10 Ways To Get More Google Reviews
Google is the largest search engine of our time and often a search for a product or service on the internet begins with Google. That’s where Google Review comes into the picture. A lot of people read reviews before purchasing products and services. It is estimated that almost 90% of consumers read online reviews before they even visit the business in question.
There are a lot of review sites in today’s day and age, but Google Reviews is more important than most of them because of a lot of different reasons. More reviews are written on Google than on any other review site and hence it is important for business owners to get favorable reviews for their businesses on Google.
Google Reviews are considered a trust-worthy source by an overwhelming majority of the consumers and it is perceived as a personal recommendation by most people. Google reviews not only help businesses by bringing in more prospects but they also help such businesses in ranking better on different search engines. In today’s day and age, there are many businesses who make full use of Google Reviews for their business, while there is some business who are still oblivious of the many benefits of such reviews.
For the other half, this piece has been put together to shed light on the importance of Google reviews and then enlist the 10 different ways in which you get them. Let’s get started!
1. Ask Customers Directly:
This is one of the easiest and most straight forward ways to get a Google Review! Just simply ask for it! Your site needs fresh and recent reviews to attract customers as more people don’t trust reviews that are more than 3 months old. There are a lot of ways in which you can ask for your satisfied customers for reviews to ensure that you have a continuous review profile.
2. Follow-up Email:
Once you have delivered a product or service to a customer, you can send a follow-up email to them, requesting them to leave reviews for the products purchased or services availed by them. Be courteous in your email and thank them for picking you. Try to strike a personal connection through these email.
Communicate to them how their feedback would be important for your business and to end the email with a direct link where they can leave a Google Review. Once you tick all the boxes, you will be surprised to see how effective these follow-up emails turn out to be.
3. Review Link on your website:
4. Surveys:
Surveys are a very good way to ask for reviews because if you have gotten someone to fill out a poll or survey, then they are already in the right mindset. This has a very good chance of working as you build on the momentum of the surveys, to secure reviews for your business.
5. Google My Business Listing:
You should have a Google My Business page and it should be verified. It is imperative that you do so, because then it will be possible for people to review your business online. Making a Google My Business page is very easy and the same goes for verifying it. Google My Business has a dashboard where you can view all the reviews that have been written about your business by consumers. It is very efficient in managing and building reviews on Google.
6. Automation:
Asking and reminding customers to write reviews can be a very lengthy process, but fret not, as there is an easier way out! You can easily automate the process after you collect your customer’s contact details. If and when you automate the entire process, you will not only be able to generate more reviews, you will also be able to monitor them. You can automate the process on your own or hire a digital marketing agency for small businesses for the same.
7. Vendors and Partners:
They may not be customers but they can still vouch for you, because they work with you on a regular basis. It will be easier to get reviews from them because they know you personally and you can also write one for them, to get one in return from them. Quid pro Quo.
8. Incentive:
Incentives work on most occasions and they definitely work, when you use them to get reviews. Offer some coupons and discounts in the exchange of a review and you will be surprised to see the kind of reviews that will come your way. Most of these reviews are likely to be positive and if you can turn it into a contest of some sorts, then the success rate will be even higher!
9. Google Business Review Email Campaign:
You can use individual emails, personalized emails and even a large blanket campaign to get more reviews. Be clear when you run these campaigns and don’t try to coerce anyone into doing anything. If you keep the process clear and easy, you will likely get a lot of reviews out of this campaign.
10. Respond to Reviews:
The last part is about responding to such reviews and making sure that you will continue to get them in the future. By responding, you make it known to customers and potential reviews that you appreciate their opinions about the products or services that you offer. If you get positive reviews be grateful and timely in your responses. When you get negative reviews, be prompt and polite.
Final Thoughts
Online businesses run on Google reviews and hence it is imperative that you make the full use of all resources at your disposal to get such reviews on a continuous basis. If you or your in-house team doesn’t have the time to spend to get these reviews, you can hire a digital marketing service provider, who can do the same for you in exchange of a fee.