Which Review Sites Are Your Customers Searching For?
Forty-one million searches per month. That’s how many people are looking for consumer reviews across the US. Here is a breakdown of which sites are driving that titanic search volume, so you can focus your review-gathering efforts there.
The controversial customer reviews giant Yelp has been dominant for years, so no surprise there. You may be surprised to see that Houzz is the second most popular venue, though! Houzz, valuated in 2014, is a relative newcomer to the home remodeling scene, providing an idea-book experience to its visitors. Houzz is a particularly solid platform considering that the site focuses on home improvement reviews, while Yelp heavily tilts toward restaurant reviews.
A bonus: To prevent fake/spam reviews, Houzz requires reviewers to log in, but there is no Yelp-style reviews filter. That means that any legitimate reviews you earn are yours to keep and show off! Nothing is more frustrating than losing your reviews (a key marketing asset) to a faceless filter.
Curious how the nation’s top remodelers are scoring in Houzz reviews? We did a study on that!
Houzz sees faster growth than Angie’s List, a much more established player in the home improvement industry with a ‘curated’ experience. Professionals pay for a pro account, and customers pay to read and leave reviews for the paying professionals. The paid-subscription model, for both customers and professionals, may appear more like a cash-grab than a method to ensure unbiased reviews.
Consider the following: GuildQuality scores 41 Google searches nationwide per month. That’s astonishing! Given that remodelers frequently pay for subscriptions to GQ services, a remodeler would have to drive their own traffic to GQ to get their money’s worth.
So, there you have it! The winners and losers of search trends in remodeling. If you’re interested in reading more on how to approach these review sites, download our Top Review Site guide – it has all the best strategies! Our recommendation for a remodeler looking to spend their time most effectively – go after reviews on sites where you know customers are looking. Of course, your own website is a great place to start!