Digital reviews are quickly becoming as powerful as word of mouth from friends and family. In fact, according to studies, 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. While there are a lot of review sites out there that people use for go-to ratings, Google reviews weigh heavily on your business’s online reputation.
It’s no easy task, but it’s essential to get more Google reviews so you can build trust with potential customers. Here are few ways to start growing those reviews.
The Benefits of Google Reviews
There are hundreds of rankings factors that make up Google’s algorithm, and roughly 13% of your site’s ranking comes from online reviews from their own platform. Also, since Google is usually the starting point for people’s search intent, Google reviews could be one of the first things people will use to judge your business. For these two reasons alone, you should work toward having a positive reputation through Google reviews.
Asking Your Customers Directly
There’s no shame in merely asking your clients to review you after they work with you or try out your products. You’d be surprised how many companies don’t even bother to ask for a review after working with a client; don’t be one of them! Take any opportunity you can to ask for a review, but don’t do in a way that comes off high pressure or annoying.
Act Quickly to Negative Reviews
The unfortunate truth is, more people will write about a negative experience with a company than a positive one. If you do receive a negative Google review, make sure to reply to this review as quickly as possible.
How you respond depends entirely on what the negative review says, but it needs to be addressed no matter what. By consistently responding to reviews, you could potentially increase your star rating and will also encourage reviews from future customers.
Make Reviewing Easier by Sending a Direct Link
Nothing is worse than asking a client to go over and beyond for you without anything in return for them. When asking people to review you on Google, the best way to ensure they’ll actually review you is by simplifying the process. This can be achieved by creating a direct link for people to rate your business. You can also add this link to your website, social media, and email signature for easy reference.
Finding the link that you need to send can be oddly tricky, but our friends at Papaya Internet have created a tool that generates a link to send your clients to rate you on Google. You can learn more about their Google Review Link Generator at their website.
While these are just some ideas, there are plenty of ways to get more Google reviews. As long as you are offering quality products and/or services, regular, positive Google reviews should appear when people search for you!
To learn more about online reputation, contact us today!
