What Is a High Number of Google Reviews
Information technology's long been known that what customers take to say about your business concern carries more than weight than what yous have to say almost your business, no matter how great your services or how genuine your messaging may be. And knowing how much value consumers place into customer reviews, Google has factored them into its local ranking algorithm—not just the quantity, but the quality of those reviews.
So Google reviews impact your power to learn new customers not only through your reputation, but also through your rank. And that'south why we're going to encompass 17 effective strategies you can put into place to get a steady stream of positive Google reviews coming in about your business. We'll encompass:
- The importance and impact of Google reviews specifically.
- The best and most efficient ways to go more than Google reviews.
- Examples of these strategies with sample text so that you lot're not starting from scratch.
So if you're looking to heave your reputation, rank, and ultimately your revenue, go on reading for these Google review pro tips.
The benefits of more Google business reviews
A Google review may exist a quick and simple process, but the benefits are ongoing. The more people you can become to leave a Google review for your concern, the more than yous'll exist able to achieve in the way of business objectives. If y'all're non yet placing emphasis on Google business concern reviews, at present's the time to change that and prioritize it in your local marketing strategy. Here are some facts and stats to back this up:
- More reviews, more leads
Did you know that 88% of consumers trust online reviews every bit much equally personal recommendations? Building up your reviews builds up the likelihood that a Google searcher will engage with your business upon finding information technology. - More than positive reviews, more than purchases
Consumers research and read reviews earlier making purchase decisions. In fact, they read a minimum of 10 reviews before feeling confident in making a conclusion. The more Google client reviews you have, the more likely a purchase is to be made. - Higher reviews, college rank
Google rewards businesses that have frequent and positive reviews. They are a definite local SEO ranking gene, as confirmed by Google itself.
Data source
- Lots of reviews, lower costs
There are no fees to leave reviews or to respond to them. Positive endorsements for your business organisation on your Business Contour serve as free Google advertising for your business concern on the world's virtually trusted platform.
The initial requirements for obtaining Google reviews
A very important thing to note hither is that in lodge to get Google reviews, a few things need to be in identify:
- You demand to know Google's policies
Y'all must follow Google's Terms of Service when soliciting reviews. This ways you should not offering any rewards and should enquire your customers whether they seem to have had a positive or negative feel. - Your business organization needs to be a "Place" on Google Maps.
This volition give you a Google Business concern Profile on which customers can leave reviews. - You lot need to have your Google Business organisation Contour verified.
Creating a list on Google Maps (which automatically creates a Business Contour) does not give you control over that listing. You need to create a Google My Business account and verify ownership of your Business concern Profile through that account.
The steps to create a Google Maps listing and verify it through Google My Concern are here.
These steps are crucial because not only are they prerequisites to the strategies below, just they also allow you to reply to and manage the influx of reviews yous'll be getting one time you implement the tactics in this mail service.
How to become more Google reviews
Alright, now that you know the impact of Google reviews on your reputation and ranking, and have the verified Business Profile through which to manage them, information technology's fourth dimension to go more than of 'em. These 17 strategies beneath will aid you to do just that.
1. First, know the process
It takes about a minute for a customer to write a Google review. Easy plenty, right? Well, at that place's a process to get there. The customer has to:
- Open upward Google Maps
- Search for your business
- Click on information technology to pull up your Google Business Contour
- Scroll down to the reviews department in your profile
- Click write a review
Customer: You have been astonishing. How can I go out you a review?
Would y'all rather take to say:
A Google review would be great! But search for united states of america on Google Maps and when you pull up our list, curl downward to the review department and there will exist a button at that place to write a review.
Or
A Google review would exist great! Just get to our website and in that location's a link right in that location to do it.
two. Create a Google review link shortcut
Your customer has to go online to write the review, regardless, so create a review shortcut link and put it on your website.
Go to your Google My Business account, click the Home tab, and notice the "Get your showtime review" (or "Go more than reviews") card. Click "Share review form" and re-create the link to your clipboard.
You'll run across this:
iii. Shorten your review shortcut
It's easy enough to driblet this link into a button on your website or hyperlink it through shorter anchor text. But in that location are plenty of offline methods of getting Google reviews for which this center sore of a string volition non work. Thankfully, there are free link shorteners out there like bitly.com through which you tin can shorten and even customize your review link.
Okay, now that you've got a nice and clean review shortcut link, information technology's time to wait at various means to nowadays this link to customers to get more Google reviews for your local business.
4. Link out to your Google reviews page from your website
If a customer wants to leave a review for your business, the first place they're probably going to await is your website. Provide a clear and clutter-free call to action that is intuitively easy to observe, as with the example below:
In this case, clicking on "here" takes the user straight to the review department of the abode inspector'due south Google Business Profile which lives in the SERP.
5. Create a Google reviews page on your website
While the above method works, an fifty-fifty better one is to dedicate a full website page to Google reviews (or reviews in full general), attainable from your chief navigation bill of fare. The page should contain both a CTA to write a review but also include existing reviews. These non only encourage prospects to become a client, only also give that added inspiration for an existing customer to leave a review.
You can populate your reviews page via screenshots, simply ideally, you lot want them to be in text form. The reason for this is that reviews are often keyword-rich, so including them on your website in a way that Google's crawlers can "read" makes for a bang-up small business SEO strategy.
That being said, you may want to come up with a template where you lot can re-create and paste the text in. At that place are also platforms and plug-ins that let you to aggregate your Google reviews onto your website automatically.
6. Include a Google review CTA in your footer
In improver to or instead of having a designated page for Google reviews (or reviews in general) on your website, you may also want to include information technology in your website footer. This way, you lot don't have to worry about deciding where or where not to include the CTA. The below example uses images, but anchor text will exercise merely fine.
seven. Create "leave us a review" cards
This is an offline method of getting more Google reviews, for which your shortcut link from #3 comes in handy. Have physical cards made up that says something to the effect of:
"Review United states of america on Google! Your Google review helps others who need our services to discover our business organization. Plus, your feedback equips us to continue serving you all-time. Take a minute to rate and review us at bit.ly/WordStreamreview. Thank y'all!"
8. Enquire for Google reviews in person
Having a proficient conversation with a client in your store? Just finished a solid support call in which the customer felt eternally grateful? In your interactions with clients, at that place are many opportunities to ask for Google reviews. Here are some scenarios and examples of asking for reviews:
- "I'm so glad to hear how happy you are with our business organisation. Hey, if you wanted to leave that in a Google review, you lot'd help a lot more people like yourself to find us. "
- "This feedback is super helpful. Y'all know what would be crawly is if you lot shared that feedback online for other customers to run into."
- "I'm then happy nosotros could help y'all. If you wouldn't listen sharing a sentence or two in a Google review, that would aid us a ton."
And so you have that compact lilliputian card that has the link on it, or a link to your review page on your website that makes it easy peasy for them.
nine. Emphasize to customers how quick and easy it is
So by now, you know how easy information technology is to leave a Google review, but your customers may non. Plus, review author'southward block is a thing. An exuberant or long-time client may have a difficult time distilling everything they love about your business into one review. And then in that location are those who have a hard fourth dimension articulating what's on their mind. Then when you're encouraging a review, it might be helpful to:
- Tell them they can leave a star rating without writing anything (if applicable).
- Remind them that if they practice write, the review need only exist ane or two sentences.
- Use terminology similar "get out a review" or "drop a quick review" instead of "write a review," as information technology might feel less cumbersome.
10. Run a Google review email campaign
Whether via personalized messages or a larger blanket campaign, email marketing is another constructive way to get more Google business reviews. But exist clear in your enquire—don't effort to sugar coat information technology, beat effectually the bush-league, or coerce customers into leaving a review. There's nothing wrong with asking them to do something that will assistance other futurity customers brand informed decisions. Plus, when you have happy customers, y'all'd be surprised at how willing they are to write a review. Equally long equally the process is clear and you make it fast and easy to practice, yous're likely to get warm responses to your request.
Fact: 86% of consumers are willing to write a review.
11. Include Google review opportunities in surveys
Asking your customers for their feedback lets them know that yous value what they have to say and have their best interests in listen. If you lot've gotten someone to fill up out a poll or survey, they're already in the proper mindset. See if you can take advantage of their momentum by request them to review your business on Google while they're at it.
12. Ask for reviews on social media
Social media platforms are swell for conversational marketing and transparency. Post a screenshot of your best review and ask your customers to leave their own feedback (including your clean and unproblematic Google review shortcut link). Remind your followers that this is an opportunity for them to introduce someone else just like them to the benefits they experience from working with your business.
Platforms similar Facebook have their own review arrangement, so go along this in heed when reaching out in this regard.
13. Get Google reviews from vendors and partners
Vendors and partners may not be customers, just they can attest to what it'southward like to piece of work with you on a regular footing. They as well might exist more willing to exit a Google business review if you write one for their business first.
fourteen. Reply to your existing Google reviews
When you respond to your customers' Google reviews, you are letting new potential reviewers know that you heed to client feedback and that it'due south worth their time to write their ain review. There are two ways in which responding to reviews can get y'all more reviews.
- Positive reviews:Beingness specific, timely, and grateful in your responses to positive reviews will beget more positive reviews.
- Negative reviews:Responding promptly and politely to negative reviews and really resolving the effect can oftentimes result in the conversion of a negative review into a positive 1.
Among consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses' responses to reviews.
15. Create a Google review instruction video
Even with a shortcut link, some customers might all the same be more likely to write a review if they meet what the process looks like. In this case, creating a quick video on how to leave a Google review for your business organisation may be simply what y'all demand. And with today'south tools and technology, DIY at-abode marketing videos are easier than ever. Here'south an case from a dwelling house security supplier:
16. Include your Google review link in your e-mail signature
Calculation a link to review your concern on Google in your email signature is a great fashion to ask for more Google reviews without actually asking! Something like:
- Accept we helped you? Assist others to notice us by leaving a Google Review!
- Happy with [Business Name]? Leave a review hither.
- Allow others know almost [Business Name].
This tin can be particularly effective if you communicate on a daily basis with clients via electronic mail.
Examples of asking for Google client reviews
Coming up with the words to actually ask for a Google review can sometimes be hard, then here are some basic phrases you can employ for starting points or inspiration:
- Reviews on Google aid us to help more people like you. When yous accept a minute, please share your feedback almost our business organisation!
- Got a infinitesimal to review us on Google? We'd love to go your feedback.
- Thanks for choosing our concern! Permit us know how we're doing past dropping u.s. a quick Google review!
- Nosotros capeesh your input! Aid us keep providing the all-time service past posting a review on Google.
- Leave u.s.a. a quick review on Google! This helps people who need our help to observe us.
How to leave Google reviews (without the shortcut link)
While your shortcut link turns writing Google reviews into a one-step process, it's still good to know the steps just to have all of your bases covered. Plus, you may desire to leave reviews for other local businesses in your customs who may not take the shortcut link. So here'south how to practice it:
How to leave a Google review on mobile
- Become to the Google Maps app
- Search for the business concern name
- Tap on the listing
- Tap the "Reviews" tab in the listing.
- Y'all'll come across a "Rate and review" department where you can give the business a star rating. One time y'all select the star rating, you'll have the option to write a review about the experience.
How to exit a Google review on desktop
- Get to Google.com/maps
- Search for the business name
- Click the listing
- Whorl down to "Review summary"
- Click on "Write a review"
Alternatively, you tin click on the star rating direct below the business's list title. This volition accept you straight to the review pane, which has an selection to write a review.
For either of these methods, yous will be asked to rate the concern from one to five stars. You can add comments or even images of the location and offerings (provided they abide by Google's review posting guidelines). Then, to publish, you'll simply need to click "Post."
Make Google business reviews a habit
The fact is, consumers trust what other consumers take to say. In fact, many people feel that reviews posted by strangers are just as reliable every bit personal recommendations. Use that to your reward. Make a habit of asking your customers to review your business on Google. Every bit long as yous brand information technology as like shooting fish in a barrel as possible to do, you are likely to get more Google business organisation reviews showing up on your listing and therefore reaping all of the ranking, reputation, and revenue benefits it has to offer.
To sum it all up, here are the sixteen best means to get more Google reviews:
- Make certain you accept a verified Google Business Profile
- Tell customers how to do information technology
- Link out to your profile from your website
- Create a curt and clean Google review link shortcut
- Accept a reviews folio on your website
- Include a Google review CTA in your footer
- Create "exit united states a review" cards
- Ask in person
- Emphasize how easy it is
- Run a Google review email campaign
- Include review opportunities in surveys
- Inquire your social media followers to review your business
- Request reviews via social media posts
- Include your review link in your email signature
- Respond to existing reviews
- Create an explainer video.
Source: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/09/16/get-more-google-reviews