How many reviews do you have on Google? What about your business’ Facebook page? You might even have them on industry specific sites, like Houzz or HomeAdvisor. Reviews are an important part of your business, but the stakes just got higher—and it’s all thanks to Google My Business.
Wondering what I mean? Search your business’ name on Google. In the right, you should see your Google My Business profile. Notice anything different? If you’re unsure, I can fill you in on the latest change: there is now a section on your profile called “reviews from the web.” What does this section entail? Well, the title gives it away—there are now reviews from all corners of the web, from social platforms to Google itself.
So what does this mean for your business? For starters, it’s time to make sure you are asking for reviews from your customers on a variety of platforms. After all, customer reviews tell the story of your company—and positive reviews can get you more business. Read through our tips to get reviews on various platforms or call us today to learn how to make the most of your Google My Business profile.
Additionally, online referrals on Google My Business can improve your local search engine optimization, which can help increase your website’s visibility in search engine results for geographically-specific online searches. Oh—and positive reviews can boost your lead and sale conversion rate, which is a pretty sweet deal.
So what does this mean for your business? For starters, it’s time to make sure you are asking for reviews from your customers on a variety of platforms. After all, customer reviews tell the story of your company—and positive reviews can get you more business. Read through our tips to get reviews on various platforms or call us today to learn how to make the most of your Google My Business profile.
Where to Get Reviews for Your Business
Now that Google My Business is showing reviews from a variety of websites, it’s important to make sure you have reviews on the platforms that matter most to you. Before we talk about how to get reviews, let’s discuss where you want to get them.Reviews on Google
Google reviews arguably remain the most important type of review for your Google My Business profile. You can even make a custom Google review link to share with customers! After all, these reviews will show up at the top under your business’ name.
Additionally, online referrals on Google My Business can improve your local search engine optimization, which can help increase your website’s visibility in search engine results for geographically-specific online searches. Oh—and positive reviews can boost your lead and sale conversion rate, which is a pretty sweet deal.
Business Reviews on Facebook
Let’s talk about Facebook—everyone and their mother has it (and that means everyone and their mother can find your business page). Take advantage of this vast audience by making sure your Facebook reviews are enabled! In order to do this, you’ll need to make sure your page’s category is “Local Business.” Users can give you a star rating as well as leave a comment—and you have the opportunity to respond. Finally, that star rating will show up in your Google My Business profile:
Reviews on Industry Specific Platforms
Some platforms are unique to the type of business you run. For example, a restaurant would want to have great reviews on OpenTable, a website dedicated to restaurant reservations, descriptions, and customer reviews. In other words, you need to make the most of the platform for your industry. If you have a home remodeling company, you’ll want to make the most of the reviews on your Houzz profile while an HVAC business would instead benefit from having reviews on HomeAdvisor. Are you unsure of which platform would be best suited for your business? It may be time to call an online marketing company for help.
How to Get Online Reviews
Now that you know where you want your online reviews, it’s time to figure out HOW to get them. It’s important to make the process simple—if your customer has a negative experience while trying to simply review your company, they may leave a shorter review or not leave a review at all! Here are a few ways you can improve the online referral process for your users:- Provide directions. No matter where you want your customers’ reviews to be posted, it’s vital to include straightforward instructions for how to find your company’s page and leave a review.
- Offer a guide to posting a review. It never hurts to send your customers a list of questions to answer in their review. You can ask your customer to comment on the timeliness of their project, the quality of customer service, their satisfaction with the end result, and much more.
- Be thankful. Be sure to show gratitude to your customers! You want them to know that you see their business as more than just another cog in the machine. By reminding them that you value them as customers, you will leave a positive impression as they complete their review.
- Leave an alternative. Because Google My Business now shows a variety of review platforms on each profile, it doesn’t hurt to add alternative places to leave reviews. After all, customers may have accounts on some platforms and not on others. You might even have customers who would prefer to hand-write a review or send it directly to you in an e-mail. Allow your users to leave a review the way they want to, and let them know that this is an option by putting this information at the bottom of your online review directions.
