Getting online reviews is important for business owners. They have the power to make or break your business. And if you’re not generating enough Google reviews, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to improve your visibility and credibility.
You’ll also want to enhance your local search engine optimization (SEO) and map pack position in order to increase the number of Google reviews for your organization. Reviews can help you climb higher in local search results and set yourself apart from the competition.
There are a few things you can do to get your clients to leave reviews for you. Make sure your company is listed on Google My Business, which will guarantee that it appears in Google Maps and local search results.
But how can you increase the number of Google reviews for your business? Here are six suggestions to get you started:
1) Make it easy for customers to leave reviews
Making it easy for customers to leave reviews is important for any business. Reviews can help businesses understand what they are doing well and what they can improve on. In order to make it easy for customers to leave reviews, businesses can:
- Include a link to where customers can leave reviews on their website or social media pages
- Make it easy for customers to find the link to leave reviews.
- Include a request for a review at the end of purchase emails or receipts.
- Follow up with them via email or call.
The most important thing, according to sales expert SaleCycle’s Brett Charlton, is “to time emails so that the purchase is fresh in the customer’s mind.”
2) Ask customers for feedback
As a business owner, you know that customer feedback is essential for your success. Not only does it help you to improve your products and services, but it also helps to build trust with customers. And what better way to collect customer feedback than through Google reviews?
3) Use customer satisfaction surveys
Using customer satisfaction surveys is one of the best ways to get feedback from your customers. This way, you can find out what they liked and what they didn’t like about your product or service.
Additionally, you can also ask them questions about their experience with your company. By doing this, you can improve your business and make sure that your customers are happy.
4) Reward customers who leave reviews
See to it that you are asking for honest reviews, good or bad. It is important to remember that when asking for a review, you should not ask for a positive review. This is against Google’s Terms of Service. All you need to do is ask the customer if they were satisfied with their experience and if they would recommend your business to others.
The reason for this is that Google doesn’t want businesses to artificially inflate their reviews or ratings. This means that if you’re asking customers for reviews, make sure you’re doing so in an organic way – perhaps by mentioning it in your email signature or on your website.
5) Respond to reviews. Good or bad.
It’s hard to take criticism, especially when it’s negative. But if you’re running a business, you need to be able to face the facts – and that includes reading and taking note of reviews, both good and bad.
The fact is, a significant percentage of your customers are going to leave reviews online – whether on social media or on review sites. And while it can be tempting to just focus on the positive ones, you need to pay attention to the negative ones as well.
Why? Because they can help you improve your business. A negative review may not always be accurate, but it can give you an idea of what customers don’t like about your product or service. You can also improve your company’s performance by addressing those concerns.
6) Add a Unique Google review URL
When you’re putting in your business information on Google, you’ll have the chance to add a unique Google review URL. This is a special link that customers can use to leave reviews for your business on Google. It’s a quick and easy way for them to share their thoughts about your business, and it can help attract new customers.
Advantages of Having Reviews
One great advantage of having reviews on Google is that they can help to build trust between customers and businesses. In a study by BrightLocal, it was found that 49% of customers say that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
This means that if your business has positive reviews on Google, you’re likely to see an increase in sales as customers are more likely to trust your business.
There are a few things you should keep in mind when reading Google reviews:
- Take the time to read through all of the reviews, both positive and negative. This will give you a well-rounded view of what customers think of your business.
- Don’t just focus on the number of stars. Take the time to read what customers have said about their experience. The details can be more important than the rating itself.
- Keep an eye out for common themes in the reviews. If you see multiple people mentioning the same issue, it’s likely that there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
- Check out the reviewers themselves. Take a look at their profile to see if they’re a verified customer. This can help you to determine whether the review is more likely to be accurate.
If you take the time to read through Google reviews, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of what customers think of your business. This will give you the information you need to make changes and improve your business.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you know that online reviews are important for your success. They help potential customers trust you and can even lead to more sales. But getting people to review your business can be challenging. Implementing these tactics will help you get more positive reviews and improve your online reputation.
If you’re looking for a knowledgeable team to assist you in drafting a strategy, the CSP team would be delighted to help you get back on track and meet your company’s goals. Get in touch with us right now to see what we can do for you.
