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Friday, October 23, 2009
Testimonials Illegal in your State? Get Reviews!
Even if false testimonials aren't officially illegal, they are certainly frowned upon by the Search Engines. But what if legitimate patient and client testimonials are illegal in your state? One recommendation is to turn to Local Directories like Google Local, Bing Local, and Yelp.
The Search Engines see a difference between listing "testimonials" on your website and customer reviews. While testimonials have been deemed illegal and prohibited in certain states, and within certain professional industries, local directories offer the opportunity for patients and clients whom have received your services to speak warmly and recommend you in a "review" format that is approved and even endorsed by the Search Engines.
This makes reviews more credible since they were posted voluntarily on a forum where people can be completely honest about their experience and the service they received. This is different than an anonymous testimonial on a website that anyone could have posted. The value of honest feedback on local directories is gaining momentum. The value of non-promotional reviews is being reinforced as we see a growing reliance on the local listings by web-users, and by the Search Engines cracking down on vendors who are posting false reviews by posing as clients.
Every one of our clients should be actively pursuing reviews on local directories. However, I want to point out that those who live in states where patient/client testimonials are illegal should be leveraging the opportunity for reviews on as many directories as possible.
Genuine compliments are of great value, as is word of mouth recognition. Empower your clients/patients by encouraging them to write reviews about their experiences with you. You won't be disappointed by these great referral sources local directories have to offer.
The Search Engines see a difference between listing "testimonials" on your website and customer reviews. While testimonials have been deemed illegal and prohibited in certain states, and within certain professional industries, local directories offer the opportunity for patients and clients whom have received your services to speak warmly and recommend you in a "review" format that is approved and even endorsed by the Search Engines.
This makes reviews more credible since they were posted voluntarily on a forum where people can be completely honest about their experience and the service they received. This is different than an anonymous testimonial on a website that anyone could have posted. The value of honest feedback on local directories is gaining momentum. The value of non-promotional reviews is being reinforced as we see a growing reliance on the local listings by web-users, and by the Search Engines cracking down on vendors who are posting false reviews by posing as clients.
Every one of our clients should be actively pursuing reviews on local directories. However, I want to point out that those who live in states where patient/client testimonials are illegal should be leveraging the opportunity for reviews on as many directories as possible.
Genuine compliments are of great value, as is word of mouth recognition. Empower your clients/patients by encouraging them to write reviews about their experiences with you. You won't be disappointed by these great referral sources local directories have to offer.
Labels: website marketing
posted by
Lesa
at
12:15 PM
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1 Comments:
Excellent information!
Review sites are becoming more important for gaining credibility with potential clients as well as the search engines.
The main issue at this time is many of the review sites require one to register before posting their opinion. This has been a sticking point for many. Registration is viewed as time consuming, and takes away the motivation of the reviewer.
More recently however, sites like Kudzu.com and RateItAll.com have been making it easier for reviewers to post their opinions. If one has a facebook.com account, one can use their facebook log in on Kudzu.com and bypass the time consuming registration process.
RateItAll.com has simplified the process further by allowing potential reviewers to simply send an email to an address specified for that particular business. This makes it very important to register one's business or practice on RateItAll. Once you have your special review email address, you can simply hand that out to clients and they can email a review, without having to register for anything.
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