In today‘s digital landscape, online reviews have become crucial for establishing trust and credibility with customers. According to BrightLocal‘s Local Consumer Review Survey, 91% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase decision. For businesses, actively managing your online reputation across review sites can lead to a 10-30% increase in revenue.
This is why investing in review management software needs to be a priority. Instead of tracking mentions manually, automating the process via dedicated platforms can save you significant time and effort.
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover:
- The benefits of review management software
- Key features to look for when choosing a platform
- An overview comparison table of 15 top solutions
- In-depth analysis of the top 5 contenders
- Tips for selecting the right software based on your business needs
- Emerging trends in review management tech
Let‘s get started!
The Benefits of Review Management Software
Here are some of the key ways investing in dedicated review management platforms can benefit your business:
- Drive more conversions – By actively collecting and showcasing positive reviews across channels, you build trust and credibility with potential customers.
- Improve customer experience – Monitoring review sites gives you insights into pain points and allows you to address them proactively via interactions.
- Save time – Automated tracking, reporting and response features eliminate manual monitoring.
- Drive SEO value – Quality online reviews incorporated into on-site content can boost organic search performance.
- Identify brand ambassadors – Loyal, enthusiastic customers who leave 5-star reviews can become powerful advocates.
Now let‘s explore some of the essential criteria to evaluate when shortlisting software options.
Key Features to Look For in Review Management Platforms
Based on extensive research into leading solutions in the market, here are the most crucial capabilities your chosen platform must have:
- Monitoring and alerts – Real-time monitoring of mentions across review sites, social networks, forums and Q&A platforms. Immediate alerts for critical/urgent reviews.
- Sentiment analysis – Automated classification of reviews as positive, negative or neutral through AI/ML.
- Competitor benchmarking – Compare your review volume and ratings against competitors.
- Customizable analytics – Robust reporting dashboard with ability to filter data by date range, metrics, source etc.
- Omnichannel response – Central inbox to manage interactions across different channels.
- Reputation analysis – Evaluate impact of reviews on brand perception and customer trust.
- Integration capabilities – Platforms that integrate seamlessly with your existing MarTech stack.
Now let‘s analyze the top software platforms that meet these criteria.
Overview of 15 Leading Review Management Solutions
| Platform | Key Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Podium | – Review generation tools – GMB integration – Customized review sites |
Starts at $179/month |
| Grade Us | – Collects reviews from 165+ sites – Answers reviews automatically – Analysis to benchmark metrics |
Custom quote |
| BirdEye | – Monitors 150+ platforms – Suitable for large enterprises – Priority 24/7 support |
Starts at $599/month |
| Nicejob | – Focuses on review generation – 14-day free trial – Forever free plan |
Starts at $16/month |
| ReviewTrackers | – Tracks reviews from 200+ sites – Measures review impact with unique scoring algorithm – 15-day free trial |
Starts at $49/month |
| Yotpo | – Advanced text analysis – Integrates with ecommerce platforms – Customized review forms |
Contact for quote |
| PowerReviews | – Focus on product reviews – Collects customer-generated images/videos – A/B testing for review forms |
Starts at $365/month |
| Reputation | – Real-time alerts for urgent issues – Queue management for large teams – Private online community to engage customers |
Contact for pricing |
| ReviewInc | – Answers negative reviews automatically – Paperless workflow to manage tasks – Tracks reviews in 14 languages |
Starts at $97/month |
| Podium | – Advanced filtering and prioritization – Integration with business software – Image moderation capabilities |
Starts at $119/month |
| ReviewPush | – 100+ pre-built workflows – Tracks reviews in 22 languages – 15-day free trial |
Starts at $49/month |
| BazaarVoice | – Specializes in brand protection – Curates UGC for marketing use – Benchmarks metrics against similar brands |
Contact for pricing |
| Rize | – Focuses on positive review generation – Tracks reviews specific to location(s) – Real-time notifications |
Starts at $49/month |
| Review Groove | – Scheduling for automated review requests – Analysis to find brand advocates – Integration with chat tools |
14-day free trial |
| Rank Pay | – Budgeting tools to bid for top review spots – Tracks rankings across review sites – Custom reporting |
Starts at $249/month |
As you can see, there is a wide variety of solutions available at different price points to match needs and budgets.
Now let‘s do a deep dive into 5 leading platforms specifically.
In-Depth Analysis of Top Review Management Software
1. Podium
Podium is one of the most well-rounded and full-featured review management platforms available.
Key capabilities:
- Generates a high volume of verified reviews from customers.
- Manages your online reputation across 20+ sites.
- Offers advanced filtering and prioritization for efficient workflows.
- Provides sentiment analysis powered by AI and machine learning.
- Integrates with popular software like Shopify, Wix, MailChimp etc.
- Image moderation features.
Ideal for: Mid-size to large multi-location businesses looking to take control over their online reputation across the web and social media.
Pricing: Starts at $179/month for managing one business location. Offers a 14-day free trial.
2. Grade Us
Grade Us focuses specifically on review generation, monitoring, response and analytics across over 165 sites – the widest coverage in the industry.
Key highlights:
- Collects reviews from virtually every major platform.
- Answers negative and neutral reviews automatically once configured.
- Provides white label reporting to reinforce your brand.
- Gathers customer feedback via SMS and email campaigns.
- Supports multi-location management.
Best for: Large multi-location chains and franchises with distributed teams across locations.
Pricing: Get a custom quote.
3. BirdEye
BirdEye is tailored for the needs of large enterprises supporting omni-channel interactions at scale.
Core features:
- Monitors reviews and social media mentions from over 150 sites.
- Comes with a bulk review management feature allowing response to 20+ reviews together.
- Suitable for distributed teams with role-based access and tiered user permissions.
- Offers priority 24/7 customer support.
- Keeps platforms listings updated on 50+ directories.
Who should use it: Large brands who need to closely track their reputation across a vast range of platforms.
Starting price: $599/month billed annually.
4. Nicejob
Nicejob differentiates itself through guarantees on review volume generation month-on-month.
Why Nicejob stands out:
- Dedicates focused on driving more positive reviews.
- Provides automated invites via email and SMS asking happy customers to share feedback.
- Comes with a forever free plan for small businesses.
- Offers a 14-day free trial to test capabilities.
- Some plans give guarantees on review numbers generated.
Who it suits: Small businesses for whom collecting reviews and online reputation carry high stakes.
Pricing: Starts at $16 per month when billed annually.
5. ReviewTrackers
ReviewTrackers provides comprehensive capabilities allowing monitoring, response and reporting across 200+ review sites along with monitoring social media brand mentions.
Why we recommend ReviewTrackers:
- Comes with a proprietary scoring algorithm showing quantifiable impact of reviews.
- Offers completely customizable dashboards filtered by data, source, metrics etc.
- Provides a suite of engagement tools to convert one-time customers into loyal brand advocates.
- Supports multi-location as well as multi-brand tracking.
- 15-day free trial.
Ideal for: Brands looking for quantifiable metrics on how reviews influence customer trust and purchase decisions at scale.
Pricing: Starts at $49/month for monitoring up to 10 locations.
Tips on Finding the Right Platform
Choosing a review management solution involves aligning business goals, priorities and budgets. Here is a step-by-step process to follow:
1) Make a list of priorities
Rank features like breadth of platforms covered, ease of generating reviews, response automation capabilities etc. according to what matters most.
2) Define must-have vs. good-to-have
Distinguish between essentials and nice-to-haves so you don‘t overspend.
3) Do an ROI projection
Factor in costs vs. expected lift in revenue/customer acquisition from actively managing reviews.
4) Seek scalable solutions
Even if current needs are limited, choose platforms allowing easy growth over time.
5) Explore free trials
Take advantage of testing periods offered by vendors to evaluate products first-hand.
Emerging Trends to Watch Out For
- Leveraging reviews and ratings in ad formats through partnerships between brands, platforms and publishers.
- Tighter platform integrations with CRM software and sales enablement tools.
- More focus on measurement – tracking impact of improved reputation on growth KPIs.
- Platforms investing in capabilities to detect and combat fake reviews using technology.
- Expanding scope from just reviews to managing all forms of online brand mentions for a unified view.
Key Takeaways
Managing your online reviews needs to be a critical piece of customer experience and digital marketing strategies going forward. Investing in dedicated software gives brands the insights and tools to build authenticity and trust continuously across the buyer‘s journey.
Through this guide highlighting leaders like Podium, Grade Us, BirdEye, NiceJob and ReviewTrackers, we aimed to help you make the most informed choice based on unique priorities and constraints when choosing a platform.
Actively listening, responding and improving based on customer feedback will be what separates the best brands from the rest as the stakes get higher.
