Many people use Google reviews as a deciding factor when they’re trying out a business for the first time. Businesses that have many reviews with a high rating will naturally attract customers, as it portrays an image of being high quality, trustworthy and approachable. If a customer is comparing two steakhouses with similar menus, but one has hundreds of high reviews, while the other only has a few dozen, they’re likely to go with the former. However, that doesn’t always bode well for businesses that are still trying to grow.
If your business only has five reviews, with three being complaints about issues that were out of your control, it’s going to reflect poorly on your overall reputation, as customers will only care about the low rating. That’s why it’s important to create a strategy for boosting your Google reviews.
We’ll talk about how you can increase the quantity of good Google reviews for your business. We’ll also discuss the benefits of Google reviews for your business growth.
4 ways to get more Google reviews for your business
While it would be nice for every customer who has a good experience with your business to leave a positive review on Google, that’s just not realistic. People tend to only leave reviews if they had an extraordinary experience, or an abysmal one. But run-of-the-mill good experiences should be reported too. So how do you get them? Here are four tips that can help:
- Add an incentive — After they make a purchase with you, a customer may feel like there’s nothing else more that they should give you, as they’ve already given you money. That’s why it can be helpful to offer a little token of your appreciation if they leave a review on Google. By incentivizing a customer with things like a discount code or a free sample, they’re more likely to take the necessary action needed to get it.
- Send follow-up emails — If you provide a quality experience or product for a customer, they’ll likely have a positive reaction to seeing your name pop up in their inbox. For this reason, it can be beneficial to send out follow-up emails when they provide that information through checkout or a form fill. It can remind them of their good experience and they may be more likely to engage with the call to action on the email and submit a Google review.
- Be specific when you ask — If you’re asking someone if they could “please leave a review on Google” when they make a purchase with your business, they’ve probably heard it dozens of times from other businesses. It’s too general and can come off as disingenuous. An effective approach is to personalize the request as much as possible. For example, if they bought a dress, ask them to “please leave a review so we know how beautiful you felt wearing the dress.”
- Claim your Google Business Profile — Your Google Business Profile (GBP) plays a large role in your search engine optimization (SEO) success, with reviews being one of the contributing factors to your rankings. By claiming your GBP, you’re able to boost the quantity of reviews in a variety of ways. You have SMS capabilities, you can create a link to share throughout different avenues and you can send friendly reminders to customers who don’t leave a review.
Why Google reviews are important
We’ve already briefly mentioned how reviews play a role in a customer’s purchase decision. But the importance of Google reviews goes a little deeper than that. By understanding the many benefits that Google reviews can provide, you’ll be able to make sure that you allocate the right amount of time and resources toward boosting them.
How Google reviews can help your business:
- Boosts SEO rankings on result pages for relevant keywords
- Increases visibility, as reviews are one of the first things that come up during a search
- Provides an opportunity to boost retention by responding to every review
- Establishes trustworthiness and credibility
- Gives you a competitive edge
At BURG+CO., we understand the role that Google reviews play in your SEO. We’ll strategize with your team to determine the best courses of action that can garner the results that you’re looking for.
Want to attract new visitors to your website with Google reviews? BURG+CO. can help
Increasing traffic to your website plays a role in increasing conversions and leading to new clients. However, it’s difficult to attract visitors to your site when you don’t know what to do. Fortunately, this is what we specialize in at BURG+CO.
Our team has years of experience in helping businesses improve their digital presence to attract new leads and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about digital marketing or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
