As a business, there’s nowhere left to hide. Reviews on sites like Google and Yelp have given customers a public forum to discuss their experiences with your products and services. More than 90 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as referrals from friends and family, so this is not an area of your business that you can afford to overlook.

The trouble is that many people are too busy to leave a review, or they’re not digital-savvy enough to complete the process. To leave a Google review, customers first need to have a Google Account. They then need to find your business, click the “Leave a Review” icon, and publish a testimonial.

That might sound easy enough, but if you’re reading this, then chances are you’ve discovered just how often customers fail to leave reviews, even when you send a polite request.

In this article, we’re going to offer some information that will hopefully get you more Google reviews from satisfied customers. Click the links below to jump to various sections of this article:

How to Get More Google Reviews

Benefits of Getting More Google Reviews

What If the Customer Doesn’t Have a Google Accout?

How to Get More Google Reviews

Many business owners have built a habit of asking customers to leave a Google review. Sometimes they do this via a short email; other times, they’ll ask the person to leave a review while they’re still in the business’ office. Since these are two obvious strategies, we’re not going to touch on them in this article.

Here are a few tips that are often overlooked by businesses:

Tap into Social Media

If you haven’t yet cultivated a strong following on social media, taking time to build a public presence on these platforms can offer a number of benefits. First, Facebook has a Customer Review area and is in fact the third most popular website for business reviews. Second, social media is a great way to share special offers or simply to remind past customers, family, and friends that your business exists in case they or someone they know is in need of your services.

Here are a few tips to build a stronger social media following:

• Sponsor posts that are likely to elicit an emotional response,
• Publish feel-good posts about your business’ involvement in the community,
• Spotlight the accomplishments and contributions of workers at your company,
• Publish blog posts weekly (this will also help with organic SEO), and
• Publish testimonials from satisfied clients.

When you share testimonials from past clients, you inform the people viewing your posts that they can leave a review of your company on Google.

Provide Detailed Instructions of What to Do

The reality is that most people are struggling to keep up with their to-do list as it is, so leaving you a review probably isn’t a top priority. Also, many people are not digital-savvy enough to create a Google Account or leave a review unless they are provided with simple and clear instructions.

We recommend that you publish a blog on your site titled “How to Leave Us a Google Review.” On this page, you can post a list of straightforward instructions along with a video of how to leave a review. This video is easy to create using a free screen-capture tool like Nimbus Capture.

Within that blog, you can also include a list to your other business profiles on Yelp, Facebook, Trip Advisor, Better Business Burueau, Yellowpages, and other industry-specific sites (for example, Nolo and Avvo for attorneys).

When emailing clients to solicit a review, you can link to that blog page within the email so they have clear instructions to follow.

Respond to All Reviews (the Good, the Bad, and Even the Ugly)

As you may already know, a single 1-star review on Google can tank your star rating in an instant. For example, if you have nine 5-star reviews and one 1-star review, your total star rating on Google My Business will be 4.6. That’s a HUGE difference in the eyes of potential customers when they compare you to competitors who have 4.9 or 5 stars.

Every so often, a dissatisfied customer may be willing to delete their review if you respond appropriately. This might involve a polite email, phone call, or text to the customer, or it could involve a response to their review.

No matter the circumstance, it is always a good idea to respond to every review on Google, even the negative ones. Perhaps the customer had unrealistic expectations, or maybe there’s some confusion on their end. It’s important that people who read your Google reviews know your side of the story.

Dispute Inappropriate Reviews

Google has a simple feature available that allows you to dispute inappropriate reviews. If you believe a review is unwarranted, you can navigate to your Google My Business profile, click the Reviews icon, find the unwarranted review, and select the option to Flag as Inappropriate.

Please note that Google will evaluate your request to have a review deleted and will honor such requests only if certain criteria are met. Here are a few circumstances when a negative review might be removed:

• Review was off topic,
• Review contains profanity,
• Review is spam,
• Review is from a competitor,
• Review involves bullying or harassment,
• Review involves discrimination or hate speech, or
• Review includes personal information.

Getting one negative review removed could have a major impact on your overall star rating.

Benefits of Getting More Google Reviews

A new testimonial on Google may not seem like much, but these reviews could mean the difference between attracting more leads or losing business to your competitors. Simply put, if you only have a few reviews or your star rating is lagging behind, you should expect to get fewer clients from Google.

Below we have listed a few specific benefits of getting more positive reviews on Google:

• Search Engine Optimization: Google’s search engine algorithm tracks a variety of metrics to rank sites for their target keywords. There are many steps you can take to climb this digital ladder, from creating quality content to shelling out for paid search ads. However, one of the most effective—and affordable—strategies is to collect a steady stream of Google reviews. Not only does the search engine’s algorithm favor business profiles that engage customers, but a high star rating could also propel your business into the trio of spotlighted businesses for your city.

• Influence Purchasing Decisions: For many people, Google is a curator, helping sift through the bad to find the best business to meet the searcher’s needs. Google’s review system plays an important role in that curation. More than 90 percent of customers trust online reviews as much as word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends. Using Google Maps, customers can easily assess the quality of local businesses by looking at their star rating and reading through some of the highlighted reviews. If your business has a low star rating or just a few reviews, this could deter potential clients. After all, why would they choose you when a competitor’s profile makes them look more established and preferred?

• Getting Feedback: Whether it’s a glowing review or a brutal hit piece, listening to and responding to feedback is crucial to the success of your business. For example, negative reviews can help highlight areas where you are failing to address your customers’ needs. Alternatively, positive reviews can provide insight into parts of the business and customer experience you should prioritize or expand.

What If the Customer Doesn’t Have a Google Account?

One of the biggest hindrances to getting more Google reviews is the fact that the reviewer must have a Google account. For this reason, we recommend that you encourage customers to review your business on multiple websites.

Here are some of the most popular business review websites in order of average monthly traffic:

• Google My Business
• Amazon
• Facebook
• Yelp
• Trip Advisor
• Better Business
• Bureau
• Yellowpages
• Manta
• Foursquare

There could also be industry-specific review sites—for example, Avvo and Nolo for attorneys. To find out the most important review sites for your business (outside of Google), simply search Google for the name of your business + reviews.

For example, if your law firm’s name is Schwartz & Drummond Law Group, search Google for “Schwartz & Drummond Law Group reviews,” and make note of the websites that appear on the first two pages of results. Those are the websites you should prioritize when it comes to getting client testimonials.

Speak to a Digital Marketing Expert Today

As more businesses spring up across the Internet, standing out from the crowd can be challenging. At Sutton Digital Marketing, we can help expand your online presence, optimize your content, and manage your social media accounts, letting you focus on running and building your business. To find out how we can assist with your Google reviews, call us today at 619-689-9936. You can also send us a message via our online contact page.

We will continue to update SDM; if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us!