How to Get Google Reviews

Why are Google Reviews Important?

Credibility Building

What’s more convincing to you: Hearing how great a product is from a company owner or a customer? You can talk about how great your product is, but it won’t have the credibility of hearing it from someone who has nothing to gain from your growing business.

Pop to the Top

The more good reviews you have, the more importance Google places on your business. For localized businesses, that means popping up higher in Google Maps. For other businesses, that means getting the coveted top spots in Google search results.

Growing Your Audience

Peoples’ search patterns are getting more specific. Instead of searching for “pizza restaurant near me”, people might be searching for “thin crust margherita pizza near me”. While you definitely want to include your specific offerings in your website, it’s helpful if your customers are naming your products in their reviews. The more they do this, the more you’ll show up for these specific searches.

Get Pulled into AI searches

AI search engines love natural language. When it comes to responding to users’ questions, particularly things like “What is the best…”, AI prefers content that reads as conversational rather than informational. Real reviews written by real people fit the bill perfectly.

How to Get Impactful Reviews

One thing we always caution our customers against is buying or stuffing reviews. Google only gets users if it’s a reliable source of truth, which means they want to make sure reviews are real. They will filter out any reviews that seem suspicious. So at the outset, make sure your reviews are from real customers, not your helpful friends and family.

Remember, a good proposal feels like a handshake, not a trap. Even though everyone needs to make sure their asses are covered, the protection and benefits should be equally balanced.

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Trust Your Gut (It’s Usually Right)

In the end, it’s your decision that matters.

Chemistry really matters. You will be working closely together afterall. You don’t want to be stuck with someone you don’t like, even if they are the top marketer/designer in the world.

Do you feel listened to? Or do you feel like you just came out of a sales call? A good agency shows empathy, asks important questions, and listens carefully to ensure they have a clear picture of your business and its needs.

This can be a challenge. I mean, what kind of person actually sits down to write reviews? Well as a recipient of the 2018 Yelptime Achievement Award and the author of over 1,000 reviews myself, I can confidently say… nerds.

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Nerds love to give their opinion and share knowledge, particularly online. Fortunately, nerds are plentiful. So the simplest way to get reviews is to ask. Reach out to your customers and politely ask them to leave a detailed review. I’ve found that it’s helpful to seed some questions to them, like:

• What products/services have you used?
• What did you like most about these?
• How was our customer service?
• Would you recommend us to a friend?
• What was something special that stuck out to you?

If you’re finding that your reviews are still slow, make sure that it’s extremely easy to review you. Have links on your website and in email signatures, and add a QR code on receipts. We caution against providing a gift or incentive for reviews. That goes against Google’s terms of service and can get your reviews taken offline altogether.

Once you do get a good review, make sure to reply to the review with gratitude. This makes your customer feel even better about the interaction, encourages other folks to review you, and pops you even higher in the search algorithm.

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Negative Reviews are a Golden Learning Opportunity

One of the inevitabilities of the internet are negative reviews. Bad reviews can bring down your overall rating, scare away potential customers, and can be really hurtful to read. One thing that might make you feel better is that it’s well known that they’re a fact of life. People make fun of bad reviews all the time, and might not take those reviewers seriously. In fact, a business that only has glowing reviews looks suspicious.

So what do you do about bad reviews? First, you take a deep breath and try not to take it personally. Then you take a hard look at your business to see if there’s validity to the complaint. A bad review is a good way to see where to improve your product or customer experience. Many companies hire third-parties to pose as customers to get an unfiltered audit of their operations. You’re getting this for free!

Next you’ll want to provide a calm response to your reviewer. Here’s an outline for a good response:

1. Acknowledge the reviewer’s feelings. Even if you don’t agree, you can still make them feel heard. Sometimes that’s all someone wants. For example, “We’re sorry you had a bad experience with our product.”
2. Tell them what you’ve done, or will do to remedy the problem. For example, “We fixed the bug, so the software should be working as expected.”
3. Thank them for their feedback. For example, “Thanks for bringing this to our attention, and we hope you continue to trust us with your needs!”

That’s it. No need to defend your business or bite back. A measured and empathetic response is the best way to “fix” a bad review. It shows that your business cares about its customers and operates with integrity. And again, your response feeds into the algorithm, signalling your importance to Google.

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It’s Worth the Effort

Google Reviews are an important part of your marketing strategy. Fortunately, it’s also completely free. With a bit of time and effort, reviews can be a great tool to bring more qualified prospects to your door, nurture your relationships with current customers, and gain valuable insight on your business.

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