Why Customer Reviews Matter: Analysis of 100 Home Service Companies in Virginia
Homeowners are using Google more and more to find home service providers. Facebook is the most commonly used social media platform in the world. So how can home service companies stand out and generate business on these platforms? Maintain an active presence, and focus on customers ratings and reviews.
Customer reviews are social proof. They’re a signal of authority to both search algorithms and homeowners alike. They are a big part of which business results appear on Google Maps when users search, and they have an impact on customer purchase decisions. How many reviews should you have? What’s a good benchmark for average rating? How do you generate more reviews? This article aims to answer these questions and more.
Why Customer Reviews Matter: Key Takeaways
I looked at 100 home service companies in my home state of Virginia to examine their digital brands and the role of customer ratings and reviews. This data is referenced throughout the article. Read more about the methodology at the bottom of this page.
Here some key takeaways:
Google prioritizes high average customer rating and total number of reviews in search results. Improving these metrics will strengthen digital brands and generate more leads.
The average Google rating of the top results across home service categories was 4.71—a high bar. If companies solicit reviews, they’ll need to also focus on great customer service.
More than 50% of the top results had 99 or fewer total Google reviews. This means companies who provide great customer service have an opportunity to generate more reviews with slight adjustments to workflows in their customer experience.
The Role of Google Business Profiles for Home Service Companies in Virginia
The homeowner decision-making process starts when they realize they need your service. So what do they do first? A 2020 study showed 42% of homeowners turned to online sources like Google and Facebook to find a service provider. Another 40% called a service provider they used in the past. Homeowners under 55 were even more likely to turn to online sources like search and social media.
When homeowners use Google to find a service provider, search terms are often a combination of the service they need and a location. For example, “plumber near me” or “electrician in richmond va”. Google knows the intent behind this kind of search is to find a service provider, so they serve a “map pack” in the results (see the image below referencing the query “home service companies in virginia”).
Business listings appear on the map pack, sourced from each company’s Google Business Profiles. These profiles are part of a registry of businesses on Google’s platform. You can set operating hours, locations, post updates, and describe your services. But the most important part of a Google Business Profile is the customer’s ability to leave ratings and reviews.
Notice how Google shows two metrics in the results: average rating (4.8 in each example above), and total reviews listed (the number in parentheses to the right of the yellow stars). If home service companies can increase the total number of positive Google reviews, it has a better chance of appearing in primary spots on a local map pack.
If your small local business needs marketing support, see our digital marketing packages for qualified small businesses. You’d be surprised how many quick wins you can get from making small tweaks to your Google Business profile and Facebook page.
Google Business Profile Rating & Review Benchmarks for Home Service Companies in Virginia
The average Google review for home service companies in the sample was 4.71. When you break it down by categories, pest management services had the highest average Google review rating at 4.81 while custom home builders had an average score of 4.59. If your average rating is below these benchmarks, you may consider focusing on generating more positive reviews to improve your average rating.
However, it’s not just a high average rating that impacts search results. The total number of reviews has an impact, too. There is opportunity for home service companies to create a digital marketing advantage by sourcing more reviews.
More than 50% of the sample had 99 or fewer total Google reviews (see the image below). That means there would be a relatively easy path to gaining search engine visibility simply by generating more positive reviews.
Now let’s take a look at the impact of Facebook reviews.
Facebook Reviews for Home Service Companies in Virginia
Facebook is still the most popular social media platform in the world, with 2.9 billion monthly active users. Home services companies should have an active presence. Many of the home services companies analyzed in this research had recent posts and activity, but some did not.
Facebook has become a powerful local search engine. More and more consumers are using the search bar on social platforms. For example, when I typed “plumbing companies near me” it pulled up the company pages of local plumbing companies.
When users click the “See all” button, it provides more details to compare different solutions. These results have indicators for price ($), specific services, average customer rating, distance from your location, and more.
Facebook Rating & Review Benchmarks for Home Service Companies in Virginia
The average Facebook rating of the sample was 4.58. When you split out service companies by category, remodelers and electricians had the highest average ratings at 4.79 and 4.74, respectively. Custom home builders (4.13) and roofing/chimney companies (4.11) had the lowest average Facebook review ratings (see the chart below).
Like Google, ratings and reviews are fuel you can use to improve your visibility on each platform.
How Can Contractors in Virginia Generate More Reviews?
First and foremost, ratings of 4 or 5 come only with satisfied customers. The first step toward generating more of these reviews is to focus on improving the construction process for customer satisfaction. Consider training service professionals to ask for a Google review when an order is complete.
You can also lean on technology to generate more reviews. It can be worked into the customer journey once service is complete. For example, a service order is complete and a customer signs off on the work. If your operating system has the right customer data, fulfilled work orders can trigger an email or text to the customer asking them to leave a rating or review. Customers are more likely to leave a rating or review while the experience is still fresh in their minds.
Mine Your Existing Customer Reviews for Marketing Insights
If you have the luxury of a few hundred customer reviews, you have a treasure trove of marketing gold. Review mining is a kind of research service that analyzes your customer reviews to find common themes. These insights can be used to adjust key marketing messages, creative for ad campaigns, or even to re-engage with past customers.
Research Methodology
The sample focus was on home service companies serving areas in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Companies who appeared with a location on Google Maps for search term [home service category] in [Virginia town]. For example, “pest management companies in richmond” was a search term used to identify and include pest management companies.
Below is the breakdown of home service businesses in the sample by category.
Along with having a well-represented mix of home service categories, the sample also represented a balance across regions in Virginia.
Get Freelance Marketing Support
Generating more leads and sales from Google or Facebook doesn’t happen without a combination of the right strategy and knowledge of the platforms. Home service business owners have enough on their plate. Many can’t afford agency minimum fees and don’t have enough revenue to support an in-house hire.
Instead, hire a freelance marketing director to help your business grow online. I’m offering a free review of Google and Facebook profiles for qualified home service companies.
