Starting in 2007, Google Reviews is a small feature that lets Google registered users share their experience with a business online. Right now, it’s one of the most useful Google digital marketing tools you need to cultivate for your business.
Believe it or not, Google Reviews are an essential component of ecommerce and tourism digital marketing strategies. They help improve your local SEO, website or enquiry click rates, and service as a whole. Here are 4 reasons why you should consider cultivating reviews for your business.
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How To Get Google Reviews
Before we actually get into it, let’s go over how to get Google Reviews. The first is to set up your Google Business Profile (or Google My Business) if you haven’t got one, or claim it if one has been made for you. This is done through one of the following steps:
- Adding your business on business.google.com
- Requesting ownership of the business profile if it already exists
Once you complete the verification process, then you have all you need to get reviews. Customers will make them as they interact with your business. Over time, you will build a portfolio of reviews. Treat your customers and clients right, and you are likely to start cultivating regular positive reviews.
How Do You Get Google Reviews Faster?
Can’t wait? You can request customers leave a review, using a special link you generate on your Google Business Profile. Part of a good Google digital marketing strategy is following-up with customers, asking for feedback and support where you spot the opportunity to. This could be through an automated email, or even a text message.
But you can’t buy reviews, and any marketing agency offering lightning-fast review cultivation should be considered with a pinch of caution. Google will take reviews down and penalise businesses if they discover fake reviews.
What if You get a Bad Google Review?
Everyone gets bad reviews, even when they have done everything possible to satisfy a client or customer. You can only request to take down a review if it is fake, inappropriate, or otherwise violates Google’s policies.
Your main course of action for a review you can’t take down is a well measured response, showing to people who browse reviews that you have taken responsibility, or have remained professional despite the circumstances.
With that said and done, let’s get into the 4 reasons why Google Reviews matter for your business.
1 – Builds Trust & Influences Customers
First impressions are everything online, and nothing helps build that like a good amount of positive reviews. When a Google user searches for your service, whether you are a solicitor, electrician, or hotel, seeing other users sharing a positive experience will highly influence their decision to consider your service.
To put it in statistics, several studies have shown significant patterns of behaviour related to reviews. In one, 93% of consumers had their purchase decisions influenced by online reviews. Another states that 94% avoid a business after reading critical reviews. And a 2021 study revealed that 3.3 stars is the minimum rating consumers with engage with a business.
2 – Contributes to SEO Rankings and Google Maps
The Google algorithm works in as secretive a way as possible. But SEO experts have determined that the elusive algorithm favours businesses that get positive reviews on a regular basis. Specifically your review frequency, quality, and quantity are factors that affect a website’s ranking.
It also contributes to your local SEO rankings. As Google Reviews were originally a maps feature, and still plays an important role in that service. If someone were to search “Bristol SEO agency” on Google Maps, they would see the agencies with the most reviews and the most positive reviews before those with poor or no reviews. This is alongside algorithms that determine relevance, prominence, and distance factors towards a business’ rankings.
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3 – Enriches Your Search Results and Improves Click Rates
Your Google Reviews aren’t just limited to a side widget in Google Maps or beside Google Search results. If:
- Your products are connected with Google Merchant Centre
- Your business has a Google Review widget submitting structured data markup
Then Google will display a beautiful and appealing review rating directly underneath your business’ organic or paid search result listings. This can improve click-through rates up to 35%!
4 – They Are a Valuable Source of Insight
Whether you get a positive review, a critical one, or a negative one, a Google Review provides valuable insights into your customer’s wants and behaviours. Through them, you can identify pain points, weaknesses in your business model, potential new areas to explore, or the value of your customer service.
A successful business considers and addresses its flaws. You do not want to be throwing hundreds to thousands of pounds on B2B or tourism digital marketing strategies when your customer service is rude or your turnaround times are unsatisfactory. Whenever you get a review, consider the following:
- When the customer interacted with the business and for how long
- What employees or services the customer interacted with
- Does the review mention areas where your company can improve or explore a new solution
- Is it something that has to be addressed immediately or can be left for later
Take Control of Your Google Marketing Strategy
Whether you need help collecting Google Reviews, improving your local SEO rankings, or enhancing your website’s click rates, we can help. InSynch has Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, Swansea, and Bristol SEO agency experts who can advise you on improving your website and Google integrations to cultivate leads and purchases. To get started, book a free 1-2-1 consultation using the links below.
