Online reviews have become an essential component of any successful business’s marketing strategy. With over 90% of consumers reading online reviews before making a purchase decision, having positive reviews can make a significant impact on your business’s bottom line.
Google Reviews, in particular, have gained immense importance due to their influence on search engine rankings. In this blog post, we will discuss why Google Reviews matter and how you can get more of them to improve your business’s online visibility.
Why Google Reviews Matter?
1. Improved Search Engine Rankings
Google Reviews are a crucial ranking factor for local search results.The more positive reviews your business has, the higher it will rank on Google’s search engine results page (SERP), making it more visible to potential customers. It is estimated that reviews and responses to reviews account for about 20% of your local business’s search ranking in Google.
2. Build Trust and Credibility
Online reviews, especially Google Reviews, provide social proof to potential customers that your business is trustworthy and reliable. Positive reviews can encourage potential customers to choose your business over competitors, leading to increased revenue. In fact, 79% of buyers trust a positive online review as much as a personal recommendation.
3. Better Customer Engagement
Google Reviews provide a platform for businesses to engage with customers by responding to their feedback, resolving issues, and thanking them for their positive feedback. Engaging with customers can lead to a better customer experience, improved customer loyalty, and increased SEO.
How to Get More Google Reviews?
1. Ask for Reviews
The easiest way to get more Google Reviews is to ask every satisfied customer to leave a review. You can request a review via email, send a text message, or ask them to visit your online Google profile.
2. Incentivize Reviews
Offer incentives such as discounts on future purchases, and provide free products or services in exchange for leaving a review or get creative. You can experiment with choosing random winners for review posts or even making donations to charitable organizations based on the number of reviews received. Incentives can work but ensure that your incentive complies with Google’s review guidelines. Violation of Google rules can cause reviews to be removed, and in extreme cases, Google My Business Profiles can be suspended.
3. Respond to Reviews
Engage with customers by responding to their feedback, both positive and negative. Responding to reviews shows customers that you value their feedback and are committed to providing excellent customer service. Customers want to know that they are being seen and heard and in some cases you maybe able to correct a bad experience and get a customer to change a negative review.
4. Display Reviews on Your Website and Social Media
Displaying Google Reviews on your website can encourage potential customers to trust your business and choose it over competitors. Inserting reviews anywhere that prospects may be evaluating your products and services can provide important 3rd party validation that they need to do business with you.
5. Automate Review Requests and Replies
Requesting, responding and promoting reviews is obviously important to a business’s ability to attract new customers. However, most small businesses do not have the marketing staff to maintain the consistency of a review effort day in and day out. For businesses that want to benefit from having hundreds of reviews, but lack the staff, LJA Reviews provides the tools and expertise to automate it. With LJA Reviews, you can easily request and respond to Google Reviews and respond to customer feedback month after month with minimal to no effort. We can also help you automate the posting of your reviews on your website and social media profiles – increasing your credibility and trustworthiness everywhere your customers are looking.
Conclusion
Google Reviews are an essential component of any successful business’s marketing strategy. Positive reviews can improve your business’s online visibility, build trust and credibility, and lead to increased revenue. By asking for reviews, making it easy for customers to leave a review, incentivizing reviews, responding to reviews, and displaying reviews on your website, you can get more Google Reviews and reap the benefits they offer. So start building your online reputation today by focusing on getting more Google Reviews.
