Positive business reviews have become more important that ever.  Think about if you've personally searched online for a service or product.  Doesn't it make you feel a lot better when you see that the business has positive reviews?  It gives you the warm fuzzy feeling that the business is legit.  Well, that exactly how the search engines view them as well. Search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing have greatly increased the value that they have placed on these consumer reviews.

Review sites have popped up all over the online world.  Some are deemed to be 'more valuable' than others by the search engines.  Several of the major review sites that you should consider are Google Places, Insider Pages, Yelp, and Merchant Circle.  Also, their are industry specific websites for certain niches, like restaurants.

So, to improve you business site rankings, you'll need to put your game face on when it comes to reviews.

1.  Give a hand out

Your entire staff should understand and be on board when it comes to acquiring reviews from happy customers.  Create small handouts (the size of business cards) that can be given out by your staff.  These handouts should inform the customer exactly how to give your business an online review.

2.  Offer your staff a Ph.D in your customer review program

Make sure that your staff has a complete understanding of your customer review process.  Show them which review sites that you want your customers to leave their remarks on.  Get your staff involved in the process.  Remember, it all starts from the top.

3.  Create a video

You can create a quick video that you can attach to your e-newletter.  In this video, you can ask for positive reviews.  Make it simple and sincere.  They'll be happy to do it if you've been providing great service.

4.  Internally market for customer reviews

Create flyers, table top displays, or QR codes that you can display around your business.  To get more positive online reviews, you'll need to make it known that you are actually looking for them.

5.  Don't quit

This is an ongoing process.  You can't expect to get a few reviews and then forget about the entire process.  To help your business, you'll need to make this an ongoing part of your marketing efforts.