In today’s business world, online reviews play a critical role. They sway customer decisions and can significantly impact your reputation and search engine ranking.
Customers are turning to Google reviews more than ever before. In 2020, zero-click searches rose to 65% of all Google inquiries, meaning nearly two-thirds of people looking for your business will only read the Google reviews before exiting the window.
By the end of this guide, you'll understand why Google business reviews matter and learn practical strategies to acquire them.
Customer feedback is invaluable and can significantly impact your business's success. Google reviews, in particular, offer many advantages that can shape how potential customers perceive your business.
Here are six benefits of Google reviews:
There are a few steps you must take to enable Google reviews online.
Before asking your customers to leave Google reviews, make sure you’ve claimed and optimized your Google Business Profile.
Follow these steps to claim your business profile:
After claiming your profile, make sure it’s up to snuff. Search for your competition on Google to see how they leverage their business profiles. Make sure your profile includes:
Once you’ve done all the above, you must confirm ownership of your business on Google. The process varies depending on the type of business and your association with it. You might receive immediate validation if you created the business profile and are logged into your Google My Business account.
However, if you didn't create the profile, Google will send you a verification code. Depending on your account circumstances and industry security requirements, you can receive this code through regular mail, email, or text.
Once you receive and input the code, you'll gain complete control of your business profile on Google. This ownership enables you to manage reviews, update information, enhance details, and optimize for effective local marketing.
Keep it simple to ensure you follow Google's Terms of Service when asking for reviews: don't offer rewards or incentives. Instead, ask your customers about their experiences, whether good or bad.
This approach helps maintain genuine and trustworthy reviews, which ultimately builds a credible online reputation for your business.
So, what’s the easiest way to get Google Reviews? Ask. It’s as simple as that. Asking your customers to leave reviews immediately after purchases increases the likelihood that their feedback is fresh and relevant.
When you’re ready to ask your customers to leave reviews, make it as simple as possible for them to access the review platform.
Your first step is to find your custom review link:
Once you have the link, examine it closely. Can customers type it into their smartphone or desktop in less than ten seconds? If not, you’ll need to use a link shortener like Bitly.
You can also simplify the process for your customers by creating a QR code.
There are several opportunities to ask customers for reviews, including:
Once you’ve created a short link, a QR code or both, it’s time to ask your customers for reviews. Keep your requests short and sweet. Here are some short templates for Google review requests:
How did we do? Please leave us a Google review at [short link]. Thank you for choosing [Company Name]!
Use the QR code below to leave us a Google review—we love to hear from you! Thank you for your business.
[Company Name] thrives on feedback. Please leave us a Google review using the [link/QR code] below. Thank you for choosing [Business Name] for your [industry] needs!
As a local business, [Company Name] depends upon customer feedback. Let us know how we did by leaving a Google review at the [link/QR code] below.
Google reviews appear on your Google Business Page and can be seen in Google search results.
No. Buying reviews is against Google's policies and can lead to penalties. Authentic reviews are essential.
Yes. You can ask customers to leave reviews, but avoid offering incentives in exchange for positive reviews, as this violates Google's guidelines.
You cannot remove bad reviews, but you can (and should) respond to them professionally.
PRO TIP: Managing and promptly responding to your reviews – both good and bad – addresses concerns and helps maintain (or improve) your reputation.
Read The Ethics of Review Gating: What You Need to Know
The number of reviews needed varies, but consistent positive reviews can gradually increase your star rating.
PRO TIP: Closely watch your star rating and review quantity. If your star rating begins to dip, ask your most loyal and satisfied customers to leave reviews if they haven’t already.
Customers look for companies with a high star rating, short and sweet reviews and professional responses from the brand.
Learning how to get a Google review via SMS can seem intimidating for more traditional business owners. The process can seem like just another item on a mile-long to-do list for new companies. However, collecting quality Google reviews should be critical to your marketing plan.
And, with text message marketing from Textedly, requesting reviews is simpler than ever. Textedly provides SMS and MMS marketing services to thousands of brands nationwide. We help companies leverage the power of text to communicate with existing, new and potential customers.
Harness the power of text message marketing today. Start your free trial today!