There are over 24 million ecommerce sites today. Consumers have so many choices, and it’s simple for them to compare products online. Product ratings give your business the advantage it needs to stand out online from the competition and increase conversions. Ratings are the fastest way to convey a product’s quality. A simple glance at a star rating provides consumers with powerful social proof, reassurance that others value this product. They’re perfect for nudging buyers toward the “add to cart” button.

3 Ways Ratings Increase Ecommerce Conversions

1. Product Ratings Provide Social Proof

We all like to think that we’re unique individuals whose choices are guided by internal factors, but the truth is, we’re wired to follow the crowd. Psychologist Robert Cialdini popularized social proof theory. It explains that, in certain circumstances, people will model their choices and actions to match the behavior of others. Uncertainty is one of the circumstances that makes us look for social proof. In the past, this was triggered by questions such as, “Is this berry safe to eat?” Thankfully, we’ve evolved past the need to look to others for our survival. Now we use social proof in more casually uncertain situations such as when we’re shopping online and can’t personally verify the quality or effectiveness of a product. If we’re comparing two similar products, one with no rating and the other with a 4-star rating aggregated from 300 reviews, we’re almost certainly going to choose the latter. If 300 people have been content with their purchase, there’s much less risk involved when buying it. There’s no real way for an online shopper to confirm a product’s efficacy if there’s no evidence of others’ experiences with it.

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2. Product Ratings Boost SEO

Search engine algorithms are constantly tweaked to provide users with better results. Despite this constant evolution, fresh content always remains highly valued. New content means a website is in active use and is therefore more relevant than a similar site without recent activity. If a site has become stagnant, users are less likely to get value from it.

One of the easiest ways to keep content fresh is by having your customers create it for you! Customer ratings and reviews add new content to your site, boosting its search engine rankings and allowing more potential customers to find it. As new users come to your site, they’ll see that many other people have purchased products from your company and have been satisfied with those purchases. Once your company establishes a system for collecting ratings, it creates a perpetual cycle that steadily brings you more sales. Setting up a reliable method of review collection is simple with services such as TurnTo’s Ratings & Reviews. Your customers can provide a simple one-click rating or an in-depth review that will be indexed and visible to search engines. Your product will appear in searches along with its star rating, giving potential customers instant access to the information they need to make a confident decision.

3. Product Ratings Increase Click-Through Rates

Click-through rates (CTRs) are a common metric used to measure the effectiveness of an ad or resonance of a link. CTRs show a ratio between the number of people who clicked on a link compared to the overall number of people who viewed the page. A high CTR means that your ad is reaching the right audience, and it’s a good indication that your company will see a worthwhile return on its ad investment.

Product ratings give CTRs a serious boost by providing the right information to consumers at the right time. A potential customer may view your product ad and think it’s interesting, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take the time to click on it. If they see your ad in connection with a product rating, there’s a much better chance they’ll click through. Strategically placing product reviews in your marketing campaigns will boost conversions. As soon as customers see a product, they’re given social proof that the product is worthwhile without having to search for it. Companies spend money on product ads because they expect significant returns on their investments. Combining a product rating with your brand’s advertisements will entice more viewers to click the ads, increasing conversion rates and boosting sales.Schedule a free demo of TurnTo’s Ratings & Reviews to see how your brand can dramatically increase conversions.