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Google Reviews are an important factor in business success and popularity, but not enough businesses are giving them the attention they deserve. Despite their pivotal role in helping a customer to pick a business, they are often neglected by the businesses themselves.
So why do you need to focus on getting Google Reviews for your business?
The Impact of Positive Reviews
How important are reviews in general? Let’s look at it numerically.
About 90% of customers refer to online reviews before making a purchase. Additionally, 72% of people will pass over businesses with low ratings and only buy from businesses with a high rating.
Are you convinced yet? Good!
Reviews Everywhere
Now that you know the importance of positive reviews, it is time to address the question of where to focus your attention.
There is no shortage of sites offering review capabilities, after all.
Many mega-websites, such as Yelp.com, will feature reviews. Other websites such as business.com, angieslist.com, and glassdoor.com will also tell the customer quickly and easily what other people think of your business.
The fact that search engines themselves are now featuring reviews, however, is changing the game. Which leads us to our position that we strongly suggest that you focus on Google Reviews.
Why Focus On Google Reviews?
Several reasons account for Google Reviews’ importance:
1. It is easy for the customer to leave a review.
The customer does not need to login, but can just publish their thoughts with minimal effort. This ease can be good or bad, depending on their experience with your business.
2. You can respond to reviews easily.
Not only is Google Reviews easy for the customer, but it is also easy for you too! You can address complaints directly and quickly using the same platform that they used to launch the review.
3. Positive Google Reviews improve search engine optimization.
Positive reviews account for 9.8% of the ranking factors for search engine optimization; that is, if you have positive reviews, you are going to appear higher up in the Google search.
In an age where search engine optimization often means the difference between a customer choosing your business or your competitor’s, it is imperative to stay on top of the search engine optimization game.
Google is the top search engine in the world, so it only makes sense that focusing on Google Reviews will have the greatest impact on their search results.
How to Get More Positive Google Reviews
If you’re convinced, as we are, that Google Reviews should be a focus for your business, the next question you are likely asking is ‘what do I do next?’.
The key to success is to make getting reviews a systematic part of how you do business. The best way to do this – we’ve found – is through a combination of culture and technology.
Culturally, you need to train your team on the importance of getting positive reviews and give them the service skills to impact the likelihood of getting them.
Technologically, invest in automated review-collecting tools that will automatically request reviews based on triggers that indicate the likelihood of a positive review being left on your behalf.
Your Turn!
Google Reviews are a gold mine of potential customers looking for a business that will treat them right.
Do yourself and your business a favor: focus on getting positive Google Reviews and experience the benefits of increased positive reputation and visibility in the Google Search Engine.
Let us know if we can help!
