What single step can training providers take to increase their inquiries? According to our research, it’s collecting and posting online reviews.
Out of the 16,000 courses listed on professional training search engine Findcourses, 2,600 of them list reviews. Having just one online review increased the course’s conversion rate (visitors to inquiries) from 7 percent to 25 percent, suggesting that online reviews are relevant in the professional training industry and should be a segment of every training company’s digital marketing plan.
SEO Benefits of Listing Reviews on Your Website
Before even looking at your conversions, consider the number of visitors reviews can attract to your site through search engines. SEO expert Moz ranked reviews as the fifth most influential factor in getting users to your Website.
Search engines consider review quantity (the more the better), the quantity of third-party Websites with reviews for your site, whether your Website includes rich snippets that will display stars in Google, and numerous other factors that demonstrate authenticity.
Inspiring Trust for High-Value Products and Services
Today, customers increasingly are interested in what other people are saying about you rather than what you’re saying about yourself. Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to research done by EMarketer.
Most customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, provided they believe the reviews are authentic and there is more than one. The number of consumers placing this faith in reviews is growing—from 79 percent in 2013 to 88 percent in 2014, according to a survey of more than 2,000 consumers in North America conducted by BrightLocal.
If you’re thinking that online reviews are only valuable for kitchen appliances, clothes, or other goods, think again. “It’s even more relevant for training courses to have reviews because it’s not a tangible product,” explains Fredrik Högemark, CEO of Educations Media Group – EMG.
Review Adopters
Our company, Findcourses, began placing a strong emphasis on reviews at the beginning of 2015, but some companies in the training industry were faster to the gate. Wise Owl Solutions, a computer training company operating in the UK, has been diligently collecting reviews since 1992.
In 2008, Wise Owl began placing every review it collected onto its Website. Rather than being launched as part of an SEO strategy, posting reviews arose from a need for differentiation in the computer training industry. Wise Owl used reviews to show the company’s training quality amid a sea of glossy Websites.
“There are so many bad providers out there, many of which have good Websites and systems. We wanted some way to highlight the fact that our training is excellent, and significantly better than that provided by most other UK training companies,” explains owner Andy Brown. “Publishing attributed reviews seemed one way to do this.”
Refining the Process
Getting participants to review professional training can be time-consuming. Some 70 percent of training providers in the UK were still using a pen and paper to collect reviews in 2014, according to a Findcourses survey in 2014 of 100 UK training providers.
Business and Management Training Group (BMTG) uses a mail-out service connected to a review widget to e-mail participants about its Executive PA Course after each training session. It has received 32 reviews since last summer with an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
The Tipping Point for L&D Purchasers
When we asked the reasoning behind BMTG’s many positive reviews, Director Richard Arnott says they treat participants as “intelligent and highly motivated and encourage them to undertake more tasks that traditionally would have been done by the middle management layer.” Essentially, BMTG recommends delivering a great course to secure great reviews.
Has the review widget driven sales for the course? “When searching for courses, it is the reviews and testimonials that seem to be the tipping point,” Arnott says.
Högemark of EMG agrees. “Anyone can put their courses online, but I see the training providers who take reviews seriously to be the ones who will win over their competition.”
Abby Guthrie is the Content editor at Findcourses.com, a search engine dedicated to helping professionals find corporate training and higher education in North America and beyond.
