There are a myriad of websites where you can gain online reviews. The three most prevalent review sites would be Angie's List, Yelp, and Google Places. I'll try to give a brief impression about my experience with all three and mention pros and cons.
Angie's List: Some people have a love/hate relationship with this review service. The conundrum of gaining traction on Angie's List is that subscribers typically use members with reviews and if you have no reviews it is hard to get calls. It will eventually happen, so be patient. The positive side of Angie's List is that because members have to pay a small fee, the majority are professionals who are serious about their time and generally not into kicking tires for a deal. As a business you cannot pay to be on Angie's List, but with the right reviews you CAN pay to be featured at the top of search queries. I recently read that only 35% of the Angie's List revenue comes from subscribers and the other 65% comes from paying for that coveted spot or doing "The Big Deal" (think Groupon). I could go on and on, but whatever you do, make sure you give great service and the Angie's List subscribers can help pave your path to success.
Yelp: I have mixed feelings about Yelp. It got us an initial start out of the gate, but later turned out to be a haven for hipster wanna-be restaurant critics who need a floor refinished. The client base tends to be a snarky crowd, and because the service is free, attracts a bigger set of deal-seekers. Couple this with the filtering mechanism of Yelp and you'll find a significant number of your positive reviews getting gobbled up unless reviewers are highly active Yelp users. I wouldn't rule out Yelp, but your time would be better spent worrying about costumers from other sites if you want to be more of a high-end contractor.
Google reviews: There is less structure to Google reviews than Yelp and Angie's List. This could be perceived as good or bad, but I like the fact that my reviews have never been filtered, unlike Yelp. The obvious benefit is that the reviews accompany your business profile if you come up in Google Places search results. The only downside, which is minimal, is that reviewers need a Google account.
In my experience, reviews are a final piece of the puzzle. I caution you, though, that building a brand is about the complete picture, so if you want serious business online, your website has to look the part. I recently was thumbing through Luxe magazine, which is for the high-end millionaire crowd. I saw a custom home builder who had paid for a full-page ad (typically for one year $8K and up) and had a very paltry website. There were a few photos that were OK, but the website conveyed the same tired language you hear in construction about caring about quality, being in business for 20 years, etc…
If everyone else is saying the same stuff, then you fall into the crowd and your website needs to differentiate you. Otherwise, you fall into the same vanilla world of contracting and will not be able to command a price for your work. Focus on your reviews, but also focus on your whole brand. Talk to you all next week.
