Let’s be honest, we all check reviews.
We might only leave them when we’re fuming but thankfully there’s a selection of lovely people who recognise when a business goes above and beyond and leaves a nice review of how perfect everything was.
If you’re not actively getting reviews for your business, you could potentially be losing out on a lot of revenue.
Don’t believe us? Here is a screenshot of a client GMB profile
How does Google judge your GMB profile and reviews
Google will look at your reviews and think
- How many reviews have you got?
- Where are they coming from?
- How frequently are they being added?
Reviews show credibility and let users know that you’re business is more trustworthy, so what are you waiting for? (oh, the other reasons how Google reviews can help your SEO)
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Reach your target audience
SEO is all about relevance. People want to find businesses where they know they are safe buying, if your website shows up and it’s got hundreds or thousands of reviews, this will directly resonate with your audience.
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It’s a part of local SEO
A large part of SEO is about showing the search engines you’re a trusted business.
For businesses that need customers and clients in the local area or for larger businesses that have a lot of stores around the country, Google reviews help to boost your local SEO rankings.
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It shows the search engines and users you can be trusted
Social proof is a big aspect of how a customer sees your website.
If you’re showing up with lots of reviews, and user-generated images showing people using your products or services this will establish some level of trust before they’ve even seen your website
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Builds brand awareness
Brand awareness takes time. Sometimes, you might appear in the search engines but not get a click but you still might be seen.
Supposedly, according to Neil Patel, people start to trust brands after they’ve seen them about seven times.
That means that you need to build a lot of content so that users are finding you more and having more Google reviews will help reinforce your brand message, especially if they keep noticing the positive reviews are going up.
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Show your personality by responding
Nobody likes bad feedback. Don’t take it so personally, people will say but at the same time, what’s more, personal than slating a professional service you’ve given?
One thing everybody understands is that there are always going to be people that love a good moan.
One time, we had an eCommerce order returned, it was a £1.55 long-sleeve t-shirt someone had bought but it had a few loose threads.
Instead of just returning it and asking for a refund he sent a long email and left a bad review claiming he had now “lost total confidence in this company”.
In whatever case, it is, whether it’s a restaurant, hairdresser or whatever if you get a negative review, use it to your advantage.
It’s all about being very apologetic whilst at the same time standing firm, apologising and promising to make it better if it’s genuine, people will see this and understand you are human and that you’re looking to fix any mistakes made.
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Enables customers to trust your business more
Trust is one of the biggest factors of a website. It gives you credibility and helps your business to grow.
People are more likely to be brand advocates for you and perhaps leave more reviews or comments on other social media platforms, helping spread more awareness about your brand.
If someone is comparing your website to another one, or let’s say your whole digital presence, having positive reviews can give the user a better perception that they are more likely to get a better service from your business compared to choosing another one.
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Leads can convert better
The type of lead that sees your reviews is going to be much warmer than someone who just stumbled upon a website and used a contact form to get in touch.
The more trust and credibility you can build with your brand, the better quality of leads you’ll be getting on a daily/weekly basis.
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They help you to improve your businesses services/products
If you’re getting reviews regularly, this will give you a better understanding of how customers are experiencing your business.
Whilst it can be hard to take some negative reviews, ultimately, they provide a learning experience where you can make your service even better.
For example, if you’ve got a restaurant and people are continuously mentioning certain specific aspects whether it’s the toilets were too hard to find or the bill took too long to arrive, you can address them and improve the overall experience for future customers.
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People are searching your brand plus reviews
A lot of people want to make sure what they are buying before they get their card details out (ok so maybe they are using apple pay or similar but it’s still the same).
If your potential customers are searching for your reviews, for example, if you need to get an electrician out, you need all the information possible to make the most informed purchasing decision.
We’ll even make it easier for you to get more Google reviews, to find your;
- Use Google to search for your business
- Click reviews
- Copy the link URL
- Share with everyone you know
