Have you ever wondered how to get more reviews on Google? Have you ever looked at your competitor’s glowing Google reviews and wondered why you’re not getting the same?
You know your audience loves what you’re selling. They tell you all the time in your Instagram DMs or business inbox. And while it’s great to feel the love in your DMs, Google Reviews are the holy grail of online reviews.
Don’t know why Google Reviews are so important? That’s okay because we’re going to cover exactly why Google Reviews are so important and how you can get more 5-star reviews for your business.
Benefits of Google Reviews for your business
Most small business owners, whether they’re a local government body or a small business run out of a spare room, know they need Google reviews.
And it’s no surprise when 93% of users say online reviews have an impact on their buying decisions.
But did you know that online reviews can also improve your visibility and get your business in front of more potential customers? Do these reviews actually have an impact on your business?
You better believe it. Here are three benefits of Google reviews for your business.
1. Google reviews are a local ranking factor
In non-jargon-y terms, this basically just means that the more five-star reviews you have on Google, the more popular your business looks to Google, and the more likely you are to show up when someone searches for your products or services.
Plus, Google will only show three local businesses for any search, so this is prime real estate we want to capitalise on!
Gyms are a great example of the benefit of improving your rank for local searches.
Why? Because no one is going to travel more than 10km from their home to sweat it out at the gym. Going to the gym (for most people, at least #SorryGymJunkies) isn’t something they’re dying to do. They go because they have to because they need to stay fit and healthy, so they need to make it as easy as possible for them to actually rock up and work out.
If there are two gyms in your local area and one has more Google reviews, that’s the gym that is more likely to be shown to you in your Google search. This means you’re capitalising on your 10km radius of potential gym-goers, helping increase memberships just by way of being at the top of the search results.
This brings me to my next point…
2. Reviews make your business look more trustworthy
This is two-fold. Reviews help boost your local search ranking, taking you closer to the top of the Google search. The higher your website ranks, the more trustworthy you seem, and the more likely people are to visit your website and buy what you’re selling.
But reviews, more generally, are exceptional for building trust. Think of reviews as a form of word of mouth. You’re much more likely to hit up the local gym that your partner or best friend goes to because they’ve experienced this gym first-hand, they’re stoked with their experience and can back up what the gym itself is claiming to be.
That’s arguably the more important reason why reviews make your business look trustworthy. The more reviews you get, the more the community are validating you as a business, and the more likely people are to get on board.
3. Review ratings are the biggest driver of clicks in local search results
When you’re looking for a local business or service, the listings that stand out are the ones with five-star Google reviews and a high number of reviews. Google has come out and reinforced this, confirming that review ratings are the biggest driver of clicks in local search results.
The businesses with the more positive reviews get more clicks to their site, and that’s the aim of the game, isn’t it? More clicks, more sales, better business. #Goals
How to get more Google reviews
Now you know why Google reviews are so important for improving your visibility, traffic and ultimately your bottom line, but now let’s talk about how to get even more of those five-star reviews.
1. Don’t ever pay anyone to leave a review
I know I told you I’d tell you how to get reviews, and now I’m telling you how not to. But we need to start here because it’s a mistake many business owners make.
Do not, under any circumstances, pay your customers (or anyone else, for that matter) to leave a review. Reviews must be authentic or your Google Business profile may be taken down, which is the last thing we want for your business.
Take my word for it. It’s not worth it. Just don’t do it.
Okay, now we can get onto the things you can do (AKA: the fun stuff).
2. Add a prompt to your receipts, invoices or other printed materials
This is great for businesses that operate mostly in the real world, with restaurants and cafes able to benefit greatly from this hack!
You can even add a QR code to your menu with a link to your Google Business to make it super easy for customers. After all, the easier it is to leave a review, the more likely they are to do it!
3. Email customers to request reviews
And do it just after you’ve interacted with them.
If you’re a product-based business, send an email a few days after the product arrives asking them to leave their thoughts on a Google review.
If you’re a service-based business, send an email just after you’ve provided your service, or if they’re a regular customer, send them an email a few months in to ask if they can leave you a review.
Don’t forget to provide them with a direct link to your Google Business listing. Make it as easy as possible for them to leave a review and they’re more likely to follow through!
4. Add a prompt to your team’s email signatures
This is the best kind of tactic because it’s set-and-forget. Simply update your team’s signatures with a “Love how we work? Leave us a review” and, of course, link directly to your Google Business listing.
This is less likely to generate as many reviews as directly asking them, but it’s an easy way to remind your audience that they can leave reviews if they’re up for it.
5. Add a “Review Us” page to your website
Simple, right? I see so many product-based businesses doing this right, with a reviews section below every product. Not only does this mean you can read the reviews of previous purchasers, but they’re consistently reminding you that you can also leave a review.
Service-based businesses can do the same by creating a dedicated page on their website for collecting reviews. Whether this is a full page with example reviews for your audience to work from (again, making it easier for them to leave a review), or a link to your Google Business listing below your services, it gently reminds them to leave a Google review every time they visit those pages on your site.
6. Ask in person for a personal touch
If you want to get personal with it, ask your audience for reviews IRL. This works better for service-based businesses that have in-person catch-ups with clients, where you can easily drop the Google review chat into the conversation.
Pro tip: to make it even easier for them, have a QR code you can bring along that links them directly to your Google Business listing. The aim of the game (in case you couldn’t tell by the number of times I’ve repeated it already 😉) is to make it as easy as possible for your audience to leave reviews. This is one quick and easy way to do just that!
Show me how it’s done!
You know you need more Google reviews. You know how to ask for them. Now it’s time to put your lessons into practice and increase your Google reviews!
Here’s a challenge for you. For the next seven days, ask one past customer or client per day to leave you a Google review.
I promise you’ll be surprised how easy it becomes when you put it into practice!
And don’t forget to send me an Instagram DM to let me know how you go. I can’t wait to see how your Google reviews take off!
