Getting reviews is a great way to improve your business’s visibility on Google. Many small businesses focus on search engine optimization, or SEO, as it is important for them to be visible on the search engines. The more reviews your business has, the more likely Google will rank it higher.
Negative reviews can hurt your business credibility
The fact is, negative reviews can hurt your business credibility. Many customers now conduct their research online before buying a product or service. Additionally, 85% of customers trust online reviews more than word-of-mouth recommendations. Regardless of the nature of the negative review, you must try to make the reviewer feel better.
Having a diverse selection of reviews will increase your credibility. This is because it is easier for a consumer to trust a website if it has a diverse number of reviews. Additionally, consumers will spend longer on a website with a wide range of content. Google tracks the time consumers spend on individual pages of a website, including reviews. Moreover, negative reviews help you identify problems with your product or service.
Make it easy for customers to leave a review
Encourage customers to leave reviews on your website and social media profiles. This is as easy as adding a link to your website or providing an email address. You can also use third-party review sites like Facebook or Google My Business. If you use these sites, you can track which customers have already left a review and send reminders to them.
To increase the chances of getting a good review, make it easy for customers to leave feedback. Provide clear instructions to customers. Providing clear instructions will alleviate the fear of the unknown and increase the likelihood of reviews. Also, consider sending personalized emails to your customers to remind them about the work you’ve done, challenges, and highlights. You can also provide a direct link to review sites.
Avoiding review gating
Avoiding review gating is important when using Google reviews to promote your business. While it may seem tempting to try to get a high volume of positive reviews, review gating is a bad practice and may land your business in trouble with Google. Luckily, there are a number of ways you can prevent gating.
For starters, Google has updated its policies to prohibit brands from discouraging negative reviews and soliciting only positive reviews. In other words, if your business consistently receives reviews of 5-stars, Google may flag you as a review gater. In addition to this, other users can report your business if they notice that you only publish five-star reviews.
Responding to negative reviews
When responding to a review, the first step is to thank the reviewer for their time and for providing you with their valuable feedback. Don’t try to hide the issue, but instead communicate in the most appropriate channels. For instance, if the reviewer wrote that the service provided by your business was bad, mention this in your reply, and offer a solution for the customer’s situation. You may also offer a gift certificate or free service, as compensation for the customer’s experience.
If you do receive a negative review, try to respond quickly. Usually, negative reviews on Google Business Profiles are a result of unresponsiveness. It is better to respond to unhappy customers immediately, especially if the reviewer has a pressing question for you. If you’re not at the office, make sure to leave a voicemail message. You can also assign someone else to take calls or respond to messages.
Social media platforms
While Buy Google reviews are the heavy hitter when it comes to online reviews, other platforms can help you get more positive feedback for your small business. These platforms include Yelp, which introduces consumers to the best local businesses, and Facebook, where users can leave reviews and share them with their friends.
When a customer is looking for a service or product, most of them will go straight to the business’s social media profile. They want to know that real people are talking about a business they are interested in. This is one of the benefits of social media platforms because they provide real and accurate information. These reviews are important to new customers who may be thinking about using your business for the first time.
