If your business does not have many Google reviews, you are leaving money on the table. A customer who does a search for your business is looking for social proof provided by other customers. If you do not have any social proof on your Google My Business profile, chances are that the potential customer is going to buy from a competitor instead. So
let’s discuss how to elicit a greater number of Google reviews and improve your
online reputation.
How to Elicit More Google Reviews
You probably have a high number of happy customers who would love to help your business by leaving a review.
Here is the problem.
They are not willing to search for your Google My Business profile on their own time.
Here is the solution.
Be proactive and ensure that the process is as easy as possible for your customers.
How to Send Effective Review Requests
Here’s how to start receiving more Google reviews today.
- Claim your Google My Business Profile
The Google My Business Profile is where all of your business’ Google reviews are displayed. Once you claim your profile, you can update it with information (for example, your address and phone number).
Claiming your profile improves the process customers follow to find your business and leave a review. According to Moz, Google My Business is the #1 factor determining your local search ranking.
- Claim a Direct Short Link to Your Business
Claiming a direct short link might seem insignificant. I can assure you it is not. A short link is a custom URL that makes your Google My Business page easier to share with your customers.
You can include this URL in marketing materials. This makes it easier than ever for customers to leave Google reviews.
- Send Review Request Text and Emails
Asking customers for reviews in-person is not enough. The fact is that most customers agree to leave a review while they are in your store or office. After they leave, they forget. To receive great results, you need to make the process as easy as possible.
Send review requests to your customers through text and email. Be sure to include your short link to direct these customers to your Google My Business profile. That way, all the customer has to do is click the link and leave a review.
- Keep Timing in Mind
Timing is key for everything in life. Sending review requests is no exception. For most businesses, the best time to send a review request is the same day as the transaction because your brand is still fresh in the customer’s mind.
If you wait too long, you will see that customers are not willing to leave reviews because they may no longer have a clear memory of the transaction. Even the customers who do leave reviews might not be able to provide detailed feedback that can help other customers better understand the services you provide.
- Be Sure to Send Review Requests to All of Your Customers
Do not send review requests only to a select group. The more review requests you send, the more Google reviews you will receive.
Plus Google prohibits “review gating,” the practice of sending review requests to only a select group of customers. If your business is discovered review gating, Google may penalize your business and your business could be displayed lower in search rankings.
In addition, it is doubtful whether review gating provides any real benefit to businesses, anyway. If you are only sending reviews to customers who you are sure will leave positive reviews, you are missing out. Chances are that there are many customers who would leave a good review.
But wait, what if my review requests lead to negative reviews? When you ask all of your customers for reviews, you may also end up getting the occasional negative review. That is nothing to worry about. Even the best businesses receive negative reviews and customers understand that. If you constantly request feedback from all of your customers, eventually you will amass a large number of reviews that will be a true reflection your business’ customer experience. Besides, negative reviews can actually provide value to your business. A study by Spiegel Research Center showed that customers are more likely to buy from a business with some negative reviews rather than all positive reviews. Negative reviews demonstrate that your business is receiving authentic feedback from your customers. |
Bonus Steps for More Google Reviews
While review requests are a valuable resource, do not stop there. Here are
a few more steps to ensure that your business is staying head on Google reviews.
- Respond to Your Reviews
Always respond to customer reviews, both positive and negative. When customers see you responding to reviews, they are more motivated to leave one. According to the Harvard Business Review, businesses that respond to reviews receive 12% more reviews than businesses that do not.
- Empower Your Employees
Promote soliciting reviews as a team effort. Train your employees to request reviews at the end of each interaction. Set up competitions to find the employee who can send the most review requests.
- Provide Excellent Customer Service
This might be obvious, but we have to say it anyway. When you deliver excellent experiences and go above and beyond customer expectations, customers will be more likely to leave you great reviews.
How Online Reputation Management Can Help
Let’s be honest. Manually sending review requests day-after-day – for every customer can be a tough ask. With all the work that goes into running a business, it is hard to find time to send emails and texts to customers every day.
Luckily, there is an easier way. With Online Reputation Management Software, requesting reviews is easier than ever. CompanyXYZ is the solution that can send automatic review requests to your customers.
Receive More Google Reviews with CompanyXYZ
CompanyXYZ helps businesses collect more reviews on sites like Google, but that is not all. Company XYZ’s all-in-one customer experience platform helps businesses view reviews from over 200 sites on the Company XYZ dashboard, connect with customers via text messaging, and send surveys to collect quality feedback. While you take care of your business, Company XYZ ensures that you stay on top of your Google reviews.