BURLINGTON, Vt. -

Customer reviews are a top factor that people consider when selecting a business, according to digital marketing company Dealer.com.

“But dealerships often lack an efficient, easy way to solicit reviews while the experience is still top of mind,” the company said in a news release.

Dealer.com is launching a new Review Generation service that the company says can help dealerships boost their reputation management and get the most volume and frequency of customer reviews.

Review Generation makes managing a constant stream of personalized reviews simple for dealership staff and customers, according to the company.

Dealer.com says its work in helping dealerships attract and promote customer reviews can strengthen a dealer’s local SEO. That proactively attracts shoppers and earns customer loyalty, the company said.

With Review Generation, the company says dealerships gain a personalized method for requesting and collecting consumer reviews, elevating the voice-of-the-customer using an always-on SMS-based review growth strategy.

The company said that strategy includes:

— Sending personalized automated or manual SMS text review invitations from your salesperson to the customer as soon as the transaction is complete. That keeps their experience top of mind.

— Reaching customers via text, a familiar communication tool that does not require apps, accounts, or passwords. The company said that makes the process painless for the reviewer.

— Distributing reviews for sales and service to Google My Business locations for no additional cost. According to Dealer.com, that creates a holistic customer review portfolio across channels. That can help boost local SEO to attract new shoppers.

— Giving dealers control to choose which review sites its solicited reviews will appear on and the order in which they are listed.

— Identifying performance opportunities across the dealership and to get more reviews with analytics and reporting, while at the same time preventing spam messages from being sent.

“An overwhelming majority of consumers say that positive reviews are a primary consideration when deciding to use a business,” said Dealer.com head of managed services Erica Danford.

Danford continued, “Ratings and reviews are the second-most influential contributor to a solid local SEO strategy, which makes Dealer.com’s Review Generation enhancements an essential component for success and searchability. Ultimately, the constant stream of customer review content can contribute to a stronger local SEO impact, reinforce dealership reputation, and can work to attract new shoppers.”