The Difference Between Third- and First-Party Reviews

When consumers are making product decisions, they consider a variety of factors that align with their values, ranging from the sustainability of a product to its price and everything in between. One thing that consumers are almost sure to consider is others’ reviews. Product reviews can speak volumes about a customer’s experience and the product or service being offered. As such, businesses should be making an effort to acquire reviews on various review sites. However, merely getting reviews is not enough – business should also understand the differences between first- and third-party reviews and the value that each holds. Here’s what you need to know–

What Are First-Party Reviews?

First-party reviews are really easy to understand: these are reviews from your customers that are displayed on your website. For example, perhaps you have a page on or section of your website that is dedicated to customer reviews and testimonials. If so, then you’re already supporting first-party reviews!

Why Do First-Party Reviews Matter?

First-party reviews are important for a number of reasons. First, by putting reviews like this right on your website, you are providing potential customers with immediate access to the information that they need related to viewing others’ opinions of your company, products, or services. But it’s about more than just that: first-party reviews are ranked higher by Google than are third-party reviews. This means that when you have first-party reviews on your website, your website is more likely to show up towards the top of a search results page when a keyword related to your industry is searched compared to if you only had third-party reviews.

So What Are Third-Party Reviews?

First-party reviews are those reviews that are published right on your website; third-party reviews are reviews that are published on other, third-party sites, such as Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other review sites. These reviews are really powerful and important too. To be sure, third-party reviews can reach a broad audience, which may be important for driving traffic to your site. What’s more, good third-party reviews can make a huge difference. No matter how great your marketing skills, if you are getting low-star and poor reviews on third-party sites, a customer isn’t going to be inclined to select your company over the other guys. 

Start Getting Both

In conclusion, you need both first- and third-party reviews in order to make the most of the potential benefits that reviews have to offer. At NUVEW, we understand the importance of reviews and how to ask customers for reviews. To learn more about the value of reviews and how to start using reviews to your advantage, call our digital marketing specialists at NUVEW today.