Everyone knows gaining Google Reviews is important. It shows potential customers how the community feels about your business and reviews themself are considered a ranking signal. Here we will go over a handful of ways to obtain more Google Reviews.
1: Make sure your users can leave reviews.
Make sure your Google My Business page is verified. Once done, you can begin to collect Google reviews. It’s a simple step but one that many businesses aren’t taking advantage of.
2: Ask your clients to leave a review.
While it might seem simple and obvious, most customers aren’t thinking about leaving a review. Having a place to leave reviews on your social media profile or a newsletter is a great way to ask.
3: Make it as easy as possible for a client to leave a review.
The less actions a client has to make the better. Linking directly to the review page of Google My Business is a great way for clients to not take extra actions.
4: Do not buy fake reviews.
People are aware of what fake reviews look like and it will create a negative impression on your business. If people report the fake reviews or if Google senses foul play, you can end up with a suspended Google My Business listing which can cause a great loss in traffic and money.
5: Give the option to review on multiple platforms.
There is a large handful of people who prefer to review companies on other sites asides from Google. Yelp and Angie’s List are some examples of popular review sites.
6: Address negative reviews in a timely manner.
No matter how hard you try, you will receive negative reviews. Don’t delete bad reviews, users will know what you did and it will make a worse reputation for yourself. Instead address each negative review with a personal response. Keep it professional, in the end you might never make the one person happy but it will show the community that you care about your customers.
7: Use QR codes to link to review pages.
Many people have smartphones meaning many people can scan QR codes that link to your review page. This is a passive way to effectively encourage people to leave reviews on your site.
8: Encourage people to leave public testimonials.
When you receive unsolicited positive reviews, ask the person to leave more reviews on various review platforms. While the individual who left the review will likely not leave other reviews, it makes for a place to advertise your other review options.
9: Add a Call to Action to your Newsletter
The footer of your newsletter is the perfect place for a review link to your Google My Business profile. People who read your newsletter likely like your product are in a positive mood. After getting hyped over your newsletter, clients are likely to leave reviews or any other small call to action left at the bottom.
10: Provide the best possible product or service possible.
At the end of the day, all the tricks in the book won't save you from negative reviews if your business isn't steller. Take every negative review as a personal recommendation as to how you can do better. A major impact on how the community views your business is your customer service.
Read more about tricks for reviews here.