How To Gain More Google Reviews

What’s a Google review? Well, if your business needs to boost its online reputation and garner more leads and profits, then it’s certainly not something you should neglect.

If you’re new to Google reviews, you may not be sure what they are and where you can find them. Google reviews are just what they sound like — they’re reviews that a customer leaves on a business within the Google platform. They show in two key places: 

Within Google Search Results

When searching for a business by name or a Google My Business listing, users see the listing and any reviews directly in the search results. Users may also look for something local, such as local hamburger restaurants or women’s clothing near me. During those searches, Google will also show reviews for those specific types of businesses. That section, displayed with a map of listings, can be referred to as the “local pack.” Your business’s Google star rating is visible right alongside these results.

Basically, that means when someone searches for you, they’ll see a little shot of your amazing 5-star rating right under your business name. If you don’t have a solid rating or a rating at all, they’ll see that too.

Those Google reviews are starting to look pretty important, huh?

Within Google Maps Results

You can also see Google reviews in the Google Maps app. Since Google My Business listings are integrated with Google Maps, whenever someone searches for a place or chooses a location, they’ll see the businesses’ Google reviews.

With over 40,000 search queries each second and one billion visits per month on Google, you can expect a huge influx of people using Google Search and Google Maps who see your business’s reviews. That’s why it’s so crucial to have them so that you can stand out from your competition.

If you look at how many reviews your competitors have, you’ll get a good idea of whether or not you’re falling behind. If you have about the same or more, you’re doing well on the review front. But if you don’t have as many, you may want to try some of the following tactics to gain more feedback.

Importance & Advantages of Google Reviews

A Google review has lasting benefits. One of the biggest, of course, is more customers trusting your brand, which eventually translates to higher sales. 

The more people who leave a Google review for your business, the higher the trust, exposure, search ranking, and conversions you’ll get. If you’re not emphasizing Google business reviews, prioritizing them in your local marketing strategy can be extremely advantageous. Here are some stats from Search Engine Journal to back this up:

  • More reviews, more leads - 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal business recommendations. By increasing them, you’ll improve the likelihood that a Google user will engage with your business.
  • More positive reviews, more purchases - Before consumers decide to purchase, they research a company and read its reviews. The average number of reviews a person reads before feeling confident to make a purchase is ten. You’ll be more likely to convert if you have several of them.
  • Higher reviews, higher rank - Google ranks businesses with frequent, positive reviews higher, and it’s a definite local SEO ranking factor.
  • Lots of reviews, lower costs - Leaving and responding to reviews is free. Positive endorsements on your Business Profile act like free Google advertising on the world’s most used search engine.

Ways To Get More Google Reviews

As you can see, the benefits of Google reviews on your reputation and ranking are significant. Additionally, being a verified Business Profile allows you to manage them more effectively. 

Now it’s time to get more.

Verify Your Google Business Profile

First things first. To get Google reviews, you need to complete the setup. Your business needs to be a “Place” on Google Maps, and you need to verify your business. Once you’ve set up your Google Maps listing, it’ll give customers a place to leave reviews.

But making a Google Maps listing, which also creates a Business Profile, doesn’t give you control over that listing. A Google My Business account is required. You’ll need to verify you own that Business Profile by following the steps listed here.

Add A Review Link To Your Website

Customers like things simple –- shopping, navigating your site, and leaving reviews. People need to go online to leave a review in nearly every case, so when you create a review link and put it on your site, you’re making it even easier for them.

Go to your Google My Business account, choose the Home tab, and locate the “Get your first review” or “Get more reviews” card. You’ll want to select “Share review form” and copy that link.

It’s easy to drop this link into a button on your site or use anchor text. 

But when you’re trying to direct someone there, spelling out the entire address is a bit annoying, and you may need to post it in its full form somewhere, which looks less than stellar. Thankfully, free link shorteners like bitly.com can shorten and customize your review link to something simple and memorable.

Use Review Generation Tools

While links are always a good idea, and you can slip them in various places, creating a dedicated review page accessible from your main navigation menu, is even better. Including a strong CTA to write a review on your page can encourage prospects to become customers based on your page’s current reviews.

Text form reviews work the best because they often have several important keywords, so including them on your website is also great for a small or large business’s SEO marketing strategy.

Creating a review template will save you so much time and make it easy for new feedback to get set up on the page. Some platforms and plug-ins allow you to aggregate your Google reviews automatically, which is the best way to go.

In addition to having a page for your reviews, you may also want to include a link in your site footer. That way, you can include an easy-to-find link on every page that isn’t overly intrusive or in the way of viewers.

Respond To Reviews

Do you want customers to interact with you? Well, then you need to interact with them.

Make time to respond to reviews — both positive and negative. When you respond to your customers’ Google reviews, you are telling potential reviewers that you take the time to incorporate customer feedback. They’ll see that their comments are worth the time and effort. 

You could also use this opportunity to create enhanced loyalty through review rewards, such as discount codes or giveaways.

There are two ways that you can respond to reviews and gain more from doing so:

  • Positive reviews: Responding to them quickly, thoughtfully, and thankfully garners trust and respect, generating more positive reviews.
  • Negative reviews: Responding quickly and respectfully to negative reviews and, perhaps more importantly, resolving the customer complaint and working to make the situation right can frequently convert a negative review to a positive one. Even if it doesn’t, putting in the effort shows you care about all your customers, not just those who seem to love you.

Among consumers, 97% read a business’s responses to reviews, which affects their likelihood of converting.

Market With An Email Campaign

Email marketing can be an extremely effective way to get more Google business reviews. You can use personalized messages or create an automated campaign. Just be as crystal clear about what you are asking as possible. It’s best to use direct language and just ask for the review instead of beating around the bush or coercing people into leaving a review. Asking for it may seem odd if you’re just starting your marketing efforts, but it’s super common.

You’ve probably received a review request from someone. It didn’t seem weird or pushy. You likely expected it. So don’t shortchange your business by not asking for one.

Post Review Links To Social Media

Put the social in social media. Conversational marketing with transparency and communication thrives on social media. You can post a picture of your best review and invite others to leave their feedback as well. Be sure to include your Google review shortcut link, and you’d be surprised how many people will actually take the time to fill it out.

Use your social posts to encourage happy customers to spread the word about your business. Platforms such as Facebook have a separate review system, so remember that your customers might use their review posting instead of Google. If they do, you can always ask them to share it with Google as well.

Ask Customers For Reviews In Person

Are you having a wonderful chat with a customer in your brick-and-mortar store? Have you just finished a great support call where the customer felt satisfied and grateful? As you chat with people each day, you’ll have tons of opportunities to ask for Google reviews. You can try out the following:

  • “I’m glad that you’re happy with our business. Hey, if you wanted to leave a Google review, you’d show others how we can help them too.”
  • “This feedback is super helpful. It would be awesome if you shared your feedback online for other customers to see in a Google review.”
  • “I’m so happy we could help. If you wouldn’t mind sharing a quick Google review, it would help our business a lot.”

You can hand them a neat little card with your review link or the review page on your website, where it’ll be easy for them to leave a comment.

Secure Your Google Reviews Now

Gaining more Google reviews isn’t necessarily hard. It just takes time and consistent effort. But there are tools that make it easier. Be sure to use these tips and tricks for yourself, and you’ll soon see your Google reviews increase.

If you’re looking for a bit of assistance managing all those steps, we get it. Locus Digital is one of the best search engine optimization agencies in the Dallas metro area. We can help you optimize your site for reviews and everything else it takes to be successful on the web. 

We’ve got the know-how, experience, and customer satisfaction you want. Book a free call with us to discuss how you can boost those banging reviews with the help of Locus Digital.

 

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