With 5 billion Google searches every day, online reviews to discover new businesses, products and services are increasing daily. The reality is customers trust Google reviews; in fact, 92% of shoppers rely on reviews to help them decide whether or not they should make a purchase.

Google reviews are quick and easy and can be extremely important to any business looking to achieve its business goals. On average, a customer will read 10 reviews before trusting a business, buying a product, or pursuing a service. Shoppers will only take into account reviews that are less than 3 months old, so this means that your business will need at least 10 new reviews every quarter.

Now more than ever with online businesses soaring, Google reviews are imperative and should be a priority in your marketing strategy. Whether you are starting up or you are looking to grow your established business we have put together 10 ways to get more Google reviews for your business.

 

 

How to get more Google reviews 

The Google website displayed on an iPad.

1. Ask customers to leave a review

It may seem simple and straightforward but directly asking your customers to leave a Google review is a good start. Sometimes the customer just needs a small prompt and this will make all the difference. This method is good as it works for a business that does not have an online presence. Business owners can send out emails, text messages, and ask via social media or have conversations in-store, which will help to increase Google reviews.

For example, if a customer buys a product online, a follow-up email could be sent to them.

“Dear Customer, Thank you for shopping with us! If you’re enjoying your purchase, we would greatly appreciate it if you could write us a Google review.

Here is the link https://castle.co.uk/

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us on 0330 107 5343 or email us at info@castle.co.uk”

A simple personal message can go a long way and communicate with your customers will help your business to grow and develop.

 

A cartoon image of someone leaving a 5-star review.

 

2. Add the Google review link to your website 

For both start-up and established businesses, ensuring that you have a business name and postcode is important when setting up a Google review link. It will allow customers to write a review using a link directly from your website.

Alternatively, “Share Your Business Profile” will generate a code directing customers to Google map where they can write a review. The link will look like this https://goo.gl/maps/G1vZ9WCiqrAcS2oN8

 

3. Engage in the conversation 

Engaging with customers will build relationships. New and existing customers will see that your business takes the time to respond to reviews and it may encourage other customers to leave reviews in the future.

What can your business do?

  • Ensure the listing has current up to date information
  • Respond to questions from customers and Google users
  • Engage with reviews quickly

People feel more confident when a business is actively getting involved with its customers. It shows your business is relevant and customers might be more inclined to share their opinion and leave a review.

 

4. Run a retargeting campaign

Retargeting is great when trying to increase the number of Google reviews. It works by delivering a message to an individual who has seen your website or ad campaign. Retargeting is effective as it continues to expose your brand so that people return to your site with the hope that they make a purchase.

In order to secure a review, targeting those who have visited the order confirmation page will help to prompt people to leave a review.

 

A marketing wheel of someone displaying customers & users.

 

5. Offer an excellent experience to customers

Ensuring that your website is easy to navigate, fast and reliable will help to ensure that customers have a good experience. It might encourage them to recommend your business to their families and friends.

To fuel an excellent experience for your customers you could:

  • Create a unique and memorable experience when buying goods and services
  • Ensure that you are always providing fantastic customer service

The best way to grow in your industry is to learn what your customers want, what the business does well and how it can be improved. An increase in Google reviews will help you achieve growth and allow you to provide the best experience to your customers.

 

6. Respond to all reviews – good and bad

Engaging with all customer reviews good and bad can have a positive outcome for your business. Learning from your mistakes and making changes to help improve the business strategy is not a bad thing. Owning your mistakes and responding to negative reviews may encourage more reviews. Respond to the best of your ability and use the review as feedback and development. If your business is open to praise and criticism you may get more reviews.

 

7. Use the reviews link in surveys to get more Google reviews

Using surveys to gain more Google reviews is an excellent way to increase customer feedback. It means that customers can express their experience in the survey through the options provided by the survey. It is a quick and easy way to generate feedback on your products or services and will take the customer seconds to complete.

Although this wouldn’t allow for comments, by including the Google review link on survey emails, survey popup and embedded surveys you will generate more valuable information and increase Google reviews.

 

8. Use reviews on other platforms for content

Reviews are great because it’s real customers feedback, which creates a conversation about the products or services your business sells. Reviews tend to generate conversation between customers and tell a story, which is highly engaging. The person reading the review will understand the product or service more and may be more inclined to make a purchase.

To influence more reviews from your customers you could:

  • Encourage customers to submit longer reviews that get published on the blog
  • Have customers send in video reviews you could publish on YouTube or Facebook
  • Use the reviews as part of a marketing campaign or ad creative

People that are already excited about your business may want to talk about it and recommended it to friends and family. To ensure the review is exposed to a bigger audience you could use social media platforms to expose positive review and it might encourage others to leave reviews.

 

9. Offering an incentive

Offering an incentive to your customers could encourage them to leave reviews for your business. Emails or text messages could be sent out to customers that have purchased encouraging them to leave a review and have a chance to win a product. Similarly, customers could receive a discount code for the next time they shop with your business as a way to say thank you for leaving a review. This will help generate new reviews, which is good for growing a business and increasing sales.

 

10. Work as a team

Working as a team in any business is extremely effective and important. When it comes to increasing your Google reviews it is one of the more simple ways. Ensuring that the team understand the importance of reviews is the first step to being successful. Secondly making sure the team know how customers can make reviews and how to ask for them on each platform. Finally, setting targets for the team to reach daily, weekly or monthly will ensure that you are getting consistent and new reviews for your customers to read. Remember the more recent reviews the more comfortable and trusted your new and existing customers will feel using your services or buying your products.

Castle can help you gain more Google reviews 

Here at Castle, we are experts in web design, marketing, and search engine optimisation strategies. We have made £23 million for our clients in just three years by implementing effective marketing strategies. Our teamwork with a variety of clients to develop strong and effective marketing strategies that generate revenue and help grow businesses.

We create bespoke marketing strategies, unique to your business, and tailored to your requirements to deliver the best results. To find out more about how Castle can help grow your business, visit our website or contact us on 0330 107 5344 or info@castle.co.uk.