David Risley: Just Got BBB Accreditation. But, Does It Matter Anymore?
Bible Money Matters
· 6 months ago
I know a lot of businesses get accredited by the BBB, but in many circles it's a bit of a joke - you pay your money and get added to the roles of "BBB Businesses". On the other hand - their logo and their name is shorthand for "trustworthy", even if being an actual member doesn't mean that much. so - for most it's probably worth it I would think.
Mike CJ
· 6 months ago
Interesting - I'd never heard of BBB, but I'm guessing that's because it's either US only or very US focused.
What this does open up is an interesting discussion. Should there be a body for online entrepreneurs like us? Is there anything like that?
I would be interested in becoming accredited to something like that, although it would have to be a serious organisation with decent standards - there are many in the offline world who simply take money to dish out certificates.
What does everyone else think?
Greg Ellison
· 6 months ago
I say yes that BBB is worth getting if you are a business it shows to your potential customers that you are a trustworthy business. If a customer has any problems they are a go between between the business and the customer. Greg Ellison
Mikael @ Retire Rich
· 6 months ago
Well if the BBB logo can increase your conversion just 1% that will still be a good investment in the long run. And I can see why it wouldn't because as you say it is all about trust.
/Mikael
Tom - StandOutBlogger.com
· 6 months ago
I have to agree with Mike, I have never heard of it before. But if it is something that builds trust especially with the aging generation (which could be a big part of your customers - older people larning pc skills) then I'd say it is definately worth it.
Ryan Bickett
· 6 months ago
Recently, as I've been researching online businesses, especially businesses based around blogging, I have actually been looking for the BBB logo. This isn't something I would normally do. As you mentioned, there are other ways to tell if a company is legit or not. However, for some reason I just found myself thinking about the BBB in these circumstances
I do still think the name goes a long way (in the U.S.) from a branding perspective. I don't know exactly how you'll measure the results from it, but it will be interesting to know if your business picks up drastically.
All the best!
ChuckRosseel
· 6 months ago
In my opinion the The Better Business Bureau, BBB is little more than a scam. During my brick and mortar days I was a member so I'm very familiar with how they operate. They're a green company for sure, only interested in greenbacks.
It's surprising to me that consumers think this organization will ever do anything meaningful to cite or reprimand the very companies they rely (extort) on for revenue. It ain't gonna happen, never has and never will.
If a co vigorously supports the BBB, that co will rarely, if ever, receive a negative report from the BBB. Take the 3 major credit reporting agencies (organizations I battled for clients in my b&m days). These 3 corrupt credit bureaus trample on consumers' rights with a flawed credit reporting system rife with errors and unfair, unjust practices. The BBB turns a blind eye to the daily misery and suffering heaped on innocent consumers by the 3 major CRAs because the BBB knows which side their bread is buttered on.
Woe to the co that does not cave into the BBB's telemarketing scam sales tactics. If you don't give in to BBB extortion, they WILL give you a negative report. Here's how they get away with this dishonest tactic. Should a consumer inquire about a co that hasn't paid BBB "hush money", he will receive a disingenuous report saying "this co has refused to comply with BBB requests for information".
What a racket.
Sharron Field
· 6 months ago
The best thing with regard to this is that it's an SEO booster.
What!? BBB accreditation has nothing to do with Google ranking... Oh but it does in a way have something to do with it; not so much to do with authority as to do with trust: -
Search engines will give a site a better ranking if it's a known and respected company. For instance; one of my sites, shazzalive.com: You've never heard of it right? It has very little content, it's really currently something of nothing. How much trust is a search engine going to rank it by? Virtually zero probably. Compare that to, say, amazon.com - Everyone knows amazon.com; it has a fantastic reputation and almost everyone if not everyone would trust it commercially. It publishes its accounts publicly and has withstood all inspections and scrutiny thrown at it by any and all official bodies. By those facts alone, amazon.com gets a listing at or near the top of the first page, while shazzalive.com gets listed on page 100+.
Dave's boxing clever here: A BBB Accreditation might at first appear to be fairly pointless, even a waste of money on the surface; but there is method behind his "madness": A BBB Accreditation increases trust in PC Media Inc. and in pcmech.com, maybe even davidrisley.com too; and subsequently scores extra points with Google.
Every little helps.
David
· 4 months ago
Hi Dave Is BBB accreditation worth the cost??? I personally do not think so. I cannot see how this can increase your search engine rankings. It might help to give buyers more confidence in your business but that is all.
David
growandmake
· 4 months ago
Do you know if the have an online accreditation separate from the standard?
Joe
· 2 months ago
it's very much the same but with accreditation you are allowed to use their logo and advertise with it. Also, it states on their site if you are "Accredited" or not and to some naive people it would appear better to be. My business was put on BBB and rated without my knowledge or anything I tried to do, but i'm happy to be in their system and will pay the fee for the accreditation only to use the BBB logo.
Joe
· 2 months ago
it's very much the same but with accreditation you are allowed to use their logo and advertise with it. Also, it states on their site if you are "Accredited" or not and to some naive people it would appear better to be. My business was put on BBB and rated without my knowledge or anything I tried to do, but i'm happy to be in their system and will pay the fee for the accreditation only to use the BBB logo.
Joe
· 2 months ago
it's worth it for me because the way i see it the fee is a 3-year license to use the BBB logo in order to gain more trust which in turn gives us more business and we make more money. Most people trust BBB ratings and feel safe that there is somewhere else they can turn to other than the business they have a problem with if something goes wrong. When the BBB is advertised, it reminds people that if the company was a scam, it surely would have been reported on already. Those are just a few points, but in my opinion, yes it's worth it and i plan on paying that "Fee" in order to add that logo to my website and letters.
pag1001
· 1 month ago
As a consumer searching to select the best contractor to do a job on my house, you may be interested to know that I am now checking if BBB accreditation is a honest business! They totally confuse me with their method of accreditation and by not replying to my questions. What is missing in reference letters is the follow up of a job. Is the contractor answering request to repair or fix problems appearing months later? That is what I want to know. Because, if it does not it means that 1) it did not perform a good job on the first place, and 2) he disappear after he got the check. BBB is the only source on the web that I know who is looking at claims. But, I ask them to explain me how they provide grade to businesses which are not unaccredited, and give better rate to company with several complains pending. They did not reply. Now, it may be informative to know that I am in NJ. So, I am now searching on BBB to see who is really beyond this. Bye.
All Comments
What this does open up is an interesting discussion. Should there be a body for online entrepreneurs like us? Is there anything like that?
I would be interested in becoming accredited to something like that, although it would have to be a serious organisation with decent standards - there are many in the offline world who simply take money to dish out certificates.
What does everyone else think?
/Mikael
I do still think the name goes a long way (in the U.S.) from a branding perspective. I don't know exactly how you'll measure the results from it, but it will be interesting to know if your business picks up drastically.
All the best!
It's surprising to me that consumers think this organization will ever do anything meaningful to cite or reprimand the very companies they rely (extort) on for revenue. It ain't gonna happen, never has and never will.
If a co vigorously supports the BBB, that co will rarely, if ever, receive a negative report from the BBB. Take the 3 major credit reporting agencies (organizations I battled for clients in my b&m days). These 3 corrupt credit bureaus trample on consumers' rights with a flawed credit reporting system rife with errors and unfair, unjust practices. The BBB turns a blind eye to the daily misery and suffering heaped on innocent consumers by the 3 major CRAs because the BBB knows which side their bread is buttered on.
Woe to the co that does not cave into the BBB's telemarketing scam sales tactics. If you don't give in to BBB extortion, they WILL give you a negative report. Here's how they get away with this dishonest tactic. Should a consumer inquire about a co that hasn't paid BBB "hush money", he will receive a disingenuous report saying "this co has refused to comply with BBB requests for information".
What a racket.
What!? BBB accreditation has nothing to do with Google ranking... Oh but it does in a way have something to do with it; not so much to do with authority as to do with trust: -
Search engines will give a site a better ranking if it's a known and respected company. For instance; one of my sites, shazzalive.com: You've never heard of it right? It has very little content, it's really currently something of nothing. How much trust is a search engine going to rank it by? Virtually zero probably. Compare that to, say, amazon.com - Everyone knows amazon.com; it has a fantastic reputation and almost everyone if not everyone would trust it commercially. It publishes its accounts publicly and has withstood all inspections and scrutiny thrown at it by any and all official bodies. By those facts alone, amazon.com gets a listing at or near the top of the first page, while shazzalive.com gets listed on page 100+.
Dave's boxing clever here: A BBB Accreditation might at first appear to be fairly pointless, even a waste of money on the surface; but there is method behind his "madness": A BBB Accreditation increases trust in PC Media Inc. and in pcmech.com, maybe even davidrisley.com too; and subsequently scores extra points with Google.
Every little helps.
Is BBB accreditation worth the cost???
I personally do not think so. I cannot see how this can increase your search engine rankings.
It might help to give buyers more confidence in your business but that is all.
David
As a consumer, I am now informed properly about this BBB, and will look at their logo with disgust.