It's important for businesses to measure and understand customer sentiment, that's a given. Although there are many metrics from which to measure business success, customer satisfaction is a big one that cannot be ignored.

In today's digital age, ratings and reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp or Google are archived and available instantaneously to anyone with an internet connection.

In fact, when searching for a restaurant, retail store, or hotel online, customer ratings and reviews on these popular sites are among the first to pop up in the search results.

Because of this, many potential customers make up their mind about the quality of an establishment as soon as they see the highlighted rating appear on their screen, before they've seen any marketing materials, visited the location's website, or even visited the location itself.

Rating and Reviews to Grow Business

Chalk it up to power in numbers.

TripAdvisor tallies up a staggering 390 million unique visits a month, with 435 million available reviews on nearly seven million restaurants, accommodations and attractions.

Yelp, though not at quite the same level, still attracts an impressive user total, about 174 million figuring in monthly mobile and desktop visits, with about 115 million posted reviews.

The popularity of these sites speaks clearly to their importance.

But, what does it all mean for business owners?

Here are some ways businesses can use ratings and reviews to their advantage to improve, evolve and grow.

Reviews Drive Sales

The numbers don't lie. Diners and travelers want to have an idea what to expect when they show up for a meal, a product, or for a place to stay while on vacation.

Guests who use ratings sites are more likely to stay at hotels or dine at restaurants with a large number of positive reviews available online.

According to this study, more than 80 percent of those surveyed said reviews helped them choose a hotel, and almost 65 percent said they used ratings to find better restaurants.

Having a strong online presence at sites like these where visitors can get candid insight on what you have to offer is vital.

More Reviews Boost Ratings

Studies show ratings often go up over time as more ratings and reviews roll in.

This is because the first guests to write reviews for a business tend to give lower scores when there is nothing to compare to.

As the business gets more reviews, this typically corrects itself and the average score goes up as more information is provided and expectations are set.

Extreme feedback is also lessened as the total number of reviews increases.

Take Comments to Heart

Some reviewers are inevitably going to be nitpicky and critical. This can actually be a good thing, especially early on.

Though their complaints might seem petty or even ridiculous to you, they might be touching on something you have overlooked in terms of your overall guest experience.

Small improvements can make a big difference in overall satisfaction, and it isn't easy to catch everything without feedback.

Similarly, bask in the positive reviews of the satisfied customers. Note what small touches they appreciated and what they felt was important to include as information in their review.

Ratings and reviews websites have proven their relevance and are not going anywhere any time soon.

It's better to utilize them to attract customers and get your name out there than to ignore them, which will simply leave you unseen and likely underappreciated by potential clientele.

How to Deal With Positive and Negative Ratings and Reviews:

Engage Negative Customer Ratings and Reviews - With T.A.C.T.

Responding to Positive Ratings and Reviews – in T.I.M.E.web