How do online ratings influence consumer behavior?

Online ratings significantly impact purchasing decisions, guiding consumers toward highly-rated products or services and away from poorly-rated ones, fostering trust or skepticism.

What are the main benefits of online ratings for businesses?

For businesses, ratings offer valuable feedback, improve visibility, build credibility, attract new customers, and provide data for product or service enhancement.

Can online ratings be manipulated?

Yes, manipulation can occur through fake reviews, 'review bombing,' or coerced positive feedback, leading to inauthentic scores and misleading consumers.

How can consumers identify fake online reviews?

Look for extreme language, similar phrasing across multiple reviews, generic content, sudden spikes in positive or negative feedback, or reviews from unverified users.

What role do online ratings play in SEO?

Positive online ratings and reviews can significantly boost a business's search engine ranking by improving its local SEO, click-through rates, and overall online authority and trust signals.