Online reviews exert untold power over your business. This is no exaggeration; it’s standard now for online buyers to check out product reviews before making their purchase. Google reviews, in particular, tend to be the go-to opinion curator of any business’s would-be customers.
Ubiquitous and highly accessible, Google reviews give users an idea of what to expect from the business transaction they’re considering.
The power of Google reviews
Google reviews are more than just nice words – or angry complaints – and some yellow stars. Good or bad, these critiques have tangible impacts on businesses, which include the following:
- Positive reviews boost search ranking and visibility. Google’s enigmatic search algorithms take the volume and quality of a business’s reviews as a ranking factor. This means that a high number of positive reviews might just get your business the top spot on the search results.
- Positive reviews attract customers. When people read only good things about your business, they are more likely to purchase from you. According to BrightLocal, 79% of consumers put online reviews on the same level as personal recommendations – basically, free word-of-mouth marketing.
- Both positive and negative reviews establish a business’s trustworthiness and credibility. It’s very unnatural for a business to have nothing but good reviews online. While positive reviews hint at the quality of a company’s offers, some negative reviews here and there establish its legitimacy. After all, real businesses can’t just please everyone.
5 reasons why you should ask for Google Reviews
Asking, or begging, your customers to leave a review is well worth your trouble, and here’s why:
- Boost your local SEO. As mentioned earlier, positive reviews are among Google’s many ranking factors, and plenty of positive reviews can push your business up in the search results.
- Build trust and credibility. A healthy mix of good, bad and middling reviews shows wary potential clients your customers’ satisfaction and shows them that your business is legitimate and worth their trust.
- Gain valuable feedback. Reviews may sometimes carry suggestions that will help entrepreneurs improve their business. Don’t take these comments for granted and use them to spot and fix issues and generate ideas for your business’s improvement.
- Demonstrate customer service. Got a scathing complaint? You can use this as an opportunity to show potential customers how you handle complaints and resolve issues.
- Respond and engage with clients. People appreciate business owners who take their time to respond to reviews. A friendly approach especially lets you build a relationship with your current customers, generate repeat sales, and draw more people to your business.
Turning satisfied customers into reviewers
Now, how exactly do you ask your customers for a review? First, be sure to leave them satisfied after they make their purchase. From there, you can consider one of the following strategies:
- Simply ask your customers to leave a review. Of course, you should do it right after the transaction, and in a polite manner.
- Display a link to your Google Review page publicly. Add it to your email signature, social media bio or business website. This is a great way to ensure you get nothing but organic reviews, as only truly satisfied customers are willing to click it.