Covid-19 has significantly changed the way people conduct and run their businesses. Some businesses have shifted entirely online and online reviews have become even more important. It’s long been a known fact that what customers have to say about your business carries more weight than what you have to say about your business, no matter how great your services or how genuine your messaging may be. And knowing how much value consumers place into customer reviews, Google has factored them into its local ranking algorithm—not just the quantity, but the quality of those reviews.
Below, we outline the importance and ways to get more positive Google reviews and the reasons why you should respond to all reviews- good or bad.
Why is it important to get more Google reviews?
As Google is the most used and trusted search engine, people also consider Google reviews as reliable information to make conclusions about a specific product or a service.
Undoubtedly, Google reviews are becoming very important for today’s business owners. They represent a vital part of their business’s digital marketing strategy and online presence. One of the most significant benefits of Google reviews is that they boost local search rankings.
Here are some facts and stats to back this up:
- More reviews, more leads
Did you know that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? Building up your reviews builds up the likelihood that a Google searcher will engage with your business upon finding it. - More positive reviews, more purchases
Consumer’s research and read reviews before making purchase decisions. In fact, they read a minimum of 10 reviews before feeling confident in making a decision. The more Google customer reviews you have, the more likely a purchase is to be made. - Higher reviews, higher rank
Google rewards businesses that have frequent and positive reviews. They are a definite local SEO ranking factor, as confirmed by Google itself.
5 Tips for obtaining more Google reviews
- Request a review
This might seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how many businesses haven’t thought to simply ask a customer for a google review. Don’t assume your customers have thought of this themselves, extend them the invitation. If a customer provides you positive feedback after you have completed a job, ask them if they wouldn’t mind posting it to your Google My Business profile as well.
- Generate a review link
Just login to your Google My Business profile dashboard and on the home page you should see a box labelled “Get more reviews”. Simply click on the button and you’ll be provided with a link to copy and options to send it via your social media channels, messaging or email.
The idea is to make it as simple as possible for a customer to leave you a review – this link takes the users directly to the review entry window so they don’t have to fuss around searching for your Google My Business profile.
- Create “leave us a review” cards
This is an offline method of getting more Google reviews, for which your shortcut link from #3 comes in handy. You can even generate QR code so customer can scan the code on their smartphones and get to the review page easily and effortlessly.
- Link out to your Google reviews page from your website
If a customer wants to leave a review for your business, the first place they’re probably going to look is your website. In addition to or instead of having a designated page for Google reviews (or reviews in general) on your website, you may also want to include it in your website footer. This way, you don’t have to worry about deciding where or where not to include the CTA.
Provide a clear and clutter-free call to action that is intuitively easy to find.
- Run a Google review email campaign
Whether via personalized messages or a larger blanket campaign, email marketing is another effective way to get more Google business reviews. Just be clear in your ask—don’t try to sugar coat it, beat around the bush, or coerce customers into leaving a review. There’s nothing wrong with asking them to do something that will help other future customers make informed decisions. Plus, when you have happy customers, you’d be surprised at how willing they are to write a review. As long as the process is clear and you make it fast and easy to do, you’re likely to get warm responses to your request.
Wrap Up
Eventually, having both good and bad Google reviews doesn’t look that terrible for your online reputation.
Having a mix of great reviews and bad ones is a good thing—it shows that you are a real business and that you didn’t just beg or force your contacts to say nice things about your business.
In the end, the only thing that matters is just getting more Google reviews and using the positive ones as brand advocates to gain additional value for your business and acquire new customers.
