Google Reviews are among the most prominent forms of customer feedback available to local businesses. When someone searches for a business, they may see its Google Reviews together with its Google Business Profile.
Since customers tend to compare different businesses before choosing one, having credible and trustworthy Google Reviews is very helpful to business owners. In this article, you will learn what Google Reviews are, why are they so important for businesses, how to get more reviews, and how to handle customer feedback effectively.
What Are Google Reviews?
Google Reviews are customer reviews posted on the Google Business Profile of a company. They include customer experience, a star rating, and, in many cases, comments and photos. Google Reviews can be seen when people search for a company on Google Search or Google Maps. Google Reviews provide business owners with valuable customer feedback and give potential customers an opportunity to get acquainted with experiences of previous clients of a business.
Among other pieces of information that can be included into a Google Business Profile there are:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website
- Opening hours
- Photos
- Star rating
- Customer reviews
- Business category
- Services or products
All this information needs to be up to date.
Why Are Google Reviews Important for Your Business?
Google Reviews are a necessary part of the online reputation of many businesses. Before reaching out to a business, customers can view its online rating and feedback left by other people. Google Reviews can help businesses:
- Gain customer trust
- Become more credible
- Increase customer confidence
- Generate more inquiries
- Distinguish themselves from their competitors
- Know the customer expectations
- Build a better online reputation
Google Reviews are especially important for local businesses as people tend to search for local services on Google Search and Google Maps.
For instance, when someone looks for a cleaning company, a dentist, a restaurant, a moving company, a repair service, etc., they may compare several businesses based on their profiles, ratings, reviews, services, locations, and other pieces of information.
How Do Google Reviews Work?
Google Reviews are submitted by customers on the Google Business Profile of a business.
A customer leaves his star rating and tells about his experience with a business. After that, his review is added to the profile of a business.
Companies can answer the reviews on their Google Business Profile. Answers give a business an opportunity to thank a customer for his feedback, discuss his concerns, and show that a business pays attention to customer feedback.
It is necessary to understand that Google Reviews need to be genuine, i.e. reflect actual experience of customers. A business should not try to create false reviews, to mislead customers, and to manipulate its ratings.
Genuine reviews are more useful for both businesses and potential customers as they provide valuable information to the latter and useful feedback to the former.
How to Get More Google Reviews
The most common question for any business owner is “How do I get more Google Reviews?”.
A good solution is to develop a simple and consistent process of asking customers for feedback.
Provide Excellent Customer Service
Positive Google Reviews come as a result of good customer experience provided by a business. It means that customers are more likely to leave positive feedback when a business provides them with reliable service, clear communication, problem-solving, and everything it promised to deliver.
Ask for Reviews at the Right Time
Right timing is important. A business can ask a customer for a review after:
- A completed service
- A delivered order
- A completed project
- Solved support request
- Completed appointment
- Received positive feedback
This simple request done at the right time makes the process of leaving feedback easier for a satisfied customer.
Make the Review Process Convenient
The less complicated this process is, the more likely a customer is to provide feedback. A business can provide its customers with a convenient link to the page of reviews via various channels such as email, SMS, receipt, or customer follow-up messages. It is easier for a customer to find the right review page if a business makes it possible.
Train Your
Team Staff members interacting with customers can play a big role in the process of receiving Google Reviews. Your team should know how to provide excellent customer experience and how to ask customers for genuine feedback without being too pushy. Consistent customer experience will result in more authentic reviews.
How to Answer Google Reviews
The process of managing Google Reviews does not end with the submission of customer feedback. It also involves monitoring and answering the reviews.
Answering Positive Google Reviews
When a customer leaves a positive review, a business can just answer it in a simple and personal way. Instead of providing the same answer to all the customers, it is necessary to mention something specific to each customer when it is appropriate. For example, a business can thank the customer for his choice and appreciate the service he mentioned.
Answering Negative Google Reviews
It is important to be very careful when answering negative feedback. A good answer to a customer should:
- Be polite and professional
- Recognize the concern of the customer
- Not start any argument with the customer
- Not disclose private data of the customer
- Propose to investigate the case
- Propose a proper way of continuing the discussion
Negative review does not mean that a business has a bad reputation. What is important is how a business answers it and whether it learns something from it.
Can Businesses Remove Google Reviews?
A business cannot simply remove a Google Review it dislikes. However, if a review violates some Google content policy, it can be removed. For example, it can happen if the review is considered to be spam or includes some prohibited content. If a business sees that a review violates Google content policies, it should use Google’s reporting tool and not try to remove the review inappropriately. A business should not try to remove legitimate negative reviews just because it dislikes them.
Do Google Reviews Help SEO?
Google Reviews are closely connected with the SEO strategy and with the local search, but businesses should not overestimate the role of reviews. While reviews can impact the information seen by customers when discovering a business through Google Search or Google Maps, they can also affect the evaluation of the company by potential customers. Therefore, for local businesses, Google Reviews are an important element of a broader local SEO strategy which can include:
- Optimization of Google Business Profile
- Proper business information
- Local citations
- Relevant website content
- On-page SEO
- Customer reviews
- Google Reviews responses
- Local backlinks
The aim of the whole strategy is to build an adequate and credible online reputation and not to concentrate on Google Reviews only.
How to Improve Your Google Review Profile
The strategy aimed at improving Google review profile should be focused on consistency and authenticity. A good strategy consists of:
- Updating your Google Business Profile.
- Providing your customers with excellent service.
- Asking genuine customers for feedback.
- Making the process of reviewing easy.
- Monitoring new reviews.
- Responding professionally to both positive and negative reviews.
- Identifying recurring customer complaints.
- Improving the aspects of the business which customers complain about.
- Avoiding fake or misleading reviews.
- Continuing to collect authentic customer feedback.
A gradual approach is usually better than attempts to drastically change the review profile.
Common Google Review Mistakes Businesses Should Avoid
Businesses can make various mistakes related to the process of handling Google Reviews. Some of them are:
- Ignoring customer reviews
- Reacting aggressively to criticism
- Posting fake reviews
- Requesting only positive reviews in misleading ways
- Providing customers with improper incentives to leave reviews
- Using the same response for all the customers
- Disclosure of private information of customers
- Ignoring recurring complaints
- Leaving incorrect business information online
A successful Google review management strategy should be focused on authentic customer experience and professional communication.
Final Thoughts
Google Reviews have become an important part of the online presence of many businesses. They allow customers to tell about their experiences and give potential customers additional information while evaluating a company. With the help of providing good customer service, asking customers for their feedback, making the process of leaving reviews convenient, answering the reviews, and learning from complaints, businesses can build a stronger Google review profile.
Google Reviews should be perceived as a part of the larger online reputation management and local SEO strategies. When businesses pay enough attention to customer satisfaction and authentic feedback, they will be able to make Google Reviews their asset.