Many of us can not even imagine how people used to choose companies, restaurants to go to or hotel to stay at whilst on vacation before the internet became more accessible. Today, whatever service or a product we need to use, reviews for them can be found on the internet in just a blink of an eye.
However, before technological advancement would reach this level, customers and consumers around the globe used different methods to learn about different companies. First off, the most widespread means of learning about a new service or a product is word of mouth. It remains a crucial part of any marketing campaign for companies that wish to attract more users. This is mainly because we often tend to trust the words of people we know. Naturally, many of us would more likely take our friend’s suggestion into account than of someone we have never met.
The other method of learning about products or reviewing them was printed newspapers and magazines. This actually is the closest to what we have today. However, some of the printed newspapers that used to spread the word about new cafes in the city turned themselves into rather influential publishings, which can impact the fate of any company. Their reviews are read by millions, including some of the leading professionals in a particular niche.
These days, reviews that we see on the internet are quite similar to those in magazines throughout the 20th century. However, if they were written by knowledgeable individuals in the field, now anyone can leave a review of any company online. This has dramatically changed the way we look at them. They are not as trusted as they used to. As a result, almost every prominent review website puts an average review score for companies to avoid targeted criticism. Thinking of it, we all realize that before reading reviews, we all look at the score. When looking for accommodation to stay at, most of us would never consider a hotel with a score lower than 7 on popular platforms such as Booking or TripAdvisor.
Some of the fastest-growing review platforms are concentrated in the field of trading. Modern technology allows us to trade with currencies online, thus many forex trading websites starting to pop up throughout the last few years. Pieces like Plus500 review are viewed by an increasing number of people on websites fully dedicated to forex reviews. This further highlights how widespread reviews are in every field today.
The internet is an open, highly unregulated space where anyone can write pretty much anything. Such an environment has led to marketing wars between competing facilities, attempting to get better reviews. Many write false reviews or boost their own ones using fake profiles and bots. Under such circumstances, the question about reliability of the web reviews is sparked. The fact is that we need them. Not many realize how big of a role they play in our day to day lives. However, to make the game fairer, reviews written by all of us should be as objective and true as possible. Otherwise, they will continue gradually losing their purpose in many industries. In this article, we decided to offer a few, brief steps on writing comprehensive, yet brief and interesting reviews.
Keep It as Short as Possible
Making your review brief does not mean leaving crucial details out at all. However, long, overwhelming reviews are less likely to be read by anyone. After all, we write them to be read, hoping to help those looking for advice online.
Make sure that you address each and every point you want to, but try avoiding too many, useless details about them. Reviews are not meant to be Shakespeare pieces, thus, instead of focusing on the writing style and its length, keep it brief and easy to read and understand.
Write a Useful, Constructive Review
As mentioned above, reviews are generally meant to help others, trying to decide whether a particular product or a service is worth a try. Thus, the contents of a review should be useful, discussing elements and factors that contributed to your experience. No matter whether you loved the place, disliked it or had an okay experience, listing reasons why you think so is crucial. Without backing it up with specific facts and reasons, not many will trust what you are saying.
Moreover, you can also comment on the company in general. Pointing out what they are doing well or not in a broader manner will be useful for other potential customers, as well as the company itself. Giving a piece of advice is also okay! If you have an idea about how things can be changed for better, just put it into the review. Such feedback often pushes businesses to change and adapt to customers’ needs.
Be Fair by Addressing the Overall Experience
Sometimes, people write horrible reviews about only a single element of their experience. For instance, if someone did not like a portion of restaurant food, they will likely centralize their entire review around it. Although mentioning what you liked or disliked the most is of utmost importance, focusing solely on one factor makes a review rather biased.
For some, the most important is not a Michelin star meal, but the experience they get at a particular lace. Customer service, design and the overall environment are all crucial for many people. Welcoming, polite staff and good service should certainly be mentioned, valuing the work of the company’s employees.
Do Not Stage an Attack Instead of Writing a Review
Reviews are so widespread today that thousands of websites are exclusively dedicated to the opinions of millions. The huge number of reviews that go online every second at all times can not be moderated. Thus, being aware of public responsibility and keeping them civil and friendly is very important. Yes, if you write a review with curse words and false accusations, it might stay there for a while amid the difficulty of moderating content. However, it will result in undesired consequences for the company that might want to improve while creating a stressful environment on the website.
Moreover, it is worth noting that false allegations, accusatory statements are prohibited by legislation in many countries. Thus, considering all the negative aspects of being unreasonably angry in reviews, try to simply keep them calm and constructive.
writing on laptop and pad -DepositPhotos
