When deciding what business you should go with, how often do you look at the reviews? We bet more often than not!

As a customer, feedback from people who have had previous experience with the business can help your decision on whether they are a company you can trust and rely on.

No matter what type of business you own, Google Reviews is an excellent tool that should not be overlooked.

As the leading search engine, it uses reactions and reviews of your business to learn more about you and whether your website should have higher search rankings. This allows customers to have their say about a business’s standing.

Not only can Google Reviews dictate your reputation, but it can also influence where you sit in search result rankings.

Specialising in Google SEO services, we understand the importance of reviews on your business. We believe all owners should adequately understand the power this free service can have.

Do you want to learn more about Google Reviews and how you can use it to better your business? Make sure you keep reading below to find out what you need to do!

The importance of Google Reviews

Highly regarded, Google is a reliable source when it comes to searching for a business. Most importantly, their reviews feature plays a crucial part in judging a business. The higher your ranking, the more appeal you have to the major search engine.

But it doesn’t just influence Google; it also contributes to the impression a potential customer may get of your business.

By having a low ranking, customers will automatically gain a negative impression of your business, especially if the reviews left are not so good.

On the other hand, a stellar 5-out-of-5 rating with positive reviews can provide that extra persuasion a customer needs to confirm whether they will go with your service.

Your Google Reviews can make or break your online reputation and leads. Chatmeter even stated 97% of consumers say reviews influence their buying decision. That is nearly all of the consumers!

Evidently, positive reviews can go a long way for your business.

However, although it is better than none, just having one five-star Google review won’t get you too far. It is encouraged you have an abundance of reviews, showing the search engine and users you are an active and reliable business.

We’ll show you how to obtain more reviews shortly.

How your Google Reviews helps with SEO

As mentioned earlier, having Google Reviews is incredibly vital for your SEO. By analysing your reviews and rankings, Google can perceive whether customers like your business and determine how you communicate with your customers.

With the search engine striving to effectively rank websites to be more relevant to the user, your reviews contribute to their decision on whether you would be a good suggestion.

In fact, Moz has found reviews account for 15.44% of how Google ranks a business. The more reviews and the higher the ranking, the more they see the likelihood of a customer using your business, boosting your position.

It also helps the search engine identify your business as being transparent if you have a high engagement with your reviews.

Through actively responding to reviews, you are increasing the visibility of your business in Google results. This indicates that you are openly commenting in the public eye.

Furthermore, it also has an incredible impact on your local SEO. By having your location attached to your business details and clients mentioning the suburb or city in their reviews, your relevance increases as well.

And it doesn’t just stop there! With Google delivering your business to the local area, it is easier for potential customers to decide on whether you are the right choice simply by your location.

This increases your website views, further proving to Google that you are a relevant result.

How to get more Google Reviews

Do you want people to leave you with business reviews?

To get reviews and replies, you first need to have ownership of your business on Google through having your My Business profile set up. To see how you can set up a Google My Business, view our guide.

Once you have a profile set up, you are ready to receive and interact with any reviews.

To generate reviews, a free and straightforward way is to ask customers or clients to leave one through messages or social media posts.

To really drive reviews, you can invest in email mail-outs requesting a review or provide print flyers that go with purchases, encouraging customers to leave a review.

For a permanent reminder, you can apply a line in your signature suggesting a review and linking them to your GMB where they can do so. Adding signage in your business at the front desk is also a smart strategy.

Word of mouth is also a great reminder for people to leave a review.

After finishing up a project with a client, you can always ask them to leave you a review if they were happy with your services. When a good job is fresh and recently complete, many people are willing to provide feedback.

Lastly, to push for reviews, offering an incentive is always an effective way to actively get people dropping reviews. Offering a discount or a small gift in return for a review is sometimes all the motivation some customers need.

How to react to positive and negative Google Reviews

Once you have Google My Business set up and people are leaving reviews, you now have the chance to leave a reply. When replying to reviews, you must carefully read what the customer has said.

If the review is positive, it is always encouraged to ‘like’ and reply to the client, thanking them for their kind words.

By responding to their review, you are showing your appreciation that they took time to leave you their feedback, allowing the customer to feel valued.

Here is an example of a good reply to a positive review:

“Thanks, Domenic, it was a pleasure working with you and your team. Wishing you all the best and please do not hesitate to give us a call if you ever need more assistance.”

Unfortunately, there will be times you may have to face a negative review from an unsatisfied customer.

You must take this in your stride and offer them a sincere apology. Offer them a resolution such as calling them to discuss further or providing them with a free replacement to help make matters better.

Here is an example of a good reply to a negative review:

“We are so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with us, John. We appreciate your feedback and ask that you please contact us through email, we would be more than happy to discuss a resolution and rectify your experience.”

By replying to the reviewer, you are not only boosting your relationship with the customer, but you are also showing your credibility to Google, which can help your overall SEO ranking.

Google takes into consideration engagements with all types of reviews. These actions indicate that your business is interactive, thus giving you more chance of a recommendation.

When replying to reviews, here are some handy tips:

• Address the reviewer by their name and personalise your comment, even if it is templated.
• Thank the reviewer for their feedback, even if it is negative or positive.
• Encourage pleased customers to come back and mention you are excited to see them again
• Apologize to any negative review and try to offer a resolution.
• Don’t fight back with the user, offer to take the conversation elsewhere over the phone or by email and remain polite.

Now you’ve learnt all you need to know about Google Reviews, it is time to make sure you have a GMB profile and encourage people to give a review! It certainly makes all the difference and can help you generate the leads you require.

For more on Google and our full service SEO, contact us on 1300 090 401. With years of experience helping businesses in Sydney, we are the digital marketing specialists you require to climb your way up search results.