It has long been known that the opinion of customers about a business has more weight for users than what the company itself says about its business. Therefore, getting positive reviews on Google My Business is essential to improve the business perception.
What are reviews on Google?
Google reviews provide valuable information about your business, both for you and your customers. Reviews appear next to the business listing in Google search and Maps, and can help your business stand out on Google. They are very important since the big majority of users check the opinions of other users on Google before making a purchase or hiring a service.
Initial requirements to get reviews on Google
One very important thing to keep in mind is that, in order to have Google reviews, you must have a few things:
Register the company in Google my Business to appear as a place in Google Maps
Verify your Google business profile to be able to manage reviews
Comply with Google's terms of service
Most important factors in reviews
The points that consumers pay the most attention to when evaluating a local business based on reviews are:
Review date
Overall Company Star Rating
Volume of reviews
Opinion on the veracity of the reviews
The feeling that reading existing reviews provokes in the user
Ongoing reputation management is necessary to continue receiving reviews that impress consumers and ensure that the experience they read about is still valid.
Benefits of getting reviews on Google
Getting good reviews on Google can give businesses value and help improve a business's online reputation. Here are the benefits of getting reviews on Google:
1. Increase credibility
Reviews directly impact consumer behavior, since a company's online reputation greatly affects users' decision-making. The accumulation of positive reviews increases the probability that a user will choose a product or service, which means that understanding how to get reviews on Google is more important than ever. The steps consumers usually follow after reading positive reviews could be summed up like this:
Visit the company website
Look for more reviews
Visit the business
Keep looking for other companies
Contact the company
2. Improve web traffic and CTR
Given the positive influence on the local organic positioning, a better position in the search results will obtain a greater number of clicks and therefore a greater number of visits to the web. A fact that will have a direct impact on an improvement in the CTR metric and web traffic.
3. Improve local SEO positioning
Google rewards companies that have frequent and positive reviews. Knowing how much value consumers place on customer reviews, Google has included this in its local ranking algorithm. Therefore, it will directly help to improve the local positioning of the business.
4. Improve sales
The opinions of third parties influence the purchasing decisions of consumers. In fact, they read a minimum of 10 reviews before making a decision. The more Google customer reviews a business has, the more likely a purchase or service will be made.
How to boost positive reviews on Google My Business
Now that we know the impact of Google reviews on online reputation, it is time to see what options we have to get positive reviews.
Link Google reviews page on the web
The web is the showcase of the business. If a client wants to leave a review of your business, it is probably the first site they go to. Add a clear and visible and intuitive section that makes it easy to write the review and that in turn is visible to provide information to those who visit it.
Ask customers
It can be very obvious, but we do not always do it, either because we do not know when is the best time or due to ignorance. Remind your customers that they can write reviews. Explain that it is quick and easy to write. And also that it can be done both from a mobile device and from a computer. A customer can be satisfied and not have to use our service or product again. In this way we would be missing an opportunity for you to leave your impression and assessment. The best time to ask for it is at the end of the service when the client has lived his experience.
Ask vendors and partners for reviews
The partners and suppliers of a company work directly with the company and have first-hand information about the quality of the service or product that the company provides. Therefore, although they are not direct customers, they may be willing to leave a positive review of our business.
Email marketing
You can create a specific email marketing campaign to request reviews from customers when services end. The idea is to send a simple email requesting the review, with the link to the Google page and a clear and fast CTA. You will be surprised how willing satisfied customers are to write a review.
Always respond to reviews
Just as important as having reviews is taking the time to respond to customer feedback to earn their trust. Remember that only verified companies can respond to reviews. There are 2 ways to respond to reviews depending on whether they are positive or negative. If they are positive reviews, it is best to respond by thanking the assessment and the trust placed in the company. On the contrary, to respond to a negative review, it is best to be correct and offer an answer to the problem.
Get into the habit of asking your clients to publish personal reviews, thus prioritizing it in the SEO positioning strategy with a more local nuance. If you are not yet focusing on this action, it is never too late. If you would like to set up a meeting to discuss our Google My Business service let us know! We can work with you from the set up to the monthly maintenance of this important tool.