How to get Google Business Profile Reviews

In this third blog post about your Google Business Profiles. We’re going to talk about why reviews are important to your business and how to build more.  If you missed the first two, you can read them here. How to claim & verify your Google Business Profile listing and How to Optimize your Google Business Profile listing.  Google Business Profiles sometimes show up higher in the Google Search Results than websites do for small businesses, and while that may seem bad, it can be OK. 

Your Google Business Profile can be optimized to help your business have more visibility in the search results in your community. When you have positive reviews on your profile, new customers are more likely to check out your listing or click through to your website to learn more about you. 

Do Google Business Profile reviews matter?

When searching for a new business to work with, a doctor, a product to buy, etc., and we don’t have first-hand experience or a friend or family member’s recommendation, we often turn to consumer reviews for help making our decision. Your potential customers are the same way. They want to know if your business is a good one to work with. People don't want to make a mistake and order from the wrong company or hire someone who won't do the work they say they will. They want to be careful to work with the right company, and your Google Business Profile can help you connect with potential customers. 

Does anyone read Google Business Profile reviews?

Research shows that 91% of people regularly or sometimes read online reviews. That’s the vast majority of people who are reading reviews. More importantly, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as information from friends. That's a lot of people reading online reviews. Think about your own research process when you're looking for a new business to work with or a product or service to purchase. Do you ask for reviews or recommendations? Do you research on your own, or do you just buy from the first option you find? It's highly unlikely that you will buy from the first company you come across without additional research. Most consumers are the same way. 

How Many Reviews do they read?

64% of people make their decision after reading 1-6 online reviews. They’re not spending all day looking for information. They’re looking for information so that they can make a decision and move on. Having reviews on your Google Business Profile can help you speed up this process because people are likely to see it in their search results and can easily click through to read the reviews and help make their decision. 

How do Google Business Profile reviews help my business? 

If you don’t have reviews and your competitor does, who do you think the customer is going to choose? Research shows they’ll pick the company with reviews. While all online reviews are critical, Google Business Profile reviews are crucial for small businesses. Having positive reviews for your business allows consumers to learn more about you and make a decision to try your business based on what they've found in the reviews if it seems like they're a good fit. 

How do you grow your Google Business Profile reviews? 

Start by asking your customers to review your business. You can create a link that goes directly to your profile and send that to every customer after their transaction. Not everyone will complete a review, but some will, and that helps your business. You can also incentivize them and offer a small thank you for completing a review of your business. 

The best way to get good reviews is to ensure you're continually providing great service and value for your customers. You don't want to risk getting negative reviews because of poor customer service or something that was ultimately preventable. Focus on taking care of your customers so that if they decide to review your business, their review is positive, and they want to leave a good one for others to find. 

Do Google Business Profile reviews help your business? 

The yellow star rating associated with your map listing stands out in the search results and grabs attention. We see a higher click-through rate for websites with star ratings and reviews. When I worked at the New York agency and oversaw campaigns for multi-million dollar clients, adding or optimizing star ratings and reviews was one of the strategies we focused on for them because it helped increase their click-through rates and drive more business. Having Google Business Profile reviews does the same thing for you but without the additional costs that large e-commerce companies incur for paid review programs. Adding online reviews is one of the best free digital marketing strategies.