How To Get More Google Reviews (And Why You Want Them!)
Your Google My Business profile is going to be the place many people will first encounter your business. On this profile, they’ll learn all about what you do, when you’re open, where you are… and how well you’ve been rated. The reviews left on My Business profiles can be that factor that decides people’s choices, making them absolutely necessary for your online presence.
But there’s more than reputation at stake. To change how both potential customers and search engines see your business – or even whether they see it at all! – your customers and clients are going to have to leave reviews.
Why Do I Want More Google Reviews?
Positive reviews on your My Business profile are important for SEO. This is because Google’s search engine has one job: deliver the best search results. The company has algorithms and bots in place to comb through websites and bring up the most relevant, most helpful results for keywords people will punch in. The fact that “Google” is synonymous with search engines pretty much says it all!
Ensuring that their search engine continues to be the destination of choice for everyone, Google weights various aspects of a website to make sure that it’s relevant to what people are searching. One of these relevant points is the My Business review section. The star-ratings and how many there are will impact how you’re recommended to people searching in your area.
Of course, the star rating and feedback of the reviews are still very important for public perception. Google has made them much more prominent on their Maps feature, so it’s impossible for people to ignore them. You can also use them as testimonials on your site and in advertising. You need to consider how you can get more reviews to use them to your marketing advantage!
How To Get More Google Reviews
Getting positive Google Reviews requires making the connection with your clients and customers. It’s not just about doing your job well, though that can help; even the happiest customers can ride off into the sunset without so much as a goodbye. What you need to do is make it much easier for them to leave the review, and make it known that these reviews are valued.
When making a marketing plan, you’ll need to consider how you can seek out customers and solicit these reviews. One of the best ways is to follow up with them after the good has been received of the service is completed. Strongly recommend that they leave their email, and optimize your website so that they have more opportunities to do so. You can then send a follow-up email a week or two later, asking how you did and encouraging them to leave a review on your Google My Business profile.
Again, many people will not leave a review unless moved by their experience (unfortunately, this is usually when they’ve had a negative one). However, if you use the right wording, you can induce people who had positive experiences to leave a review! Phrase it in the form of a polite request – “how did we do?”, for example – while stressing that you value customer feedback.
Don’t worry too much about negative reviews! Always be gracious and understanding, even if you feel they are not fair. But don’t just respond to the zero- or one-star reviews – respond to them all! Actively engage with your audience. Anyone reading your reviews will get a good glimpse into how well you value customer service.
