In a world where over one billion people use Google maps every month, ratings and reviews that pop up in customer searches matter.
Have you ever wondered why?
Customers Trust Google Reviews
Despite the wildly inaccurate and purchased reviews that plague Google, customers generally find reviews to be reliable. 68% of consumers trust opinions posted online—and those that take the time to read through the written comments will be able to see the honest opinions from the fake ones.
But if your online reputation isn’t high enough to put you in league with the competition, your potential customers might choose your competitors before even glancing at your written reviews.
Whether or not a business has a positive or negative rating factors into a customer’s decision making nearly as much as a recommendation from a trusted friend. If your customers value your Google reviews, you should too.
Google Reviews Affect Your Businesses SEO
Your customers care about finding a business with the best reviews—and Google knows this.
Recently, Google enacted a change that gives businesses an incentive to care more about their reviews. Instead of the number of reviews, the quality of reviews weighs in more heavily on your business’s SEO.
Let’s break this down.
Let’s say you have a business with hundreds of reviews and a 4.5-star rating. Not bad, right? A new business comes along. They have 3 reviews and a 4.8-star rating. Their SEO value will rank them near or even above your business in a local search.
So your star value matters more than you might think.
Negative Reviews Give You Opportunities
Caring about your businesses Google reviews doesn’t just mean rejoicing over the positive reviews and sulking over the negative reviews.
You don’t have to just accept negative ratings and move on. You can turn a negative customer experience into a positive one by replying with a genuine statement that helps you both reach a solution.
This works in two ways. Your unhappy customer could become a happy customer—and leave a better review.
Or, your potential customers will see your great customer service skills and view your company as honest, reliable, and concerned with their satisfaction. One study found that businesses who replied to bad reviews saw increased conversion rates by 67%.
So, don’t stress over negative reviews. They could be good for business.
Customer Feedback Can Help You Improve Your Business
Negative reviews reflect badly on your business, and no retailer wants that. If your business is receiving an abundance of genuine, negative customer reviews, you need to consider their opinions.
Even if your business only receives one negative review, try to find out why. By listening to your customers, you can change your business model, improve your customer service, and create a better experience for your customers.
You Can Pull Testimonials for Marketing
Unbiased, third-party opinions make great marketing material.
I can read about how great of a company you are on your about page or through your ads, but I know that you might not be an honest business.
If I read a customer review (which, is as trusted as advice from a friend), my opinion of your business will change. Honest and detailed Google reviews are a great tool to use in your marketing strategy. They don’t need to stay on Google.
Post reviews on your social media and website landing pages. Include them in your packaging. Send testimonials to your email list. Google reviews play a big part in reaching customers online—and you can leverage positive reviews to your advantage.
The Importance of Google Reviews: Next Steps
Now that you’ve seen why negative and positive reviews are both relevant to your business model and why you should care about increasing and managing them, here are a few quick tips on how to do just that.
Ask for reviews. Most customers will say yes.
Add links to places where customers can leave reviews. Once you have their attention, your customers are more likely to follow your links.
Accept feedback on an easily accessible page on your website. If you make leaving reviews easy and quick, you’ll get more.
Reply to every negative review (and every positive review if you have the time).
Take a genuine interest in your customers’ experiences. Don’t take shortcuts to buy reviews and deceive your customers.
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