More reviews = more trust + traffic. Discover how you can increase your Google reviews and turn happy customers into advocates without violating Google’s guidelines.
Online reviews are one of the most powerful tools a business can leverage to build trust, drive traffic, and influence purchasing decisions. But if you’re a smaller business or new to the digital landscape, you may not have very many reviews shared on your Google Business Profile.
In this guide, break down the importance of customer reviews, how you can get more Google Business reviews, and pitfalls to avoid.
Reviews are the first real impression customers have of your business, and they can influence whether customers will choose your business over a competitor. In fact, 88% of customers use reviews to determine the quality and status of local businesses before engaging.
Gathering reviews for your Google Business Profile helps:
Before you can begin soliciting reviews, you need to understand Google’s policies. Google doesn’t allow fake engagement. You can request reviews, but they must represent a genuine experience. That means no incentives, selectively asking for reviews from customers you know will leave a positive comment, or prohibiting/discouraging customers from leaving negative feedback.
Collecting customer reviews doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right approach, you can make it easy and natural for customers to share their experiences. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
You don’t want to request reviews out of the blue. When you time your ask right, you increase your chances of getting a response. Try to ask for reviews immediately after a purchase or service, after a positive interaction with a customer or a problem resolution, or when a customer provides feedback outside of a review space, like verbally or through an email.
You want to make leaving a review as easy as possible. The less friction, the more likely your customers are to provide that crucial feedback. You can ease the process by:
You likely communicate with customers across different channels, so you want to use multiple touchpoints to reach them.
Make it easy for customers who have returned to your website to leave a review by linking to Google reviews directly. You can add a widget where they can see other customer reviews and leave their own, or you can add a quick link in your site’s footer.
Not every customer will find your website from your Business Profile, where reviews are posted. To ensure as many customers as possible can see your reviews, add them to your website. Displaying existing reviews can further build trust while also providing inspo for what other customers can leave in their own reviews.
When you ask for honest feedback instead of pressuring customers to leave only positive reviews, you build trust. People are more likely to leave a review when they feel their genuine opinion is welcome. Transparency shows you value all experiences, including the not-so-perfect ones, and honesty encourages more people to speak up.
Take the guesswork out of leaving a review. Instead of just asking for one, offer a prompt like “Tell us what you liked about our visit” or “Was there a team member who stood out?” Many people want to leave a review but aren’t sure what to include or where to start. Prompts can offer a great jumping-off point.
You want (positive) reviews, and you want them fast. That’s totally understandable. But like all good things, collecting reviews takes time. That doesn’t stop some businesses from trying to game the system, though.
Google’s smart, and they know how businesses might try to skirt the rules. Stick to the suggestions above and don’t fall for these mistakes, or you risk review removal, profile suspension, and loss of visibility.
You can kindly request reviews, but you cannot offer anything in return for a customer leaving a review or changing a negative review to a positive one. No rewards, discounts, or payment of any type in exchange for reviews, especially if the incentive is tied to leaving a positive review.
It’s against Google’s policy to filter customers based on their anticipated feedback. All customers should have an equal opportunity to leave a review, regardless of whether their experience was positive or negative.
Besides, negative reviews are just as important as positive ones. Not only can they uncover ways you can improve your business, but they also help with consumer trust — sounds counterintuitive, right? According to TrustPilot, 68% of consumers actually trust a business more when they see a mix of positive and negative reviews. If all your reviews are highly positive, consumers may think they’re fake, filtered, or manipulated.
If you’ve browsed any small business forums looking for review generation advice, you may have seen suggestions to pay for reviews. But remember — it’s directly against Google’s policy to fake engagement. While it may be tempting to fork over a bit of cash for an instant bundle of positive reviews, it’s not worth the risk of damaging your reputation with Google or your customers. You also don’t want to solicit reviews from friends or family members who haven’t interacted with your business or leave reviews yourself from a fake account.
It’s okay to ask for reviews, but you need to accept that not every customer is willing to leave one. Send an email/text or two after a purchase or service has been completed, but leave it at that. You don’t want to hound customers to provide feedback. An annoyed customer who otherwise might have left a positive review may suddenly turn sour on your business and let that be known to others.
Gathering reviews is just half the battle. You still need to reply to them — both the positive and negative ones. When responding to reviews, make sure you:
Encouraging customers to leave online reviews is essential for building credibility and improving local search rankings. But your work doesn’t end once the reviews start coming in. Reviews still need timely, thoughtful responses. GPO offers expert listings management services to ensure your business information is accurate and easy to find, and our review response services make it simple to engage with customers and maintain a strong online reputation. Contact GPO today and let us help you stay on top of your reviews.
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More reviews = more trust + traffic. Discover how you can increase your Google reviews and turn happy customers into advocates without violating Google’s guidelines.