You know how important referrals are to your business. Testimonials and client reviews on sites like Google Places and your QuickBooks ProAdvisor page are simply the online version of referrals. That means they are critically important.

When strangers come to your site to check you out, testimonials and reviews are ways they can find out what other people’s experiences of working with you are like. So it just makes good online marketing sense to boost your online referrals, AKA reviews and testimonials.

Download our free guide here to learn eight essential components of lead-generating websites

Reviews have a little bit more clout than testimonials because of the way they are handled online. Usually reviews are received via a third party site, such as Intuit, Google, or Yelp. Take a look at the directories you are listed in that come up first in search results, and encourage clients to post reviews to these sites.

Here are some places to consider, in the order of importance:
1. Your Google Places page.
2. Bing if you are listed.
3. Your Intuit QuickBooks ProAdvisor profile.
4. Amazon if you have products listed there.
5. Yelp if you are listed.
6. Directories like ThumbTack, Angie’s List, and others that you get business from.
7. Yahoo, if you are listed.
8. LinkedIn is important for job search but not as important for entrepreneurs.

With so much competition, the best way to stand out is to have great reviews on these sites when you list your business.