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Google Business Profile Optimisation

Getting Google Reviews

Google reviews significantly influence the way customers think about your company.

They are also crucial for businesses looking to get discovered in search results. 

By managing Google reviews, you can showcase your business in the best possible light and minimize the impact that negative reviews or low ratings might have on your brand reputation.

In this chapter, we’ll break down how you can monitor, respond to, and generate Google reviews, as well as how you can leverage these reviews to acquire and retain more customers.

Why are Google Reviews Important?

Google reviews are important for one reason: your customers look for and trust these reviews. 

According to online reviews statistics:

• Google is the number one website for online reviews. 63.6% of consumers say they are likely to check reviews on Google (through Google Maps and Search) before visiting a business location — more than any other review site. 

It’s easy to see why almost two-thirds of people turn to Google to find reviews of businesses. Apart from Google being the world’s top website, zero-click searches are also on the rise. (It increased by 65% in 2020.) 

(Zero-click searches happen when the top search results provide the answer to a user’s query, so that the user doesn’t even have to click through to a website or leave the search engine results page.)

The Link Between Google Reviews and Search Results

Google reviews also have a direct impact on where and how prominently companies and brands appear in search engine results. 

A Moz report suggests that reviews are one of the top factors influencing organic search results on Google — and a top 3 factor influencing which businesses are featured in the Google Maps Pack. In terms of local SEO, more reviews mean more information for Google’s algorithm.

How to Track Google Reviews?

The simplest way to find and track your company’s reviews is to use Google Business Profile (GBP), the search engine company’s free tool that allows business owners (or its representatives) to create and verify their own data on Google. 

Why Is It Important to Get New Reviews?

A steady stream of new reviews can dramatically improve your search engine performance, which is essential to driving traffic and attracting more customers. This makes it crucial for companies to learn how to get Google reviews proactively. It’s not enough to simply plant your business flag on Google and wait for reviews to come in. If you don’t proactively request customers for reviews, your review data sample is more likely to be biased towards those who are motivated to leave a review: usually, people with a customer service issue.

How to Get More Google Reviews?

Here are some effective ways you can get Google reviews for your company and build up your brand’s online presence. 

• Use Email
• Send SMS Campaigns
• Create a Google Reviews Link
• Make Your Customers Happy

What is Review Gating?

Unlike other business review sites (for example, Yelp), Google encourages business owners to reach out to their customers and ask for reviews. However, Google doesn’t want businesses to discourage or prohibit negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.

A practice commonly referred to as “review gating,” this is normally done by sending customers a survey or feedback form — through email, SMS, landing pages, or social media. Based on their form responses, customers are then asked to either post a positive review on Google if they had a positive experience — or share details of their feedback privately if they had a negative experience.

Can I Share Google Reviews on My Website?

Yes, and we highly recommend it.

Showcasing your best and highest-rated reviews on your website is a great way to provide social proof, boost consumer confidence, and encourage user interaction. Reviews also often serve as the final push people need to convert from being visitors to being customers. 

Simply put: authentic, positive reviews on your website leverages the power of testimonial-based marketing. Letting happy customers make statements about the benefits of your products or services makes it easier for potential customers to trust your company.

You can display Google reviews on your homepage and show your company’s overall rating. You can also create location pages displaying each business location’s reviews. Another option is to create a customer testimonials page, which is a great way to turn website visitors into customers and loyal fans.

Can I Delete or Edit Google Reviews?

Here’s the short answer: companies can’t delete any review on their Google business listings.  

Most of the time, GBP users who succeed in having a review deleted can do so because the review in question violated Google review policy. 

There is also no straightforward way to edit reviews on Google. Customers are allowed to change or update their own reviews to reflect the most recent experience they had with a business. 

Brands cannot edit Google reviews. If there’s a review of your business on Google that you do not agree with, the best practice is to respond to the review or engage with the customer directly. In certain situations, this can even result in the customer updating their review.

Final Thoughts

Google reviews play an important role in how today’s consumers discover and judge businesses. They can also shape a brand’s online reputation, as well as reveal valuable insights into a company’s operations, showing areas where an organization can improve customer service and experience.

By tracking, responding to, and generating reviews on Google — and by applying best practices in reputation management — you can improve your brand’s search visibility, outperform competitors, and acquire more customers.