Today, customers have more confidence in online reviews more than ever before. Precisely, having Google reviews for any of your businesses means you’re heading in the right direction.
As the most popular search engine, Google puts credibility and trust in any business it’s associated with. Therefore, you should leverage Google reviews to build customer trust and make potential customers choose your business.
So, how do you get more Google reviews for your customers? Below are the best practices for that.
Why Are Google Reviews Important
Before making a purchase decision, customers depend on reviews to gain more confidence in the product.
This is because customers want to learn more about the products they intend to buy from their peers who have their experience and knowledge. That’s why Google reviews are important for your business.
Here’s why Google reviews are important
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Improve search ranking
Having more Google reviews equals increased search ranking on the search engines. More customers will find you via the Google reviews and hence help increase your business revenue.
Online reviews also help you stand out from the crowd as they show that you’re offering excellent services and that customers love you.
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Increase credibility and trust
According to research, customers aged between 18 and 34 trust Google reviews similar to how they trust family and friends’ reviews.
Since Google is a leading search engine, customers attach their trust to their reviews. If your business gathers several Google reviews on the Google listing, you can rest assured of increased trust and credibility in your products.
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Impacts final purchase decisions
Just by looking at Google reviews, customers can make their final purchase decision based on the reviews they read.
For instance, tons of positive reviews convince the customers that they are making the right decision motivating them to buy the product.
On the flip side, a lot of low-star ratings and negative reviews would push the customer away from your business.
Struggling to get customer reviews? Our QR Code Generator for Google Reviews simplifies the process, helping you collect more valuable feedback quickly.
Ways to Get More Google Reviews
Since Google reviews increase your business’s trust and credibility, you should know how to get more reviews. Find the step-by-step process below.
#1.Secure a Google business listing
The first step to get more Google reviews is claiming a Google business listing.
You do this through Google My Business so that you can update your business information and stand out from the crowd. As a result, you’ll get more Google reviews from happy customers.
#2.Put together an outstanding business listing
Once you’ve set up your Google business listing, the next step is to update it with the relevant information. Additionally, you need to make sure that it sparks your customer’s attention. You can do this by:
#3.Providing only the relevant information about your business
In this scenario, you need to provide all the relevant information about your business.
Consider using the right number of keywords and pieces of information that your customers will find useful. Doing so, fetches you more Google reviews, making your business to increase its revenue.
#4.Update your hours of operation accordingly
Online customers want to close deals with businesses that are currently open. Ensure that you update your availability more often to convince customers that you can deliver instantly. In your update, state your opening and closing hours.
Furthermore, adding your special hours including special holidays goes a long way in driving customers your way.
#5.Include high-resolution photos
High-quality photos on your Google business listing are mandatory if you want an increased customer base.
Customers are easily convinced of the customer experience they get from you through the use of visuals. Upload outstanding images to help you stand out from the competition.
Google listings that feature photos receive 42% more requests and 35% more clicks.
#6.Apply a good online reviews management platform
As much as more customers want to leave reviews on your business listing, most of them find it difficult.
The result of this is that they end up leaving without leaving their feedback. Therefore, you need to work on this problem so that your customers can leave reviews without any issues.
Share your reviews links on social media like in the example from Intech Trailers.
Applying an online reviews management platform is a good way of bringing in more Google reviews.
Once you’ve put the system in place, have a team that takes your customers through the process of leaving reviews. This way, you’re likely to improve your business listing reviews.
#7.Focus on tips that will get you more reviews
Now that you have set up a review management platform, apply the tactics below to garner more reviews.
Use the appropriate timing to get the reviews
Your customers are most likely to give reviews when you take advantage of any downtime during the sales process.
For instance, once they’ve purchased a physical product, you can approach them for a review as they wait on finance. This would be a nice opportunity to get feedback about the product they just purchased.
Put across your expectations
You need to have a prior plan of what your customers should expect from the reviews. Ideally, you should let them know this:
- Why you need the reviews for your business;
- How they will get the review invitation;
- The time they should expect the invitation.
Get rid of any barriers
If your customers try leaving reviews but they face obstacles, they’re likely to turn away. With a good online review management system, your customers can easily leave reviews for your business.
#8.Request your customers for a favor
Instead of going straight on asking your customers to leave you reviews, you can use the trick of a favor.
By requesting them to do you a favor, you show that there exists trust and confidence between both of you. Happy customers won’t hesitate to leave reviews about your business immediately after they receive the product.
#9.Automate the process for leaving reviews
The truth is you have limited time to invite all your customers to leave reviews about your business.
Since you have other businesses to focus on, automating the software review process can make a huge difference. Keep in mind that modern world businesses thrive in the automation of processes to make things fast.
Once you secure software to handle the review process for your business, customers can conveniently leave reviews in a frictionless way.
Usually, this involves clicking on a link that directs you to Google where you quickly write your review. Software review leads to more business exposure to potential customers looking for solutions on Google.
How To Leave A Review On Google
For leaving a review on Google, you need to have a Google account. You have two methods at your disposal to do so like Google Maps and the browser options.
Follow these steps to leave the reviews from the browser.
- Log in to your Google Account and look for the business you want to review;
- Look for the reviews area (Usually found around the star rating on the search results or the business’s name on the sidebar in Google Search). Then press the blue font indicated “WRITE A REVIEW”;
- Give the business a star rating on a scale of 1 to 5. Then write your review and click post.
Alternatively, you can leave a review on the Google Maps app.
- Visit the Google Maps app on your phone then search the business you want to review;
- You’ll see a result of a map on the bottom that has a banner of the business. Press the banner;
- Browse the window that appears until you see the reviews section. On the five stars that pop up within your profile picture, click the number of stars you want to leave. After that, continue to write about your experience;
- Finally, click POST to leave the review.
How to Remove Google Reviews
For a business owner, some situations force you to remove or delete a review from your profile.
One of these instances may be when there is a negative review;. A negative review could be as a result of a misunderstanding with a customer or a rogue employee. In such a situation, it would be best to clear the air before deleting the review.
Once you have resolved the matter, you can also ask the customer or employee to delete their negative review.
The business world is highly competitive and each business strives to be at the top. As a result, some business owners may want to tarnish their competitors' image by posting negative reviews on their businesses.
If you are in such a situation, you will need to be strategic about how you will delete such reviews. The following step MIGHT help, but this is not a 100% guarantee.
Step 1: Locate the Review on Google
Start by searching for your business through the Google search bar, once the profile turns up, click on the total number of reviews slot. From here, locate the review you wish to remove.
Step 2: Flag the Review
Once you have located the particular reviews of Google from your competitor, click on the flag button. Note that for the flag option to show up, you need to hover over that specific review.
Step 3: Select why you want to flag the review
Once you've clicked 'flag', you will receive several options from which you can select the reason you wish to flag that review. Simply click on the slot that states the reviews is a conflict of interest.
Once you have completed all the steps on that form, screenshot it and ensure you save it with the date you filled it. This will help you should the flagging option fail.
Step 4: Visit the Spam & Policy Forum
From this forum, you can check whether the review was removed or not. You’ll need to wait for some time before doing this, probably a week or so.
If the review is still there, then you’ll have to visit the Google My Business community. Once there, click on the Spam & Policy.
Step 5: Submit Your Case
From the directed page, there is a plus (+) button at the bottom of the right-hand side.
This will open a slot for you to write to the support team, state to them why you wish the review to be removed, you will need to be factual and persuasive about your case, stating the reviews is not from a customer but your competitor.
You will need to use the screenshot you saved as your supporting evidence to show that you had flagged the reviews first then processed them to submit your case.
Ensure your post is highly descriptive offering all the details whether large or small that pertain to the particular review.
These will greatly help get the review deleted. Luckily, unlike flagging, you don’t have to wait up for a week to check if there was any luck.
The Spam & Policy forum is highly responsive and takes a few hours for you to get a report on whether your post has been verified or not.
Should the two processes fail, no despair, you can always strive to make the positive reviews outweigh the negative ones. Below, we’ll look at some ways you can get more reviews.
Is It Time You Implemented Google Reviews for Your Business
In a scenario where customers have reviews to look at, there are more click-through rates and conversions.
With all the benefits that Google reviews offer, you can confirm it's an excellent route to take.
So, you can go the extra mile and invest in a review management system to capture all your customers’ reviews. This way, your business will be aiming at climbing the ladder of success.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know that I have a new Google review?
Any time you receive a new Google review, you’ll receive an email notification. In this alert, you’ll see the star rating, the name of the reviewer, and the link to the review. Be sure to follow the link to respond to the review.
Is it okay for me to request Google reviews from my customers?
Yes! It's okay to ask for reviews from your customers as that means you're giving the best products.
Is it alright for me to put the Google reviews on my website?
Yes! You can go ahead and post the Google reviews on your website to increase your credibility. You can also share them on your business’s social media channels for more customers.
Tags: googe best practice, google, google review
