With how competitive it is to get your business noticed, how can you increase your local rankings and build an online reputation? Getting more Google My Business reviews is one of the best ways.
We rely on reviews as consumers and it only makes sense that they are a powerful tool for businesses as well. Google reviews show potential customers how the community feels about your business and the reviews themselves are considered a ranking signal for local SEO.
This blog post will cover seven powerful tactics you can use to get more Google My Business Reviews and help grow your business!
1. Make sure your customers can leave reviews
It’s important to make sure your Google My Business page is verified. Once done you can take advantage of the many features that Google has for businesses, including letting customers leave you Google reviews.
If you haven’t done so already, claim your Google My Business profile. This process is simple and only takes a few minutes. It’s the first step to getting more Google reviews.
2. Ask your customers to leave a review
It might seem obvious, but asking your customers is the best tactic for getting more reviews. Even the happiest customer isn’t necessarily thinking of leaving you a review. Unfortunately, many times, it is the customer who is unhappy who is most motivated to leave a review. By simply asking for a review from all of your customers, you can motivate more customers to leave a review.
Train your staff to ask customers to leave a review at the end of a transaction. Verbal asks help, but automated electronic review solicitations work even better.
We offer a service that lets you set up review requests campaigns that can automatically send text messages and email requests to new customers that has had tremendous success in helping local businesses get more reviews on Google.
The best part about electronic review generation is that your customers will get the link to leave a review right on their phone or computer where they’ll be able to take action and leave a review. You can also set up follow-up emails, so if the customer doesn’t leave a review, you can gently nudge and remind them a day or two later.
Using this system, we’ve helped many businesses generate more positive reviews for their locations. Contact Always Relevant Digital if you’d like to learn how we can implement this for your business.
3. Make it as easy as possible to leave a review
Make this process of leaving a review as easy for them as possible by removing friction along the way. This means linking them directly to your review link.
Don’t simply ask for a review and make your customer:
- Search for your business
- Find your listing
- Find the review button
- Leave the review
You can simplify the process by finding the review link and sending it directly to them. You can find your review link by signing in to Google My Business and clicking on Share review link in the Get more reviews card. One thing to note: If your business has multiple locations, each location will have its own review link so make sure you are sending out the correct link!
4. Respond to negative reviews ASAP
Sometimes even if you try your hardest to please everyone, it’s impossible. That is just something we all know and accept as a reality of life. Negative reviews will always happen. What’s important is how you handle those negative reviews.
It’s crucial to respond quickly and professionally, providing as much information as possible about how the issue was resolved or what happened to avoid misunderstandings. If the customer isn’t satisfied with your response, take it a step further: Offer them a refund or another option for a resolution that would make them happy.
Don’t argue with the customer in a public review, or you risk how your business looks to other potential customers! When you respond to a negative review, you’re not only communicating to the reviewer, you’re showing future customers and showing them how you handle problems.
5. Use QR code to link to your review page
Another way to make it easier to leave your business a review is to create signage at your location that prominently asks for a review and has a QR code that, when scanned, lets the reviewer leave you a link.
QR codes are great because they let your customers scan the code with their phone and leave a review right there. But don’t treat these as passive. The review QR code works great when an employee verbally asks for a review and then follows up by pointing out the QR code. There’s some social pressure from a face-to-face ask, and having the QR code right there makes it easy to take action.
To create the actual QR code, go to this website and insert your review link. Your QR code will be automatically generated. Where you print this code will depend on the type of business you have. Many businesses find that a small card next to the register or on the checkout counter is the best place.
6. Add a review call to action in the email signature of your newsletter
Another great place to ask for reviews is your email signature. Your customers are seeing this every time they open up an email from you, so it’s a great opportunity to ask how they like your business.
If you are sending out newsletters, add a link in the footer back to your Google My Business page where customers can leave you feedback by clicking on that review button.
This method doesn’t work well for all businesses, but it’s a great way to get more reviews if you have an email list and send out regular newsletters or communicate via email with customers.
7. Provide the best possible product or service
Of course, generating more reviews is only helpful if you’re providing a great product or service. Make sure to provide the best possible experience for your customers and they will be happy to leave positive feedback about how amazing their time with you was!
Providing excellent customer support, quality products and services, and a great experience will help you get more reviews.
Final thoughts
If you want to get more google reviews for your business, these 7 tactics will help. Reviews on Google My Business profiles have many positive aspects that can be leveraged by small businesses. If all this talk about how customers think sounds overwhelming let us know! Our team of experts would love to partner with you in creating a local marketing plan tailored specifically for your needs so don’t hesitate to reach out today!
