filters to look at companies that have a rating of at least 4 stars or higher, so if you’re not in that category, you’re in a bit of a pickle.

Fortunately, this also means that if you have an average rating of 4.5 stars, you’re basically in the goldilocks zone. You are right in the middle of where the action is happening and your rating is high, but at the same time, not too good to be true.

If that’s the case, all we can say is congrats!

But this isn’t where the story ends

We still think you should strive for perfection. Here are just a few pointers you can use to improve your rating and increase sales. Also, if you’re unfortunate enough to fall short of the 4.5 stars, you’ll find this part very useful.

Let’s see what you can do.

1. Incentivize Your Customers to Leave Reviews

Just because you’re at 4.5 stars now doesn’t mean you’ll stay there very long unless you take proactive action.

You should always encourage your customers to leave reviews. Many will simply forget to leave a review even if they’re perfectly happy with your service or product, so it’s on you to give them a nudge in the right direction.

A constant stream of new reviews will ring off positive alarm bells for new customers. Recent positive feedback will show others that your business is still kicking and that the positive rating you have is indicative of the current situation.

2. Learn How to Respond to Negative Feedback

Encouraging feedback and learning how to respond to negative feedback are among the most important Google review management concepts. 

Look at a negative review as an unsolicited customer survey - it gives you an insight into the areas where your business failed and where you can improve in the future. 

Responding to a negative comment and apologizing, thanking, and inviting the unsatisfied customer to give you even more feedback is something all businesses should do. Equally important, it’s something most customers will appreciate.

Remember what we said earlier about reviews appearing to be too perfect?

Well, a negative review will give your business an aura of authenticity that most customers require today. So even if that negative review threatens to jeopardize your 4.5 stars rating, you should look at it from a positive angle and think of it as getting the opportunity to engage with an unhappy customer. 

Instead of deleting that negative review, leave it there. Fight to improve so that the person who wasn’t happy with your service will someday change their mind. Most of all - accept the fact that your reviews now look more authentic and that how you respond to them can show other customers that you care.

3. Improve Your Response Time 

According to the survey that revealed that 4.5 stars are de facto the best rating, the time frame in which you respond to reviews has a direct impact on the reputation of your business. 

More than 50% of participants said they expect a response to negative reviews within a week, and 1 in 3 consumers expect to see a response in 3 days or fewer. What’s even more revealing is that 45% of the customers polled stated they are more likely to visit a business that responds to negative feedback.

If you’re not yet convinced that you should answer back faster and more consistently, check out these stats:

• The top 10% of brands had a better response rate and a faster response time.
• Leading brands in the automotive industry had an average response of 1.04 days, while the industry average is 8.8 days.
• The brands that responded faster had an average rating of 4.31 stars compared to the industry standard of 3.92.
  
  

4. Don’t Resort To Shortcuts

We get how alluring it might be to sidestep the best practices and artificially inflate your ratings, especially if you’re just starting. Posting fake positive reviews or posting bad reviews on the business page of your competitor to bring down their ratings might seem like a quick and easy way to gain an upper hand. 

However, the consumers can spot it from a mile away. 

Modern customers pay close attention to reviews, so a bunch of reviews that offer no substance or come from a profile that only posts positive or negative feedback will look fishy, at best. Most consumers will see right through it. As a result, you might miss out on a lot of customers. So even if you get away with it now, earning your 4.5 stars through fraud will eventually harm the reputation of your business.

Did we also mention that posting fake reviews is illegal and that the Federal Trade Commission considers these reviews deceptive advertising?

But even further, if you resort to shady tactics, you’ll miss out on some honest feedback you could have used to improve your business. 

So all in all, earning a high rating will require hard work, but it’s going to help your business more than just taking shortcuts for a fake rating that doesn’t mean anything.

Are Five Stars Worth It?

Online ratings are not the be-all and end-all of the customer experience. After all, it’s impossible to not run into a few bad reviews along the way.

But as we showed you, there is a direct correlation between your star rating and your review management practices. An almost perfect rating might be within your reach if you remember to incentivize new reviews and improve how and how fast you respond to feedback.

If you need help with managing your reviews, contact Oamii. We’re a Florida-based digital marketing agency that can help you improve your review management practices and get that 4.5 stars rating.

We’ve got a team of professionals just waiting to show you how swiftly your reviews can skyrocket, and we’re working hard on a software solution that will simplify how you approach reviews. Call us at 561-228-4111 or fill out our form to find out more.