Your Ultimate Guide to Google Reviews
Google reviews are an imperative part of any eCommerce business’s digital presence, whereby reading and replying to reviews proves integral to success.
They operate as a star rating out of five with the option of having additional text, which is provided by Google users when reviewing a business via a Google My Business listing; enabled by both Search and Maps.
These reviews give useful information about your company to both you and your potential customers. Additionally, positive Google reviews can also help your business rank well with search results.
So why are Google reviews so important? There are three key reasons as to why the quality and quantity of your Google reviews are important for your company’s digital marketing campaign. They are as follows:
1. Valuable Feedback
Google reviews help business owners understand what clients like and dislike about their company.
Positive/constructive feedback is imperative in order to grow and build a business. They provide a unique opportunity to analyse what your customers are (actually) saying about your business. As a business owner, you would understand how vital it is to show that you listen to your customers – and the same goes for Google reviews.
Say thank you to those reviews that are positive and always respond courteously to negative reviews. 95 per cent of unhappy customers will return to your company’s website if they find your response satisfactory and that the issue has been well-handled.
2. Customer Influence
Google reviews have a lot of influence over consumers. They are an incredibly powerful tool which can help influence and form customer opinions. 85 per cent of consumers trust Google reviews more than they do personal recommendations.
Additionally, a massive 73 per cent of online shoppers will decide on their opinion after only reading six reviews. Naturally, you can be the one telling consumers that your company is the best in the industry, and some might believe this claim.
However, if a third party customer with an unbiased opinion provides a negative review of your business then your claim goes out the window.
3. Google Rankings for Local Companies
The quality and quantity of your company’s Google reviews has a profound effect on your Google rankings. In regards to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Google reviews are imperative for your marketing strategy; this is especially so for local companies. Google reviews can provide a powerful signal of authority to search engines and show that your company can be trusted when making a purchase decision.
Basically, Google has more faith in your customers than it does in you. What do you get out of this? Greater visibility in the Google search engine. If a potential customer is browsing Google for a product or service from a local company, they will find that the business listings with a greater number of quality Google reviews is more credible than those with a lower number.
They will then be more likely to look into the product supplied by the company with a greater number of quality reviews. The result? More clicks from users. The amount of clicks your site receives from potential customers with high star ratings will most likely see an increase in your company’s Google rankings.
Google Reviews for the Future
You don’t want to get left behind in utilising this powerful marketing tool.
Don’t miss out on taking your marketing campaign to the next level: take advantage of Google reviews now and make sure your business gets the 5 star reviews it deserves.
Ready to take advantage of Google reviews? Awesome, but whilst you’re at, check out these 4 Awesome Projections for Social Media Marketing in 2019 or discover how to expand your base with these 5 Simple Steps to the Customer Journey.
