In today’s competitive landscape, local businesses face the challenge of strengthening their online presence and reputation to attract customers.
A very useful, but often overlooked practice, is building regular, positive online reviews. With customer buying decisions being strongly influenced by factors such as the cost of living, reviews have become an even more crucial tool in encouraging customers to choose your business over your competitors.
While some may underestimate the power of online reviews, recent research by Brightlocal has indicated that 98% of people read online reviews for local businesses, and that 49% of consumers say they find online business reviews to be as trustworthy as personal recommendations from family or friends:
‘The percentage of consumers who said they trust reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends has increased by 4% since 2023.’
This data highlights just how useful high-quality, positive reviews can be and how influential they are in shaping customer purchase choices and public perceptions of your business.
In this article, we’re going to delve into Google reviews, why they’re important and some of the best ways that you can build them up for your business.
Introducing Google reviews - what are they?
Google reviews are integrated within Google Business Profile and Google Maps. They serve as a dedicated area for customers to share their feedback based on their experiences with a particular business. Aside from this, Google reviews hold a lot of significance for potential customers seeking social proof and reasons to select your business.
Reviews provide valuable insights into the quality of your products or services, the level of customer satisfaction and the credibility of your business. As an especially trusted source of information, they contribute significantly to shaping customer decisions and helping to build trust in your brand.
Why are Google reviews important for your business?
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They help increase customer trust
Plenty of high-quality, positive Google reviews are an excellent trust factor for your clients. Think of a time that you were looking for a specific product or service; you probably had a look through the reviews as a way to help you make up your mind.
This is what your customers will be doing too. Good reviews provide social proof and will help the customer feel confident and assured by your business. According to BrightLocal in their 2024 consumer review survey, 75% of consumers are ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ checking online reviews and found that Google was the most trusted review platform across all industries, so it’s a no-brainer to start building your reviews up today.
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Google reviews have a positive effect on your rankings in local search
A huge benefit of building your reviews is that it can help improve your visibility within local search. Google likes businesses with plenty of positive customer feedback, left regularly, so the more highly rated reviews you have, the better your site will rank in the Google Maps pack. Plenty of good reviews on your business listing helps you to stand out from the competition and build a positive picture of your brand.
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They can help to increase visits to your website (which can mean more leads)
If a customer is confident in your business and offerings, then they are more likely to click through to your website and make the purchase or find out more. Of course, a high-quality, easily navigable website is much more likely to get the conversion, but the initial interest often stems from positive reviews.
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Review feedback can help you learn more about your business
Customer feedback, whether it be positive or negative, provides valuable insights that can help you to improve your business. Positive reviews highlight all the things that you’re doing right and allow you to also see what customers like most about your business. Negative reviews can pinpoint areas for improvements, and by paying attention to the feedback you get, you can make more informed decisions to enhance your products, services and customer experience.
How to get more Google reviews for your business
Here at Adtrak, we have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to strategies for building reviews. Here are a few that you could consider putting into practice for your own business:
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Ensure that your Google Business Profile is fully optimised
Make sure that your Google Business Profile is complete with up-to-date information, including your business address, phone number, website and operating hours. A well-optimised profile makes it much easier for customers to find you and leave reviews.
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Add a review widget to your site
It can be useful to integrate a review widget on your website that directs customers to your Google review page. This can make the process of leaving a review an easier and more convenient experience for your customers.
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Reach out to satisfied customers
Your existing satisfied customers can be a great audience to reach out to for reviews. Whether you send a follow-up email, a thank you note or you mention it in conversation, a simple request for a review can go a long way!
Also, do remember to respond to all your reviews, both positive and negative, as 93% of consumers would want to see a business responding in a respectful and timely manner to their reviews - So it’s definitely worth doing.
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Reduce the effort for your customers (use a QR code)
Make it as easy as possible for customers to leave a review by providing a QR code that takes them directly to your Google listing, and opens up the scoring window ready for their feedback. You can place the codes within email correspondence for example, or even have them situated in prime places around your physical location. They offer a quick and easy way for users to leave a review, a quick scan of the codes will take them straight to the review page.
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Use a review card
Create a physical review card that you can hand out to customers after they have used a service or made a purchase. This card can have a simple message of thanks, and a QR code or link — you could even include a small incentive, such as the chance to win a prize to help encourage customers to leave a review.
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Incentivise your employees
Encourage your employees to ask for reviews and provide them with some good incentives to do so. Your employees are your biggest asset in gaining reviews; the great customer service they provide is what will help to encourage people to leave a review. With some team effort you can secure plenty of good reviews and also get the team working together to build your online reputation.
By using these strategies, you can build a really strong collection of Google reviews to help enhance the online presence of your business, increase customer trust, and also help to drive more traffic and sales. Here at Adtrak, we specialise in helping our clients to develop a strong, positive online presence by providing expert review management services. We can help to build effective review strategies and actively monitor and respond to reviews, all helping to enhance your online reputation and your ranking within the search engine results. Get started today and watch your business grow!
