Whether you realize it or not, you often rely on the opinions of others for your purchasing decisions. You likely look at the star rating to determine which one works best for your needs.
Reviews showing real and honest customer feedback can be a huge boost for your business.
Google is one of the top review sites where people leave feedback on your business. Maximizing your Google Business Profile can help with local search and local SEO.
Let’s discuss how to leverage your presence on Google and how to get more reviews for your business.
What is a Google Business Profile?
Your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a profile where “you can manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search.”
Through this profile, potential customers can find your business hours, phone number, address, website, customer reviews, and more. Check out Google’s Business Profile Help page for more information on what all you can do with your profile.
If you don’t already have a Google Business Profile for your business, check out our blog post “How to Set Up Your Google My Business Profile” for a step-by-step guide on how to create an account today.
Why Reviews Are Important for Your Business
Just as you rely on reviews for your own purchasing decisions, so do your customers.
When customers see high star ratings reviews, this can help establish trust in your business. They can read the real experience of other customers and hear what they enjoyed about their experience.
On the other hand, if your reviews are poor or are sparse, customers may be tempted to turn to your competition instead. People want to feel secure in their purchase and without real customer reviews, they won’t feel comfortable trusting you.
How to Get Your Shareable Google Review Link
You want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to leave a review for your business. This is where your unique review link comes in handy.
To find your shareable Google review link:
1. Go to business.google.com and click ‘Sign In.’
2. Once you sign in, you’ll be taken to your profile’s Home page. Click “Ask For Reviews”
3. This will pop up a box that has your unique link to your reviews that can be shared with customers. Copy the Review Link.
Pro Tip: Always keep your link easily accessible on your phone and computer so that you can quickly grab it and send it to customers as needed!
4. As an extra bonus you can use this link to find your Google My Business URL. Paste the Review Link copied in Step 3 into the URL bar in your browser. Then Click Cancel on the popup. You’ll see a share button, and after clicking that you’ll be given a popup where you can copy your Google My Business URL.
How to Get More Google Reviews
Once you have your link, there are several ways it can be used to generate more reviews for your business.
Website
First and foremost, create a “Leave a Review” section on your website that encourages customers to leave their feedback. You can include the section on your homepage, contact page, footer, or wherever makes the most sense for your business.
Having this link on your website will make it easy for current customers to find it and write a review for you, while potential customers can see recent reviews to learn more about your business.
Post-Purchase Follow-Up
Once a customer has purchased a product or been provided a service by your business, be sure to create a follow-up process for requesting reviews.
This could be an email, text message, survey, or whatever is the easiest way for you to receive feedback.
Whatever medium you choose, be sure to thank them for their time, ask their feedback, and give them the unique link to leave you a review.
Email Signature
If you communicate regularly with customers and clients via email, add the link to your signature as one more touchpoint. This provides one more chance for them to see it and review your business.
Business Cards
If you hand out business cards, consider adding a place on your card for your review link.
You can use a tool like Bitly to shorten and personalize your URL so it’s easy to access. Your link can go from random numbers and letters to something more like bit.ly/CompanyNameReview.
Social Media Posts
You can use social media to create posts encouraging people to leave you a review.
One way to do this would be to take a photo of one of your most impressive reviews and encourage others to leave feedback as well through the post.
Keep in mind that you won’t get very many reviews without asking for them!
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