Getting More Reviews: 4 Actions to Improve Your Business's Online Presence
This is part 4 of a six-part series where I look into how to make your business more visible on the internet. I give practical examples that you can immediately apply to your business. You can also find worksheets that will assist you in making your business make the most of your internet activities.
In this article, I'll guide you through some effective strategies to increase the number of positive reviews for your business.
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Are you struggling to get more visibility for your local business? One way to improve your online presence and outrank your competitors is by focusing on your reviews. Positive reviews not only improve your chances of being found online, but they also help you stand out from the competition.
So now let's talk about how you’ll get more reviews, specifically the 4 and 5-star ones. First, and this goes without saying - you have to actually earn them. No hacks or tactics I’ll share here today will help you get 5-star reviews if you deliver a 1 or 2-star product or service. Just wanna make sure we’re all on the same page there.
Assess Your Current Reviews
To start, take a closer look at the reviews that your business has already received. I cover this in my Online Health Check process and you can copy that process yourself by following this guide.
There are many tools you can use to review and manage your online presence. One of these is Semrush's Local SEO tab. This tool will provide you with an overview of your current star rating and the number of reviews you have. Depending on your type of business it may be important to check and review multiple sites.
There are several sites where customer reviews can be left, including but not limited to:
Google Business Profile
Trustpilot
BirdEye
Yext
Make it Easy for Customers to Leave Reviews
To boost your reviews, it's essential to make it as easy as possible for your customers to leave a review. You can do this by providing a direct link to your review page, requesting reviews in person, through text messaging, or via email.
When you ask customers for a review, timing is key. It's best to ask them right after you've provided them with assistance and are confident they're pleased with your service. This is when the positive experience is fresh in their minds and they're more likely to leave a review.
Provide a direct link to your review page
Request reviews in person, through text messaging, or via email
Here's an example text message you could send to a customer asking for a review:
Hi [Customer Name], it was great working with you! If you have a moment, we would really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on Google. It would help us out a lot as a local business. Here's a direct link that will take you right to the page: [Insert Direct Review Link]. Thank you so much!
Ask for reviews right after you've provided assistance when the positive experience is fresh in the customer's mind
Your Google Review Page
To get the direct link to your Google review page, you can follow these steps:
The way to get that is to just google “my business” > “view profile” > read reviews, then click the blue “get more reviews” button. From there, they’ll give you a short link that will take people right where they need to go.
Search for your business on Google
Make sure you are logged in to Google with the account you use to manage your Google Business Profile. If you have more than one you may need to switch accounts.
Click “Promote”
Click “Ask for reviews”
Copy the link provided to you
This link will direct your customers directly to your review page. Here is an example that takes you to my review page.
Digital-Done-Right.com https://g.page/r/CRFlJQQYzfJ7EBM/review
Respond to Every Review
To show your customers that you care, it's important to respond to every review, whether it's positive or negative. When you receive a positive review, thank the customer personally and let them know how much their feedback means to you and your business. This not only demonstrates great customer service but also helps mitigate any negative reviews you may receive.
When responding to negative reviews, be measured and address the problems. Even if you believe the customer is wrong, responding can help future customers reading the interaction. If the review is fake or violates Google's policies, you can try to have it removed.
If you think a review violates Google's policies, you can try to have it removed by requesting a review removal. You can do this by going to your Google Business Profile, finding the review you want to report, and clicking the flag icon next to the review. Then, fill out the form that appears and submit it for review.
Note that you can only request a review removal if the review in question goes against certain Google policies, such as harassment, hate speech, or if it's off-topic. You can't get a review removed just because you disagree with it or don't like it.
Responding in style
Thank the customer personally for positive reviews and let them know how much their feedback means to you and your business
There isn't a hard and fast rule for how much time you should leave before responding to reviews, but it's generally a good idea to respond as quickly as possible, especially to positive reviews.
The longer you wait, the less impact your response may have.
For negative reviews, you may want to take a little more time to compose a thoughtful response but still try to respond within a few days if possible.
Respond to negative reviews in a measured way, addressing the problems and showing that you're willing to fix them
Try to have fake or policy-violating reviews removed
Embrace Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can actually be beneficial for your business if managed properly. A few negative reviews mixed in with your positive ones can make your reviews more authentic and show that you're not perfect. Embrace your negative reviews and respond to them in a way that demonstrates your business is human and cares about its customers.
Remember, getting more 4 and 5-star reviews isn't just about ranking higher in the maps. It's also about standing out from your competition. So make sure to provide a 5-star product or service, make it easy for customers to leave a review, respond to every review personally, and embrace negative feedback.
A few negative reviews mixed in with positive ones can make your reviews more authentic
Respond to negative reviews in a way that shows that you're a real, human business that cares about its customers
Hi [Customer Name], we're sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with our business. We take all feedback seriously and would like to try and make things right. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at [contact information] so we can discuss this further and hopefully resolve any issues you may have had. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Remember, getting more 4 and 5-star reviews isn't just about ranking higher in the maps. It's also about standing out from your competition. So make sure to provide a 5-star product or service, make it easy for customers to leave a review, respond to every review personally, and embrace negative feedback.
By implementing these strategies, you'll be on your way to receiving more positive reviews and outranking your competition in local search results.
Action List
Take an inventory of your current reviews
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews
Respond to every review
Embrace negative reviews in a positive way
In my next part, I’ll show you what you need to do on your website to line up perfectly with your Google Business Profile and amplify its effects so you can not only rank higher in the maps but keep more of the traffic you get so more of your casual visitors actually turn into what you really want — customers.
