Why 5-Star Reviews Aren’t Always Ideal

It’s no secret that online reviews are growing more and more important to the success of a business. They’ve become a key factor for trustworthiness, visibility and rankings. A collection of positive reviews has the power to attract more customers to your business, because people trust the opinions and experiences of other people like themselves who are using the same services. And while it’s easy to assume that getting a 5-star review from every customer is ideal, that’s actually not the case.

Believe it or not, reviews with less than 5 stars can actually have a positive impact on a business’s reputation and online performance. You might be thinking, how can it be that lower reviews are better than higher ones? There are a number of reasons why 5-star reviews aren’t always ideal.

A recent study conducted by PowerReviews and Northwestern University found that an average rating lower than 5 starts was most trusted by consumers. “Consumers displayed more trust and were more likely to purchase a product when it’s rating was between 4.2 to 4.5 stars,” says online reviews agency Get Five Stars . This is because a business with all 5-star reviews looks suspicious, since it is very rare that a company provides completely perfect service that exceeds expectations 100% of the time. 

That being said, you still want to do your absolute best to provide top-notch service to every customer. And keep in mind that getting some 5-star reviews isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But with a higher volume of testimonials, you’re sure to get a few neutral or negative reviews, which will lead to a balanced rating, hopefully between that magic 4.2-4.5 zone.

Having only 5-star ratings can spark skepticism in consumers, rather than build trust. When people see only perfect reviews, it makes them wonder if the feedback is real or if it has been faked by the company. Since search engines like Google often rank companies with high reviews above those with lower reviews, businesses have incentive to get more 5-star reviews than its competitors. However, too many perfect reviews appear skeptical, since it is rare that every single customer is completely satisfied.

The last thing you want is potential customers to be driven away because they think you could be scamming them. Testimonials that are authentic will show consumers that you’re an honest company. And since trust is the best way to win over your customers and get them to refer you, it’s something you can’t afford to lose.

With realistic ratings of your business, customers will know what to expect when working with your company, rather than making them think you are perfect. It makes it easy for customers to be dissatisfied with your service because of unrealistically high expectations. This can cause disappointment in the product or service if it does not live up to amazing reviews.

For example, if consumers read multiple reviews about a kitchen remodeling service extending a project due date by two weeks, they’ll know to expect service that might take longer than average. This brings their expectations to a realistic level. And if you do happen to complete the project on time or early, you’ve then exceeded the customer’s expectations and they’re more likely to report a positive experience.

Instead of stressing over less-than-perfect reviews and testimonials, embrace accurate reviews and handle negative ones as best you can. Try to make adjustments to your services if customers are repeatedly complaining about something, but also accept that mistakes happen from time to time, which often gets reflected in online reviews. In the end, your business will be better off with truthful ratings, even if they’re not always perfect.