The online reviews are huge. Now you know. How many times have you used Amazon reviews to decide whether or not to buy a product? Secretly shopping around at Best Buy or Target to see what reviewers are saying? Do you use Yelp reviews to decide whether to go to a new restaurant for lunch? If so, then you know how powerful reviews can be, and what is called social proof.
We use social proof to determine the right actions to take, assuming that other people in the same situation know more than we do. When it comes to online reviews, we assume that other people who have bought and tried a product or service will provide honest feedback on how it worked for them, and then we tend to follow suit, buy or not buy. Social Proof helps you make purchasing decisions.
According to a study carried out by Vendasta, online reviews are increasingly important in purchasing decisions:
- More than 88 percent of online shoppers include reviews in their purchasing decisions;
- 68 percent of consumers say positive reviews make them trust a local business more;
- 40 percent of consumers form an opinion by reading one to three reviews, while 73 percent of consumers form an opinion by reading up to six reviews;
- 60 percent of consumers searched for a business at least six times a year;
- 88 percent of consumers trust both reviews and personal recommendations;
- 68 percent of consumers trust reviews more when they see good and bad results;
- 95 percent of dissatisfied customers will return to a company if the company resolves the problem quickly and efficiently;
- The reviews lead to an average increase in sales of 18 percent.
When making buying decisions across industries and markets, Google reviews are a great way to level the playing field for your business by providing three powerful benefits: (1) trust and transparency, (2) online knowledge and local SEO, and (3) information and feedback
1. More trust and transparency
Google reviews, like other online reviews, are a form of social proof and help your potential customers make an informed buying decision. A review balance sheet increases transparency about your business by showing how you do business: how you treat customers (especially those who leave negative reviews), what exactly you do for them, and how you address their needs. Greater transparency, assuming you're doing everything right with customers, tends to increase trust in your brand, and people like to buy from and work with brands they trust.
If your budget doesn't allow for expensive ad campaigns across all existing media, but your competitors' budgets do, Google reviews will help you in the fight. Social proof and transparency can trump marketing. Anyone can Google your business or what you offer and find businesses with real customer reviews, including your business and your real customers, and make an informed decision about doing business with you. This is a strong competitive advantage.
2. Greater online and local SEO knowledge
According to Moz, 7 percent of Google localized organic search results and 13 percent of Google Local Pack/Local Finder results are driven by review signals: review amount, review speed, diversity review, etc. What do these different search results mean? ? Here there is a short description.
Local search and organic search
There are two types of search on Google and other search engines: local search and organic search. Local search includes a geographic component. When a user searches for some type of business plus location, the search engine knows that the search has what is called local intent; Some other searches also assume a local intent. Search engines want to give you exactly what you are looking for. So, if you search for "pizza delivery Lincoln Nebraska," three pizzerias will appear in the local results below the ads on the first page. This is called a local package. Local Finder is the full list of local results displayed when you click the "Other Places" link at the bottom of a local package. These results are considered localized organic results. (If you had typed "pizza delivery service," the search engine would probably have decided there was a local intent and would show you the same or equivalent results. Similarly, typing "pizza delivery service near me" would locate the results).
Here at Local Finder/Located Organic Results and Local Pack, your Google reviews will make your business shine.
Organic search is what happens when search engines decide that the search does not have a local intent. You are looking for information and not a specific place. Instead of ordering a pizza from a local restaurant, you decide to make one. You are looking for "pizza recipe". The search engine will try to give you the most relevant and highest quality pizza recipes. You will probably get similar results for "how to make a pizza". When you searched for "how to cook a turkey" last November (as I did again), you did an organic search and returned organic results.
Search engines use hundreds of factors to rank and index websites. In particular, Google usesmore than 200 factorsin its algorithm, including keywords, domain information, inbound and outbound links, content length, and grammar. It also uses the punctuation signals we talked about earlier, specifically for localized and localized results.
When your Google reviews meet the Review Signal criteria, they can help your business rank higher in local search results:
- Quantity (total number of reviews, not just Google reviews),
- speed (the speed at which you receive reviews; five reviews in five days is better than five reviews in a year), and
- Diversity (the more sources your reviews come from, the better).
Adding Google reviews to your online marketing mix can make your business easier and faster to find than simply relying on other SEO activities like keywords and blogging.
3. Better information and feedback from customers
Each Google review you receive is a small customer survey that gives you feedback and insights about customers. You'll know if the customer had a positive experience, and sometimes, who among your employees contributed to it; whether he did an excellent or not so good job; and which of your products or services the customer used. This type of information is invaluable for managing your reputation and as a general indicator of the use and popularity of the service or product.
Of course you will see negative reviews. Each negative review is another opportunity to show how your company handles these situations, both for the customer who had the bad experience and for other customers who want to use your company. You should always leave a response to a negative review, and it should usually have two parts: an apology and an opportunity to correct the error. A sincere apology goes a long way toward improving the relationship and shows that you care about the customer and take the review seriously. Offering a way to correct the wrongs your customer believes your company is responsible for further strengthens the apology and shows the customer that you are actually doing something about it.
Now that you know more about what's working and not working in your business through your Google reviews, you can use the insights and feedback to see which areas need improvement and which areas (and people) need a round of applause. You can test and optimize areas and processes that need improvement to provide a better customer experience. This leads to a good cycle and a strong competitive advantage: the better experiences you offer your customers, the more positive reviews you'll get; The more positive reviews you receive, the higher your business will appear in local Google results. The higher your rank, the greater your presence and the easier and faster it will be for other potential customers to find you.
Add Google reviews to your marketing
Google reviews can be easily integrated into your marketing. You can hire a service to help you if you have the budget, provide you with tools to monitor and respond to reviews, and in many cases tie the request for a review to a trigger, such as an event. B. a transaction on your website or a purchase on your store's POS system. This is great if you need or want a more automated approach to collecting reviews.
For some businesses, it makes more sense to take a direct, personalized route by sending email inquiries to known customers with a Google review link. This gives you another chance to "touch" your customer and give them a personal, relationship-building message. If you're in a high-touch business, this is the way to go. Andfast and easy to make.
Why you should focus on Google (compared to other search engines)
Google is the king of search engines. According to a NetMarketShare report from January 2018, 74.52% of searches were performed by Google and only 7.98% by Bing, the runner-up. Google also dominates the mobile and tablet search engine market with 93 percent. Google is undoubtedly the only search engine whose name has become a verb. Using this type of numbers is very simple.
But Google also considers other sources of reviews in its ranking, so don't neglect reviews outside of Google. Encourage your customers to review you on sites more specific to your industry or market, such as Yelp, Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, TripAdvisor, Kayak, HomeAdvisor, Angie's List, or your company's website. Even yellow page reviews can be helpful.
Ready to get more Google reviews? look at ourscheat sheet.
FAQs
What are the advantages of Google reviews? ›
Google reviews can give businesses a big credibility boost without having to spend a dime. The many benefits of getting Google reviews include Google ranking for local SEO, leveling the playing field, increasing your online reputation, and helping mom and pop operations.
What does a 3 star Google review mean? ›A customer who leaves three stars in their feedback seems to be satisfied. However, there are also reasons why they didn't give four or five stars, and you can be glad it wasn't a one- or two-star review.
What is one of the top five reasons having positive Google reviews is important for your store *? ›- The impact on local SEO.
- Improved brand recognition.
- Increased purchases.
- Reduced marketing costs.
- Tightened feedback loop with customers.
Google reviews provide useful information and help your business stand out. Reviews show up next to your Business Profile in Maps and Search. Tip: Your customers don't need a Gmail address to leave a review if they sign in to their Google Account.
What are the advantages of online reviews? ›- Social Proof Drives Purchases. ...
- They Make You More Visible. ...
- They Make You Look Trustworthy. ...
- They Expand the Conversation About You. ...
- They Are Increasingly Essential to Decision Making. ...
- They Have a Clear Impact on Sales. ...
- They Give You An Open Line to Consumers.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
- Employee assistance programs focused on mental health.
- Workplace accommodations for physical or mental health concerns.
- Onsite wellness centers.
Depending on what they wrote, you could respond with something like, “We appreciate your kind comments about our [detail the reviewer was happy with],” or, “We're truly grateful for your comments about [Employee Name] and will make sure we share your compliments with them!”
How many Google reviews make a difference? ›And the more positive Google reviews your business has, the better. For new businesses, a minimum of five reviews that are mostly positive can be enough to help your business engage more customers. Fewer than five, or no reviews at all, is not going to be as effective - if at all.
What is a 3 rating out of 5? ›On a five-point rating scale, ratings typically lie between unsatisfactory to outstanding, from one to five, respectively, with a three generally representing a rating similar to satisfactory.
What are the 5 most important Google ranking factors and why? ›- High-quality Content.
- Backlinks.
- Search Intent and Content Relevancy.
- Website Loading Speed.
- Mobile Friendliness.
- Domain Authority.
- Keyword Optimization.
- Website Structure.
What are the most important features of a good review? ›
A good review includes enough detail to give others a feel for what happened. Explain which factors contributed to your positive, negative or just so-so experience. You might also offer your view on what the company is doing well, and how they can improve. But keep things friendly and courteous!
Why are positive reviews important? ›Having many positive reviews can improve your company's social credibility and leave positive impressions on potential customers. Good reviews allow potential customers to trust your business and feel comfortable making a purchase from you because they know others have had pleasant experiences doing so.
Do companies get paid for Google reviews? ›According to Google Support, "Business owners shouldn't offer incentives to customers to leave reviews." That means you cannot coerce customers to leave positive reviews in exchange for money or free products or services either.
Are Google reviews reliable? ›Google is one of the most utilized sources of user reviews for a variety of products and services. However, not every review you encounter online is genuine. Some businesses and individuals rely on unethical practices to boost online ratings and post fake reviews.
How do I improve my business reviews on Google? ›- Share the Google Review Link via Email and SMS. ...
- Add Review Link to Your Website. ...
- Leverage Feedback Surveys to Increase Google Reviews. ...
- Engage with On-Site Customers. ...
- Print QR codes with Review Link Embedded into Them. ...
- Print 'Leave Us a Review' Cards. ...
- Ask for Reviews on Social Media.
Positive reviews with 5-star ratings help to compel potential clients to contact you as they feel more confident about your business. The more customers you satisfy, the more people will be interested in buying your products/services. Positive reviews also help to facilitate customer engagement.
What are the advantages of content review? ›Creates high-quality and engaging content consistently
The content team can experiment by updating formats, themes, colors, and fonts, and changing content to see the impact the changes have on traffic. A periodic review and approval process helps the content team create and maintain high-quality and engaging content.
- 1) Administering Google Apps is easy. ...
- 2) Spend staff time on training and improvement, not on maintaining systems. ...
- 3) Google Apps is free for non-profits. ...
- This includes the following features: ...
- Compare this price to the cheapest options from Google Docs' competitors:
- GMB Allows You to Appear in Maps and Google Local Pack Listings. ...
- It's Highly Visible. ...
- GMB Allows People to Leave Reviews of Your Business. ...
- GMB Provides Insights That Give You Helpful Information. ...
- It's Free and Easy to Use.
The correct answers are: It shares information with customers and It manages multiple listings together. Google My Business helps you get your business to stand out on Google Search and Maps! You can use pictures, contact info, and more to showcase your business when people search online.
What are the best responses to positive Google reviews? ›
- “Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.”
- “Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us feedback.”
- “Is there anything we can do to improve?”
- “We hope to see you again soon!”
- “We're really grateful and appreciate you taking the time to share your rating with us.”
Reviews are automatically processed to detect inappropriate content like fake reviews and spam. Google may take down reviews flagged in order to comply with its policies or legal obligations.
What is a good response to Google reviews? ›- Be nice and don't get personal.
- Keep it short and sweet.
- Thank your reviewers.
- Be a friend, not a salesperson.
...
Remove reviews from your Business Profile on Google
- Report only reviews that violate Google policies. ...
- Don't report a review just because you disagree with it or don't like it.
Unfortunately, you can only have one active review per business at a time. But, if you'd like your feedback to reflect a more recent experience, you have a few options: Delete your original Google review and post a new one. Leave a review on another review site like Yelp or the Better Business Bureau.
How many Google reviews do you need to reach a higher rating? ›For text ads and shopping ads to show star ratings, sellers are typically required to have at least 100 reviews in the last twelve months. Google treats reviews on a per-country basis, and so the minimum review threshold of 100 also applies only to one region at a time.
Is 3 stars a bad review? ›It's not bad to be average! But I could go even farther. Goodreads, a site many avid readers and book bloggers use, indicates that three stars means a reader “liked” a book. “Liking” is not negative.
Is 3 out of 5 stars good or bad? ›Common Sense Media uses a scale of one to five, where 3 stars are "Just fine; solid" and anything lower is "Disappointing" at best.
Is a 3 a good performance review? ›An employee's first performance review can be a real blow to the ego, but it shouldn't be. The rating scale on a performance review form at many businesses is 1-5, with a standard rating of “meets expectations” being a 3.
What are the 3 key ranking factors that Google uses in their algorithm? ›- Authority.
- Usefulness.
- Relevancy.
- CSS.
- Loading speed.
What is the #1 ranking factor on Google? ›
The single most important Google ranking factor is the quality of your content. This correlates to the consistent publication of high quality content, user engagement, and niche expertise in the chart above. So what makes relevant, quality content?
What are the 3 components included in a story review? ›Just like most academic papers, literature reviews also must contain at least three basic elements: an introduction or background information section; the body of the review containing the discussion of sources; and, finally, a conclusion and/or recommendations section to end the paper.
What are 3 features of a product review? ›A product review can include information such as the product's specifications, its benefits and drawbacks, and comparisons with other similar products in the market.
What are the 4 parts of a review? ›After analyzing many book reviews (most or all of which are from mainstream sources), Campbell suggests four elements of criticism: reaction, summary, aesthetic appraisal and historical appraisal.
What is the purpose of reviews? ›The overall purpose of a review article should be to provide a valuable, solid, informative, critical summary of a well-defined topic/area to the reader.
What is the power of positive customer reviews? ›And while it seems like common sense, having very positive online reviews definitely pays off. 92% of customers will be more likely to visit your business if you have at least a four-star rating on Google. What's more, they're likely to spend 31% more on your products or services if you have five-star reviews.
What do you look for in reviews? ›Overall, what consumers look for in a review is far more than a star rating stamp of approval. They're looking for real authenticity, transparency, and engagement on your behalf. Essentially, they're looking for a vicarious experience of your brand before they embark on their own.
Can you buy 5 star Google reviews? ›Yes, you can pay for 5 star Google reviews. Many websites sell 5 star Google ratings, and paying for them is easy with your credit card, Paypal, or Apple Pay. It's an effective paid marketing strategy.
Can employers remove Google reviews? ›Google doesn't enable businesses to delete reviews on their Google Business Profile. This helps prevent businesses from deleting poor reviews due to bad experiences. To have a review removed, the person who wrote the review can delete the review, or a business can ask Google to remove an inappropriate review.
Is it illegal to leave Google reviews? ›However, online reviewers are protected as long as their statements are truthful, with anti-SLAPP laws, California's Yelp law, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act safeguarding their right to share opinions without fear of retaliation.
Can a bad Google review be traced? ›
Can Google reviews be traced? Yes. Your IP address can be traced if you leave a Google review anonymously. Google can see your IP address when you post a review, even if you hide your name.
Do Google reviews get you anything? ›Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We'll notify you when a survey is waiting.
Do bad Google reviews matter? ›Google reigns supreme as the top three local review sites worth being on, so those are the most crucial. Bad Google reviews and fake reviews can be a pain for a business. They can damage your online reputation and make it difficult to attract customers.
Why is my business losing Google reviews? ›In most cases, missing reviews were removed for policy violations like spam or inappropriate content. We do not reinstate reviews that were removed for policy violations. These removal measures help make sure that reviews on Google properties are relevant, helpful, and trustworthy.
How do I get Google verified? ›- If you don't have one, create a Google Account.
- Go to Google Search.
- Search for yourself or the entity you represent and find its knowledge panel.
- At the bottom, click Claim this knowledge panel. ...
- Review the information.
- Sign in to one of the official sites or profiles listed for the entity like:
- Target reasonable keywords.
- Check the intent.
- Write long-form content about it.
- Do your on-page SEO.
- Target long-tail, question keywords.
- Make your information skimmable.
- Make explicit statements.
- Include meaningful visuals.
Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We'll notify you when a survey is waiting.
Do companies pay for Google reviews? ›Buying Google reviews is against Google's policy and is illegal according to rules set by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Do Google reviews improve ranking? ›Google reviews are also an effective tool to promote your brand. In addition to boosting your SERPs' ranking and click-through rates, they can be repurposed as customer testimonials on your website. Google reviews offer brands an opportunity to stand out and rank higher on SERPs.
What are the rules for Google reviews? ›- Focus on what you liked or disliked about a product and your own experience using it.
- Don't include inappropriate content.
- Don't share full names, URLs, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, or other forms of contact information.
Can you get paid for leaving reviews? ›
Because reviews and user feedback are so valuable, companies will pay consumers to write reviews and take surveys. Rather than working with a company directly, you can find most opportunities through third-party sites that partner with brands.
Do fake Google reviews get removed? ›Google will promptly remove reviews that violate its policies, including fake ones. In this post, we'll discuss how to spot fake Google Reviews, then we'll list the steps to report them to Google and remove them from your listing.
What percentage of people read Google reviews? ›80% of customers read online reviews on mobile phones. According to Reviewtrackers, 63% read reviews on Google, 45% on Yelp, and around one fourth of consumers refer to Tripadvisor or Facebook reviews. Additionally, 88% of all reviews come from those four online review sites.
Can companies remove bad reviews from Google? ›A Google My Business profile is the system business owners can use to manage and delete bad Google Maps reviews.
Can you get too many Google reviews at once? ›Does Google Remove Reviews? Yes, Google does sometimes remove reviews, though it's not very often. Unlike Yelp, Google quickly realized that removing too many reviews might alienate their users and discourage them from posting new reviews.
What is the magic number of Google reviews? ›Joel Headley, co-founder of Leadferno, (who formerly worked at Patient Pop) mentioned ten could be the “magic number.” Joel stated, “At Patient Pop, [we saw] an increase in appointment leads when there were over ten reviews.”
What business has the most Google reviews? ›The hospitality business sector generally has the largest number of reviews, while accountants, landscaping businesses, and senior living services have the fewest number of reviews. Senior living services also have among the lowest star ratings, along with car dealerships.