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Imagine a potential customer looking for a business like yours. They come across your business profile on Google. Their first step is to check for positive Google Reviews to understand whether you’re trustworthy!
Google Reviews for local businesses can make and break their final decision even before they step foot into your establishment. Think about it: if you’re new in town or looking to try to eat something different, you’ll probably look up a few local spots online. What’s the first thing you check? Reviews of the place. Google Reviews Ratings and reviews give you a quick idea of what to expect. This is how human psychology works. When we see positive experiences from others, it makes us feel more confident about our choices.
The star ratings and feedback serve as word-of-mouth recommendations. They offer everything a potential customer needs to know about your business’s credibility.
However, if you’re wondering how these reviews matter so much, let’s know everything here!
Trust is the cornerstone of success in any kind of business. This is more pronounced for local businesses that cater to customers from the vicinity and rely on their repeat business and recommendations.
Earlier, people sought friends and family for recommendations for every kind of business. Nowadays, several options are available for every industry. Asking friends and family isn’t as relevant since everyone picks businesses close to their location.
Instead, people look up businesses online and check for reviews to judge the trust and credibility factors!
And Google Reviews has become a staple for everyone to know about a business’s reputation and trustworthiness! It’s the most reliable customer feedback source for any local business.
Besides this, Google Reviews offers several business advantages, such as the following:
Local SEO is a significant factor in ensuring your local business receives ample traffic online and even to your physical store.
Google Reviews for local businesses helps enhance your business’ rank among local search algorithms.
When your business receives more positive reviews, Google perceives that as organic growth and bumps it up a few ranks. Thus, your business gets spotted much more easily than usual in local search results.
With more positive reviews, your business becomes more visible even on Google Maps. This helps it stand out among and attract more potential customers.
In fact, it helps you get noticed more quickly than other traditional SEO strategies, including keyword research and blogging.
Google Review can also be a great marketing strategy as it lets your business show up in “Map Pack.” This includes a cluster of relevant businesses near the searcher’s location. It displays your business name, website link, address, phone number, total Google Reviews, and average rating.
Map Pack
Before making a purchase, every individual researches new businesses and assesses their options.
Most of them make buying decisions based on previous customers’ opinions and feedback. In fact, a survey source shows that 91% of customers cite that local reviews greatly impact their perception of brands.
When potential customers notice a high volume of positive reviews and experience with your business, they are more likely to choose you over your competitors. So, Google Reviews for local businesses also serves as social proof. They work wonders, just like personal recommendations.
A higher rating on Google Reviews for local businesses also results in greater click-through rates (CTR). Let’s understand this better with an example:
While researching businesses, potential customers notice your business with a high rating. They become curious about your offerings and business website, so they click on your business listing.
This is especially significant in industries with fierce competition where local businesses struggle to stand out. A strong review profile and high rating differentiate you and drive in more clicks.
The higher click-through rates also lead to more questions, bookings, sales, and business growth.
When potential customers read positive Google Reviews for local businesses, they perceive your business in a positive light.
They assume you’re reliable and trustworthy, which led to several positive reviews and high ratings. Thus, it builds credibility for your business among existing and potential customers.
This is especially important for businesses that rely on trust, including legal services, healthcare, home building, renovation, and improvement services.
Additionally, Google Reviews also builds a positive reputation for your business for Google. A greater number of positive reviews signal to Google that you’re an expert in your industry. This boosts your reputation both to search engines and customers.
Another benefit of Google Reviews for local businesses is its effect on conversion rates. This is because when potential customers look up local businesses like yours, they notice your business listing is full of positive reviews.
Since they are in their final research and decision-making stage, it convinces them to choose you over others who have fewer reviews. A robust profile thriving with reviews serves as testimonials for potential customers and converts leads into paying customers.
Google Reviews for local businesses don’t just help you impress prospects and convert them into customers. These reviews also help you build long-lasting relationships with customers.
When your business engages with and responds to reviews thoughtfully, you show that you care about your customers’ experiences and want to improve the service.
So, one-time customers who leave positive reviews feel appreciated and valued. Thus, they are more willing to try your services again, resulting in greater loyalty.
On the other hand, customers who leave negative reviews feel impressed by a professional and polite response. They feel that you care about their business and give you another chance!
Google Reviews for local businesses offer interesting insights about your customer behavior and preferences. You understand what customers like and dislike about your offering.
Using them, you can boost your business strategies and offerings to meet customers’ preferences and expectations. This boosts customer satisfaction and the quality of reviews on your Google profile.
Further, customers will notice when you work on their suggestions and dislikes. They’ll notice your effort to enhance customer experience.
They’ll show their appreciation by dropping new reviews with better ratings. This way, you’ll retain more clients in your small business.
Local businesses don’t have enough budgets to promote themselves to people. However, Google Reviews for local businesses is a free promotional tool.
As you ask satisfied customers to leave reviews, you start standing out in the local market. When people in your area seek relevant business offerings on search engines and Google Maps, they easily spot your business.
Google Reviews help spread awareness about your business. Thus, they help you attract more customers and compete with large business chains.
Google Reviews for local businesses also help build customer engagement. After customers share feedback and you respond to them, they feel a sense of community and as if they are a part of a family.
This sense of belongingness makes them loyal to your business. So they will feel more inclined to engage with your business through Google Reviews and other platforms.
If your Google My Business profile doesn’t have enough reviews to capitalize on its great benefits, you must buckle up and try to get more reviews. Some effective strategies to achieve this are:
This is the simplest way to get Google Reviews for local businesses. Whenever you sell a product or service, request your customers directly to leave a review.
If you’re uncertain when to do this, here are a few examples.
Remember to keep the request natural and spontaneous. Don’t pressure anyone to drop reviews. Avoid acting like you’re delivering a dialog without any emotion.
They’ll be happy to share more about their experience, especially if they’re satisfied and sound genuine.
Suppose a customer is in a hurry, and you tell them to drop a review, whether in person or over other communication channels.
They’ll be annoyed because they have to find your business on Google and then rate and type in something. Their mood can even lower the rating and review.
To avoid this, make their task easier with direct links. For instance, print a QR code to your review page on the bill for in-person purchases. During the checkout, tell them to scan the code and drop a review immediately. This saves them the entire hassle of typing and searching.
On the other hand, if it’s an online purchase, send them follow-up emails with a direct link to the Google Review page. If you have an app for doing business, you can also include this on your website!
You can also add clear, step-by-step instructions about how to add reviews to help customers who aren’t familiar with this. It will make you appear kinder and boost your chances of getting a better review.
According to Google’s guidelines, you can’t offer any monetary rewards for customer reviews. However, you can value customers’ reviews with other forms of incentives.
For instance, if a customer drops a positive review, offer a free product or service on their next purchase.
Such incentives will silently encourage customers to review your business more. While they get rewarded, you build a robust business profile!
The best moment to mention reviewing your products/services is when a customer feels satisfied or compliments the establishment.
Train your staff to spot these moments. That’s when they must politely ask for reviews. They can say something like, “We’re extremely elated that you liked our service. Would you like to share your experience on Google? This would really help us grow!”
Most customers forget to review because of their daily responsibilities. However, if you remind them to review once, that will be an amazing way to get more reviews.
Send them a follow-up email after a few days, where you begin by thanking them and seeking their review.
For instance, it can go like this:
“Hello <Customer Name>,
We’re extremely thankful for your trade and for choosing us among many. Please offer your purchased product or service at this link <add link> and help us serve you better!”
If you don’t want to appear pushy and have a physical store, this is a hit option. Place signage right beside the checkout counter. It can be as simple as “We’ll be expecting your feedback!” or “Please drop a review on Google about your experience.”
This can be a gentle reminder for customers and encourage them to review it as soon as they’re done paying.
You can also ask for reviews using flyers and business cards. Especially if you’re packing something for the customer, drop a flyer or business card in their package and ask for a review.
This way, when they get home and unbox their items, they’ll find the printed material. They can peacefully review the material at home.
Specific customer relationship management (CRM) systems and online booking platforms automate review requests. This makes your job much easier as you don’t have to nudge them to drop reviews in person or over other communication channels.
In this, every time a customer completes a transaction, the CRM or online booking system automatically forwards a text message or email (whichever the system has about your customer). This message/mail asks them to leave a review along with a link to the page.
With automation, you ensure that every customer receives a review request. It minimizes manmade errors and reduces manual effort.
Thus, you/your employees won’t have to take hours to send these review requests. Everyone can focus on their respective responsibilities. This is extremely useful for businesses with a high volume of customers throughout the day.
Another interesting way to invite more reviews is to highlight the older ones. For instance, if you’re a local tea shop, share the positive and friendly reviews on your Facebook or Instagram. In every post, add a call-to-action (CTA) to post their own reviews.
This helps you flaunt your expertise and customer satisfaction online, showing others you’re worth a try. Further, more customers will be eager to leave reviews using the CTA to get noticed and featured in your posts. Thus, it’ll boost the total number of reviews.
Every customer is unique, and it’s difficult to satisfy everyone. So, while seeking reviews from customers, you might also get a few negative ones.
However, don’t perceive them as something problematic. Instead, consider them opportunities to stand out, grow, and mark your spot in the industry.
Here are all the different ways you can handle negative reviews while being classy and respectful towards customers!
Whenever you receive a negative review, acknowledge it fast instead of ignoring it. Remember, a prompt response shows that the business cares about customers’ experience and is proactive.
Respond with the utmost politeness, professionalism, and empathy while addressing customer grievances. It doesn’t matter whether the review is legitimate or not; your tone must be respectful.
Since other visitors can also see your response, make sure to be on your best behavior even for unfair reviews. An additional tip is to always begin every response by showing gratitude, such as: “Thank you for taking the time to review.”
If your business is genuinely at fault, an apology is a must. This will show you that you are the humble one and help you diffuse the issue faster. Suggest a quick resolution along with it to rectify the matter.
For instance, you can offer a refund, a discount coupon for their next purchase, or a valuable freebie or other compensation.
If the mistake can’t be fixed by any means, it can even turn off potential customers. Here, show that you’re eager to fix things. This offers great damage control for both the specific customer and other visitors who read the review.
If the matter is complicated or sensitive, a simple discount or refund option isn’t enough. In this case, you must take the matter offline.
Here, your response should include an apology and the proposition to contact your establishment at a designated customer care number or the business contact via phone or email. An appropriate example is:
“We’re sorry to hear about this inconvenience. We’d like to make things right. Please contact us at <designated contact number> or <designated email address> to discuss the issue further so we can offer a suitable solution.”
This prevents the unnecessary back-and-forth of messaging in the public domain. Further, you can also take your time to understand the matter and customize the solution for their problems.
Every time you get negative reviews, take it like a good sport. Remember, valid negative reviews offer valuable insights. So, look into those areas and check if you can improve your business.
If you get negative reviews about a particular area more than others, identify possible trends and undertake serious steps to address them.
For instance, if several customers mention that the service is slow, consider hiring more staff. As you address the concerns, you can prevent more negative reviews about the same thing and enhance your business’s reputation.
It’s best to address negative reviews constructively. However, in certain cases, you need to delete or remove reviews, especially if they contain false information or violate Google’s policies. Otherwise, it can damage your reputation, leading to poor business.
If you’re uncertain when it’s right to remove reviews, here are different reasons:
In such cases, you can remove/delete comments in these ways:
You can flag reviews from your Google My Business account. Spot the review you want removed. Click the three-dot menu beside the review and select “Flag as inappropriate.”
After this, Google evaluates the review content and decides whether to remove it by considering whether it violates policies.
If there are serious cases of spreading false information or posting defamatory reviews, a simple review flagging isn’t enough!
You need to take strict legal action. Request review removal using legal processes. Consult a legal advisor and approach this step cautiously. You need to submit a legal review removal request to Google for this.
If you get a fake or false review and Google doesn’t remove it even after flagging and taking legal actions, be your own social advocate.
Respond to the poster head-on and call them out for being fake and not representative of your true services. Be polite and use professional language throughout to earn the trust of any visitor who reads the review.
Google has transformed the landscape of businesses. The glowing Google Reviews for local businesses act as the foundation of trust and attract more customers.
So, make the best first impression with these reviews and ensure every profile visitor becomes a paying customer.
Using the mentioned strategies, encourage more positive reviews, address feedback, respond to negative reviews promptly, and stand out among your competitors! And if you need an expert to do all these for you , we are ready to help. 😃
Build an impeccable review profile and leverage Google Reviews to set yourself up for success!
