Online reviews are the most important digital currency for businesses.

It doesn't matter if you run a local pet grooming shop, a law firm, a SaaS product for social media scheduling, or a DTC eCommerce business that sells rainbow-colored poop-shaped enamel keychains.

Every business will be reviewed online and everyone uses them to make decisions about what to buy.

Know where you can be reviewed

Every product or service has multiple review ecosystems.

• Products: Google, Amazon, or retailer sites like Target.

• Local businesses: Google, Yelp, or industry-specific review sites.

• Lawers have Avvo.

• Home services have Angi, Thumbtack, of HomeAdvisor.

• Healthcare has ZocDoc, Healthgrades, and Vitals.

• SaaS platforms have Capterra, G2, or Trust radius.

The list goes on.

Getting reviews needs to be an active process

People are more likely to leave negative reviews.

If they've had a bad experience, they're more likely to let the internet know, and sometimes it gets ugly. That's why you need to actively ask happy customers for a review. You need to familiarize yourself with the rules of each review site.

• Yelp doesn't let you ask for reviews, but you can put a sticker in your store.

• Amazon requires you to go through their own system (but you can encourage customers to leave a review.)

The rules for business owners are frustrating, because reviews matter. Customers are much more likely to leave a review if you ask them. If you follow up with a second ask, you'll see even more success.

It's not that people don't want to leave reviews. It's just not a priority. They forget. It's not personal. You need to remind them.

Getting reviews needs to be an active process

Think about the last time you used reviews to get a product or choose a restaurant.

A review from a year ago doesn't feel as pertinent as one from last week. You need a steady stream of online reviews. Not only does it help get more customers, but review sites visibly boost and reward businesses that continue to get reviews.

The most reviews and best reviews win business

People evaluate everything about your reviews.

Typically you need a large number of reviews relative to your competition, a high rating, and well-written reviews that highlight why someone should choose your service or product over the competition.

Fake reviews exist, and it's unfortunate. You can report them, but it's sometimes difficult to prove. Aside from Yelp, most review sites suck at removing fake reviews.

Ultimately you need to run a good business or provide a great product.