Whether you’re aware of it or not, reviews influence our decision-making every day. Perhaps there are two Starbucks locations within close proximity to you. The make-it-or-break-it decision of choosing one location over the other ultimately boils down to the reviews and star ratings. The most popular and utilized reviewing service that allows this is Google Review. Google reviews allow consumers to leave a review and star rating of a business in a simple and easy-to-use way. But what can Google reviews do for you? Google Review can give your business credibility, add online exposure with local SEO, and allows for open communication between you and your customers.
Reviews Give Your Business Credibility
Nearly nine out of ten consumers consult reviews online before making a purchase. This means your customers are talking online, informing others about their experience with your business. The good news is that by having your business profile listed on Google, you’re already one step ahead of the competition. This open channel of communication shows customers you’re open to feedback, which creates transparency. There is nothing customers want more than transparency and accessibility, which builds a foundation of trust between you and your customers.
Reviews Impact Your Local SEO and Exposure Online
That may sound like a mouthful, but let’s break it down. As stated above, in addition to having your business profile on Google, reviews give your business online exposure. Consumers trust online reviews as much as they would trust a referral from a friend. 46% of searches on Google yield results regarding local businesses, while 97% of users searched online to find a local business.
But what’s going on in the backend of Google to ensure your business is seen? Google uses certain factors for how they rank locally. These factors include quantity, diversity, and velocity. Quantity refers to how many reviews you have on your business profile; diversity is the number of reviews you have on other platforms, so long as those websites are highly trafficked; and velocity validates how often you receive new reviews in a certain period of time. If you ensure each of these factors is met, you can expect your business to be at the tippy top of Google’s search results.
Reviews Allow Your Customers to Communicate With You…
…and for you to communicate with them. Google reviews are an excellent way for you to communicate with your customers, regardless of the nature of the review. It is incredibly important for you to stay on top of responding to your reviews. If a customer leaves you a 5-star review, make sure to thank them and let them know you hope to serve them again. If a customer didn’t have a good experience, it is crucial for you to respond immediately. Respond professionally, apologize for their experience, and offer to make it better. Google recognizes the activeness with which you respond to these reviews, which in turn ensures other users stumble upon your business in their Google searches.
Additionally, Google reviews are an easy way of gathering customer testimonials. If you want to include customer testimonials on your website, Google reviews can be utilized to show potential customers browsing your business online the great experiences your customers have had with you.
Local SEO, your Google business profile, and website optimization may sound foreign to you. And if you’re knowledgeable about these topics, perhaps we can offer you a few more pointers. Check out these articles below:
Google Reviews Can Help You, and So Can We
Ensuring your business’s success online can seem overwhelming, and most business owners don’t have the time to guarantee their business is getting the spotlight online it deserves. Let the ASAP Marketing Solutions team give you a hand!
Our experts can help you get recognized online. Whether you need help with your online presence or already are online but aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for, our team can help you with that and much more.
Sounds interesting? Give us a call at (832) 737-2752 or request a free quote. We look forward to improving your business digitally.