Whether you are a small business attracting new customers, or an established enterprise looking to improve your online reputation,  Google reviews are an important part of your marketing strategy.

Gaining quality reviews for your business impacts how the online world compares you to other businesses, and getting more reviews in itself is a viable way to build trust with potential customers.

Why Bother with Google Reviews?

Google is estimated to handle over 5.6 billion search queries a day, and dominates 92% of the global search engine market share, so having Google reviews makes your business easily accessible to a large audience.

Since more people trust and use Google than every other search engine combined, your business being verified by them as a legitimate source is vital to gaining trust from your customers.

Furthermore, when you register for a My Google Business account, your business, and its reviews, will appear on page 1 of the Google search results so that your customers can access your reviews free of hassle.

How to Get my Business on Google

To get Google Reviews, you will need to set up a free Google My Business Account. This will allow you to create and manage your Google listing. Here’s how:

• Step 1: Log in to the Google account associated with your business, or create a Google account for your business.
• Step 2: Click ‘Manage Now’ in the top left corner.
• Step 3: Enter the details of your business. Google will ask for your company name, location, business category, phone number, and website URL.
• Step 4: Verify your Google Business profile. This can be done by phone, email, or postcard. Google also offers instant verification, and bulk verification for businesses that operate from multiple places.

Where are Google Reviews Shown?

Search Engine Results

Google reviews will appear in Google’s search results alongside any other information that your Business Profile displays. This means reviews of your business are accessible from the moment you appear in the search results when someone has searched for your business name.

Google Maps

Your Google reviews will appear when someone searches for your business on Google Maps, whether this is done on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Google Maps Listings also show reviews, which may be a critical factor for those deciding on whether or not to purchase. At the stage of searching on Google Maps people are very likely to make a purchasing decision, they are simply looking for something in their area, a positive review could make your business the obvious choice.

When 76% of online local services result in a phone call, why take your chances?

How to Get Reviews on Google

Deliver excellent service 

There is no fast track method to gaining Google reviews; the ultimate trick is to make sure that you go above and beyond to ensure that your business is delivering excellent service. 

Ask for reviews 

If you want reviews, you have to ask for them. 

After a customer has used your service, it never hurts to send an email asking them to leave a review on Google. Asking for feedback, and making it clear that you want to improve your service, will encourage them to leave an honest review. 

You can also ask for reviews:

• When you have concluded a phone conversation. 
• After you have handled a customer complaint. 
• At the point of purchase.
• During a face-to-face interaction. 

Show your customers/clients how to leave a review 

Some of your customers won’t know how to leave a review on Google, so showing them how will only give them encouragement. Remember, even though 1.5 billion people worldwide have Gmail accounts, they may not be aware of the process. 

An easy way to leave a Google review involves: 

• Step 1: Sign in to your Google account 
• Step 2: Type your company name into the search bar
• Step 3: Click on the Google reviews in your Google Business Profile 
• Step 4: Click ‘write a review’

You could also make this simpler by leaving a hyperlink or URL in an email so they have one-click access to your Google Reviews page. 

Remind customers/clients to leave a review 

It is worth remembering that your customers may be too busy to leave a review the moment it is asked for, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t keen to give feedback on your service. 

Wait 2-3 weeks after your initial interaction, and send them a gentle reminder that you welcome their feedback. This could be set up automatically through your chosen scheduling system. 

Respond to your reviews 

Online customer engagement builds trust. 

Responding promptly to both positive and negative reviews shows your customers that you are grateful for their support, and that you take their feedback on board. Even simply saying ‘thank you for your glowing review’, goes a long way. 

Be gracious for negative feedback, and don’t show frustration in your response. Keep in mind that reviews are public, and that any negative feedback is an opportunity to show your customers that you care about improving your business. 

Do something about your reviews

Simply allowing your reviews to accumulate is not enough to gain trust from your customers. 

If you have been given a negative review, show your customers that you are actively trying to solve the issues they have put forward, and other customers will be more likely to bring forward constructive feedback in the future. They may also feel encouraged to leave a second review discussing how you have fixed the issues they raised. 

What to do With a Bad Google Review 

Negative reviews aren’t always a bad thing because they give a balanced view of the business, as well as an opportunity to improve and show your customers/clients that you care about their feedback. 

Unfortunately, you may receive an occasional malicious or fake review that Google’s spam checking systems have missed. While it may be tempting to respond snarkily to these reviews like big corporations do on social media, doing so will harm your company’s reputation more than it will soothe your frustration.

Due to Google’s policy, there is no option for removing a fake review, but you can ask Google to remove the review by selecting the flag as inappropriate option. 

What you should do: 

Flag the review as inappropriate. 

This alerts Google that the review doesn’t comply with Google’s review policies. 

Respond to the review.

Even though you know the review is not legitimate, your customers don’t. Responding calmly to the review will help to maintain your reputation, and show that you are keen to remedy the situation. 

Select what is wrong with the review.

You will be given a list of potential reasons for reporting the review. Select the one that applies. 

Submit your report. 

Your report will be sent to Google. 

It is worth remembering that flagging a malicious review is not always 100% reliable, and the best way to avoid this review harming your reputation is to stay calm, respond to the issue, and continue providing fantastic service in order to gain more positive reviews. 

Our Listing Management Services take the responsibility of managing your listings and reviews off your hands, to increase online visibility and handle your reviews all in one place. 

If you require any information regarding Listing Management, or to inquire about our other services, give Infoserve a shout and we’ll be more than happy to solve your digital marketing queries. 

Here at Infoserve, our web design experts are on hand to help you create and build a unique, functional and responsive website, and our PPC and SEO team are help your website get found. 

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