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How To Get More Google reviews
Whether you’re generating traffic through Google Ads management, SEO services, or social media, you must have a unique value proposition. Word of mouth has always been a great way to increase business and to aid this, we have Google Reviews. Having reviews not only provides information for your customers but also makes your business stand out. Around 90% of customers check reviews before reaching out to businesses and 88% trust them as much as personal recommendations. If you haven’t already given Google reviews much thought before, the time to change that is right now. There is a lot of potential to drive traffic and conversions to your site using this free and simple tool. People aren’t going to be impressed with the last review being from 5 years ago. They’ll probably think you’re out of business if no one has reviewed the business recently. This basically means that it isn’t enough to have a handful of awesome 5-star reviews. It has to be ongoing and fresh! Below is a list of ways to drive clients to leave reviews and how to do it.
Need to Know Beforehand...
Before you get started though, there are a few important things to know beforehand. This is crucial as it will allow you to have more control over the strategies in this post.
- Google’s Policies
When requesting reviews, you must be in line with Google’s Terms of Service. Basically, you cannot offer rewards so that people write a review. Moreover, you should ask them about their experience, whether positive or negative. It pays to read through the policies to ensure you’re not breaching any rules. - Be a “Place” on Google Maps
By doing this, you will have a Google Business Profile so that customers can write reviews. Click here for more information on how to do this. This will also have a positive impact on local SEO services and campaign. - Have your Google Business Profile verified
When you have created a Google Business Profile as per above, the next step is getting it verified. Becoming a “place” on Google Maps will not do this automatically. You must create a Google My Business account and have your ownership verified through it. Click here for more information around this.
1. How to Write a Review
Okay, now that you have more reasons to do this, let’s look at how your consumers will go about this. Here it is in a few easy steps:
- Open your Google Maps
- Type the business name in the search bar and click on it
- Scroll down to the Review Summary
- Click on Write a Review
Alternatively, you can search for a business on Google and their Google Business Profile will appear on the right. Below the Questions & Answers section, it will have the Reviews section where you can Write a Review.
Both ways work just fine and all up, it takes a customer a couple of minutes to complete. Super easy to do, so now, let’s look at some strategies to gain more reviews.
2. Create a Shortcut to Write a Review
Instead of having to explain each step to your customer, why not jump ahead and create a shortcut to the review link? You can easily put this shortcut link on your website and direct your customer straight there. In order to get the link, you can:
- Jump on your Google My Business account. On the Home page, on the right hand side, there should be a box that says “Get your first/more reviews.” There will be a “Share review form” button there which you can click on and then copy the link.
Another way to do this is to:
- Search up your business in Google
- Your Google Business Profile will pop up on the right
- Click on Write a Review
- Copy the address in the address bar
3. Shorten the Review Link
As you may have noticed, the link to Write a Review is extremely long. You may want to have the link on your business cards but imagine trying to type that out? That is where a link-shortener comes in handy. There are free providers to access such as bitly.com where you can easily shorten the link as well as customise it.
This way, you can have a simple phrase link on your business card or poster that people can remember.
4. Google Review - Link on Your Website
One of the first places a customer will look to leave a review is on your website. Why not take advantage of that and provide a simple call-to-action (CTA). If you have a testimonials section on your site, you can strategically place the CTA under it. Make it simple, clear and easily accessible, like the example below:
By placing a link on the word “here”, it takes the customer straight to the Reviews page on Google for your business.
5. Showcase Google Reviews on Your Website
As mentioned above, you can create a Testimonials page on your website to showcase your reviews. On this page, you can list your reviews as well as having a CTA for people to leave a review. Having this section on your site not only increases social proofing but also encourages customers to leave their own review.
You can screenshot your reviews and place them on your site but it would be best to have them in a text format. The text format allows for rich-keyword content which aids your SEO services strategy. One option to display your reviews is by using a template that suits the style of your site. Alternatively, you can search for platforms or plug-ins that can pull your reviews over to your website automatically. You can also get in touch with IM Creative regarding website design.
You can also use your reviews as creative for Google Display Ads or forward through to your social media agency.
6. Ask a Customer Directly
After you have landed a sale or completed a service for your client, you noticed they are very satisfied. What better time is there to ask? In my experience, this has worked wonders as most are willing to leave a good word for the next person. Asking them could be over the phone, in person or if your communications were online, via email. Here is an example of an email template you could use:
Thank you for your purchase/ booking,
If you have time, we were wondering if you wouldn’t mind rating us on Google for our services,
The link is below for your convenience:
Thank you and hope you enjoy the rest of your week,
Kind Regards,
As shown above, always thank your client and make the link as accessible as possible. In addition, you can also mention that you read all your feedback as it helps better your service/ products. This is a simple yet effective way to gain those reviews you need to validate your business to prospects.
7. Pop-ups & Calls-to-Action on Your Website
We all procrastinate. Sometimes we just need that little nudge or something to pop-up right in our faces before we do the task. So one way to combat this is having pop-ups and CTA’s on your site. You have probably seen these in action before where a chat box will pop up saying “Let us know how we are doing! Leave us a review!”. There will be a link in the box that will take you straight to “Write a Review”. When it is right in your face – there are only two options. Close the box or write the review. It’s a 50/50 chance to gain that much needed Google Review. However, it is a fine line between subtle and spammy. Talk to us about the right UX & website design.
8. Google Review - Email Campaign
Email marketing, remains one of the most effective marketing channels. Whether you write a personalised email or a blanket statement for the campaign, it is 100% up to you. Some businesses pride themselves in their close relationships with their clients and would take a more personal approach. You must be mindful not to over-fluff the request with jargon or descriptions but keep it to the point. Your customers will appreciate that.
There is nothing wrong in asking for a review, and happy customers are more than willing to do it. IM Creative specialise in email marketing services and can help create a one-off campaign for you.
9. Google Review - Link in Email Signature
In your email signature, why not slip in an easy link to write a Google review? Most if not all of you will have an email signature with your position and business logo. Add in your shortcut link where ever looks best and it could look like something along the lines of:
– Happy with our service? Leave us a review here.
– Satisfied? Let others know too and leave us a review here.
– Happy? Help others find us – Leave us a review here.
Simple and easy and you are left knowing that you are covering your bases.
10. Social Media
Social media has been a massive game-changer all around, especially in marketing. It is important that you take advantage of its benefits even if you are not tech-savvy. You can hire a social media agency to manage things for you if required. The main platforms you can utilise are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tiktok. On your page, you can screenshot a great review and post it to reach your audience and beyond. In your post, make sure to paste your shortcut link in as well for convenience. Also, one tip is to keep your content similar if not the same across all your profiles for optimum results. Just be aware that Facebook has their own reviews system so you could mention both Facebook and Google Reviews.
11. Vendors & Partners
This one is a great way to get some high quality reviews. Other tradespeople would understand and appreciate the need for Google reviews. They also would have a fairly good idea of what it is like working with you and your service/ products. If you are confident in your offering, why not mention it when you see each other next? Importantly, it can be tit-for-tat, they leave you a Google review and you leave one in return!
12. Responding to Reviews
Now once all your reviews are flooding in, it is important to take some time to read through them. When you read and respond to reviews, it shows your customers that you are willing to hear their feedback. It also shows that whatever time they took to write your review was worth it.
Of course, you will get some great reviews and some not so great and how you respond matters. Here is how you can respond to them:
- Positive: respond in a timely fashion and express thanks and gratitude. By responding positively back, other potential customers will see this and feel motivated to write their own reviews.
- Negative: respond timely as well and politely. Try not to engage in an argument and also try to resolve the issue. Having empathy and understanding their point of view, you show that you are professional as well as “on their side.” This can even result in turning a negative review around to a positive one.
As a digital marketing agency that has worked with clients in many different industries, one thing is clear. You can’t have a 100% track record and positive feedback. If you are handling a high volume of customers, some will have a negative experience. The important thing is to handle it in a mature and professional manner and move on. It is impossible to please all people but you can learn and upskill from negative feedback.
Conclusion
To conclude, taking the time to implement these small strategies can benefit you in more ways than one. They barely take up any time to do and are more importantly, free. If you have any queries or questions around Google Reviews, feel free to get in touch. IM Creative is a digital marketing agency that can help increase your Google review count and improve brand reputation.
