Google reviews are one of the key factors in the success of your business online and they impact more areas of your marketing than you may realise. Below, we outline the importance of generating positive reviews and our top tips on how to get more Google reviews.
Why Reviews on Google Matter
Consumers Trust Online Reviews
Research completed at the end of 2019 indicated that positive reviews make consumers 91% more likely to use a business and 76% of consumers trust online business reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends. On top of this only 53% of people would consider using a business with less than a 4-star review average.
Google Reviews Lead to Better Search Engine Results
If you’re running a digital marketing campaign such as SEO, Google reviews can also have a strong impact on your local search ranking. The Google search algorithm looks at multiple factors when determining ranking order on a search results page and both positive and negative reviews are considered as part of this. Think about it this way – Google’s main aim is to provide search results that give the best answer to a user’s search query. If a user is looking for a podiatrist or a plumber in their local area, Google search will prioritise the businesses that have evidence showing they provide a quality service.
Google Reviews Boost Your Online Reputation
Taking the time to ask for Google reviews, share positive reviews, respond to bad reviews and build your business profile can all be steps that lead to an overall increase in the online reputation and standing of your business, ensuring that when your future customers find you, they’re left with a great first impression.
As you can see, putting your energy into maximising your review profile is time well spent. The next question you’re probably asking is how to get more Google reviews – after all, isn’t it up to your customers to decide if they want to provide feedback? Maybe so, but there are a number of ways you can increase the probability of this happening.
How to Get More Google Reviews
1. Review Requests
This may seem obvious but you would be surprised at how many businesses haven’t thought to simply ask customers to leave reviews. Don’t assume your customers have thought of this themselves, extend them the invitation. If a customer provides you with positive feedback after you have completed a job or appointment, ask them if they wouldn’t mind posting it to your Google reviews page as well.
2. Generate a Review Link
Google actively encourages businesses to get more reviews and they’ve created a handy tool to help you do this. Just login to your Google Business 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 Google review 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 direct link takes the users to the review entry window so they don’t have to fuss around searching for you in Google maps or finding your Google business profile.
3. Add a Review Request to Your Website and Email
Once you have your Google review link shortcut you can use it in a number of ways. Adding a button to your website or a link in your email signature inviting users to write a review for you is a great way to build up your review profile without too much effort as your regular customers will see it often. This also provides an easy way to direct customers when you ask for a review – just send them to your website and ask them to click the link.
4.Add Review Instructions to Your Website
Take this a step further and include a Google review page on your website with step-by-step instructions on how to leave a review, along with your review link. This makes the process even easier for your customers, especially those who may not be as tech savvy and may otherwise not know how to leave an online review. It also gives you the opportunity to explain how reviews support your local business and to thank your customers in advance. You can even add a Google review CTA in your website footer or throughout your pages to encourage customers to leave a quick Google review.
Top Tip: This is a great option for businesses that have a Google profile for multiple business locations – include the links for each of your profiles and ask customers to select the location they visited or the one closest to them. This will help your business build reviews across all your profiles equally.
5. Send a Follow Up
The best time to target your customers for reviews is when you have just completed work for them as the details of their interactions with you are fresh in their minds. Send a follow up email after an appointment to ask your customer how they are going and include a review link or add the link to your final invoice or payment confirmation.
If you want to take this to the next level, consider implementing a Google review email campaign, where you set up an automated email sequence to contact your clients after appointments or jobs have been completed with a targeted message requesting customer feedback.
6. Leave a Flyer or Card with Your Customer
While you may request reviews regularly, it’s worth remembering that not all your customers will manage their day-to-day tasks digitally – some of your clients may intend to leave a review and simply forget. Leaving a flyer or business card with a review request gives them a physical reminder to jump online and follow up, and means they have your details on hand for next time they require your services.
7. Create Friendly Competition in Your Workplace
8. Contact Your Previous Clients
Asking new customers for a review seems like the obvious way to keep fresh reviews coming in but don’t forget about the people who have been loyal to you before. Send a well worded email to previous customers, especially ones you know were happy in their interaction with your business, and you’ll probably find that they’ll be more than happy to provide feedback on their experience.
9. Respond to Existing Reviews
This is the step that is most commonly overlooked but can provide a huge return on the small amount of time it takes to implement. Of the 82% of users that read online reviews for local businesses, 97% of them also read the response posted by the business. While it may be tempting to only respond to negative reviews in order to set the record straight, the best practice is to respond to all reviews.
A simple thank you for their feedback is good, even better is to respond directly to a point they have made in their review or mention a specific detail about the job that you remember from your interaction with them. Personalising your response is far stronger than a generic copy and paste answer and doesn’t take much more time to do.
It’s not possible to delete Google reviews (unless the review contents breach Google’s terms of use, in which case you can request a review be taken down) so how you handle a negative review can be a make or break factor in how a potential customer sees your business. Read our simple guidelines on responding to a negative Google review.
One important exception applies to this rule – healthcare practitioners are advised not to respond to Google reviews online due to guidelines set down by AHPRA (The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) regarding the use of testimonials in advertising. Healthcare practitioners should also take care in utilising existing Google reviews in their promotions – something as simple as liking a review on social media or choosing to embed Google reviews on a website can be a breach of advertising guidelines and may result in substantial fines.
10. Provide Excellent Customer Service
The best and most important way to generate more positive Google reviews is to provide an experience that your customers can’t wait to tell others about. Word of mouth advertising has worked this way for years and there’s no reason this can’t be translated into an online testimonial. If you’ve followed our steps above your customers should be well aware of how to leave a review for your business and a fantastic experience gives them the incentive to do so.
What NOT to Do to Get More Google Reviews
While the aim is almost always to get more Google reviews, there are a few not so smart techniques that we strongly advise against.
Don’t Buy Google Reviews
Purchasing Google reviews may seem like a quick and easy way to get more reviews for your business but it’s not the magic answer it appears to be. Firstly, buying google reviews is a breach of Google’s terms and conditions and may well see your Google Business Profile penalised or suspended. In addition, fake Google reviews are almost always very poor quality and don’t reflect well on your business.
Don’t Offer Incentives for Reviews
It may be tempting to encourage customers to leave reviews by sweetening the deal with a discount or special offer but this too is against Google terms of service. If you are a healthcare practitioner soliciting reviews for your business by offering an incentive will also put you in breach of AHPRA guidelines.
When used effectively, Google reviews are a strong asset to your online marketing strategy. Start implementing some of these Google review opportunities today and see the positive impact as your Google Business Profile grows, your position in local search results increases and your potential customers take notice .
For more information on Google Reviews or to discuss your digital marketing strategy, contact practiceedge.
Ready to start building your Google Reviews?
Download our free cheat sheet and email template today!
Ready to start building your Google Reviews?
Download our free cheat sheet and email template today!
