How to Get More Reviews for Your Google My Business Profile

Google is one of the most well-known and used search engines in the world. There are over five billion Google searches per day and around twenty-two million per hour. Not only is Google used by millions of people worldwide, but it has many different and valuable business-related tools that can improve the way you manage your company. 

One helpful tool is the Google Business Profile. This tool allows you to manage the way your company appears on Google search and Maps. It also allows customers to leave good reviews of your business. 

So, how do you go about getting more reviews for your Google Business Profile? 

Don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. This article will explain the best ways to get more google reviews, why you need them, and any other questions you might have regarding Google My Business. 

Why is it Important to Have Reviews for Your Google Business Profile?

So, you probably already have the jist of what a Google My Business account is; it’s a free tool to manage and control the way your company appears in Google search and google maps. You can connect with potential customers, post products, and services.

Discovery is one of the most important reasons your business absolutely needs a Google Business account. Whether you are looking for more web or foot traffic, it is needed to give your customers the option to view your business via Google search. 

Besides viewability, reviews are one of the most crucial elements in building trust with your shoppers or clients. Reviews are necessary when a potential customer is viewing your business. Just one written review can be a deciding factor for someone interested in your service. 

Another great reason that your business account needs reviews is for social proof. If you have no reviews or very few, your business doesn’t look solid. These days proof of legitimacy is crucial to your business. In 2021,  there were over fifty-thousand scam reports. Your company needs to look real from an outsider’s perspective and reviews can definitely do that. 

Don’t stress public reviews! It’s an excellent way to establish confidence, and even if you receive a bad review, you can respond to that customer with your side of the story (but more on that later). 

What Are the Easiest Ways to Get More Google Reviews?

So, here is the bread and butter of this article. Reviews about businesses are so telling and can carry more weight than any marketing tactic. Whether your reviews are word of mouth or written, you need your customers to let people know your business or company is awesome.

Here are some fantastic and easy ways to get more google reviews:

• Share your link
• Allow accessibility
• Ask your customers for reviews
• Social Media Posts 
• Link out from your website 
• Import a Google review CTA in your footer 
• Encourage your customers to leave a review with cards 
• Respond to previous reviews 

Sharing your link and giving your customers or potential customers access to your review page is important. It’s makes it much easier for clients to leave comments about your business. Also incentives, such as giveaways, are also a great tool for boosting reviews. 

There is no shame in review requests. Most customers understand that reviews are necessary to help spread the word about your service. 

Ask your customers or clients for reviews either on social media or with a card, but remember to make it easy for them. Also remember to respond to any previous reviews that you already have. 

Regardless if your reviews are good or bad, communication is vital to gaining leads for your business. 

How Important is Sharing Your Google Business Profile Review Link?

Getting your google review link out there is a great way to get more reviews. The easier it is for your customers to be directed to your business acount, the more reviews you’ll get. 

It’s vital to have a customizable or even a short url to your review page or review platform so your customers can spread the word. Studies suggest that 88% of customers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

For example; if you ask your client to write a review for your business account and they have a difficult time finding your review page, then you may not get that good review that could potentially lead to a new customer. 

It’s a great practice to make your link easily accessible, especially if you send it via email, newsletter, or social media. If your business information is widely available, then it’s easier for happy customers to leave a google review on your business account. So share your google review link as much as you can. 

Google search and potential customers are more likely to trust, request service from, and even call if your company profile has at least forty reviews. So, more reviews, either good or bad, are great for business. 

What Are the Benefits of Having Google Reviews? 

As you already know, getting reviews on your business profile is so useful to your website, business, or company. If you still are unsure if you need a Google profile with reviews, then you may want to consider some of the main benefits of using this innovative, free tool.

Here are some fantastic benefits of having Google reviews:

• Being seen on Google Maps
• Being able to manage your Google presence
• Being recognized as a local business 
• Gaining foot and web traffic

Being seen and getting discovered is one of the main benefits of reviews. Traction and gaining new leads that turn into loyal customers are critical when starting up a new profile. Whether your company is brand new or being revised for a modern world, you need new reviews from your respected clients and customers. 

If your business needs some SEO work, don’t fret; check out our SEO strategy template for a ton of helpful information to get your business seen. 

What Is The Best Way to Respond to Business Reviews?

Responding to your customers’ reviews whether they are great, bad, or neutral is important to gaining reviews and new business leads in general. 

Some customer service tactics come into play when responding to reviews; because potential clients are reading them and deciding whether or not they want to use your service. 

The best responses to each review are always professional, friendly, and reasonably responsive.  If you happen to receive a complaint, it’s always best to be apologetic, try to be understanding, and try and talk it out. 

Another great way to respond is to remind your critic about the strengths of your business. For example, if you receive a bad review; remind them that your customer service is there to help them out if they have any questions or concerns. 

Offer ways to fix their problem, and it may be best to give the best way to contact your business with a direct link and with contact information such as a phone number or email address. 

What Should You Do If You Receive Negative Reviews?

So, let’s take a second to talk about negative reviews. Every business has them, and there’s a right and a wrong way to handle them. It can be somewhat discouraging to receive a poor review, but Google actually finds businesses more trustworthy if they have a few bad reviews. For example, too many five-star reviews may seem suspicious to a potential lead. 

With that said, let’s talk about the best ways to react to complaints. Always respond regardless of what is said. As stated above, bad reviews will happen and when they do, using a basic customer service approach is the best way to handle them. 

Responding professionally with friendly problem-solving tools will help show your potential leads that even if they have a bad experience with your business, it can be resolved professionally.

If you’re having trouble getting more positive reviews and need a helping hand, check out  HOTH Stars, our online reputation management and review software. 

What Are the Best Strategies for Receiving Positive Reviews?

Good reviews are the most sought-after feedback. Every business owner wants positive reviews for obvious reasons. The best way to receive good feedback is to treat your customers and clients with respect and provide great service. 

Here are some strategies to get positive Google reviews for your business:

• Stay professional under pressure
• Participate in social media posts
• Send a personalized follow up message 
• Share positive reviews to your social platform and your website
• Always respond 

Whether you are on a mobile device, a tablet, or a computer, it’s important to make your review links accessible and easy to access for your clients. The Google maps app is a great example for mobile access to your new customers. 

Using these seamlessly easy strategies and tools can really boost your positive google reviews without having to change your Google My Business listing. Remember not to worry about negative reviews; just be sure to respond with helpful ways to fix their problems. 

How Do You Handle Fake Reviews?

If you keep receiving spam or false reviews for your business, that can be a problem; however, there’s a way to fix it. If you are confident that a fake review was posted, you may flag this review by locating the three dots to the right and clicking. 

An option to flag as inappropriate should pop up. Be careful not to overly flag comments because Google may penalize your business. 

It’s against Google’s terms of service to create fake reviews or misleading google reviews. Be aware of Google’s business profile rules before flagging or asking google to remove reviews. 

The best practice would be to simply respond kindly to any negative reviews with common customer service practices. Report any fake reviews or false information if needed.

How Do You Improve Your Business with Customer Reviews?

If you only have a few reviews or you’re searching for a better way to improve your business name with your google reviews, you may want to consider using a few digital marketing tactics. Whether your reviews are from business location, online services, or through social media reviews are what helps drive traffic. 

Put your reviews where everyone can see them! Blast them across your website or use them on your social media posts so everyone can see your star rating. Follow up with potential customers or past customers to see if they need your services. 

You can also keep track of happy customers with your services, which will allow you to follow up with clients who will spread the word about your business. 

Content creation and digital marketing is a fantastic way to show off some of those awesome reviews left by your happy customers! Using SEO and blog content with direct links to your Google Business Profile can also help gather more reviews by loyal customers.  

How Do Customer Reviews Affect Your Business?

We took some time above to discuss negative reviews. A few bad reviews can sometimes help your business because it makes your company look more “real” to Google. However, if you keep getting negative reviews, it can deeply affect your business and the way clients view it. 

Studies show that 86% of potential leads will hesitate to purchase a product or service from a company with too many bad reviews. The same studies also suggests that just one negative review can cost your business a sum of thirty leads. 

Response times for negative reviews are also considered when a client is viewing your business profile. If your response time is late, the client might also reconsider moving forward with your product or services. 

The same can also go with good reviews, you may receive a gold star review that glows and makes your business look amazing; responding to all reviews whether good or bad, can really boost your company’s local search, local SEO, and make your business look professional. 

Do Reviews Impact Your SEO? 

Search results and the algorithm are greatly affected by your google reviews, whether negative or positive. The more reviews you get, the better! It’s a fantastic way to boost your online presence and your search ranking. People love reviews and reading them. That can really improve your online reputation. 

They help your potential leads turn into clients or customers. Whether these reviews are good or bad, reviews are always a deciding factor. Google also takes the same stance when SEO comes into play. 

As you probably already know, reviews and SEO are interconnected because they are trying to reach the same goal. Google wants to help its users find the best possible answers to their questions, so gaining good reviews rank better in search. 

One great tip to be aware of is only four-star rated businesses will show- up in Google search results. So, while a negative comment here and there may not deeply affect your business, gaining good reviews will positively impact your SEO and ranking. 

Keywords and SEO practices are necessary when setting up your business account. It would be best if you incorporate keywords into your account. It can help make your business seen and get discovered by new people. 

Conclusion

Customer feedback is often an overlooked element of business. However, reviews are extremely important for potential customers and customer experience when deciding whether or not they want to take your business up on your offer. Trusted companies rank higher in searches, and gain more customers in the long run. 

Every business should use a Google Business Profile account for reviews and use its free tools to promote sales and offer services.

Business trust happens after a great client experience; speaking of trust, If you need some assistance Schedule a call with us today. We are here to help!