Having a great Google review management strategy is important for all sorts of businesses, big and small.
Online reviews act as icebreakers and help you make a positive impression on prospective customers. At other times, though, they can be deal-breakers because bad reviews can negatively influence a shopper’s final purchasing decision.
The real question is: What signals are your online reviews sending to future customers?
In this article, we’ll discuss how to maximize Google reviews and customer feedback to manage your brand’s online reputation. We’ll also provide guidance on how to respond to negative reviews so you can impress anyone who looks up your company online.
NetReputation provides information and services to help you protect your digital presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 to learn more, or fill out the contact form below for a free consultation.
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Why Is Managing Google Reviews Important?
When managing your online reputation, it’s important to present a positive business and brand identity. This refers to everywhere that you engage with current and future customers online, including social media, websites, and business directories.
Review platforms aggregate customer feedback and ratings, then display them for anyone to view. Getting a higher rating can drive more business and traffic your way.
Unfortunately, low ratings have a damaging impact. Without nurturing your online reputation, you can end up with fewer visitors and customers, which will drive down your revenue.
Therefore, it’s super important to manage your Google Business Profile ranking by keeping down bad reviews and increasing positive reviews.
Fixing a negative online reputation can take some work, but it’s not impossible. Always remember that negative experiences stick in customers’ minds. However, if you address customer concerns immediately, you can keep fallout at bay.
At NetReputation, we work with individuals and businesses to help them build and take control of their online reputation. Give us a call at 844-461-3632 to learn more.
The Positive Impact of Effective Google Review Management
Your first step should be to list your business on Google Maps and to set up your Google Business Profile. Each of these platforms carries a rating that browsers can see.
When a potential customer looks online for specific products in their area, Google and Google Maps will show nearby businesses, along with the scores associated with the businesses.
Say you have a four-star average Google rating. It may compare favorably with competitors in the area. However, five-star ratings make your business stand out even more. That helps ensure that a fair share of online users will end up on your doorstep in real life.
Still not convinced that online reviews are that important? They are! Many shoppers use these ratings to weed out potential companies to do business with. Consider these stats:
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Almost 62% of online shoppers search for a company online if they’re not familiar with it, and very few of them will make a purchase if negative reviews show up on the search results page.
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76% of customers take notice of and appreciate it when companies prioritize support.
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The top factor that decreases consumer trust is if a business deletes poor comments and reviews from customers.
It’s worthwhile to invest significant marketing dollars to strengthen your Google reviews and prioritize Google review management. As part of your reputation management strategy, you should also frequently review what customers are saying about your products and services.
How To Increase Positive Reviews for Your Business
Let’s go over some Google review management practices, primarily those that will increase positive reviews and customer feedback for your business.
- Request new reviews from current and potential customers via a shortened URL to your Google Business Profile. Ideally, the URL should include your company name to make it more trustworthy.
- Remind customers that you would like them to leave a review. You can mention to customers how easy it is to leave a review using their computer or mobile device.
- Respond to every review you receive, whether it’s positive or negative. Review responses show authenticity and generate trust.
Keep this in mind, too: Customers notice when businesses respond to complaints and praise alike. As much as 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all reviews, both positive and negative, while only 47% would use a business that doesn’t respond to its reviews.
One more thing: Avoid offering incentives to customers who leave reviews. Honest and unbiased reviews sound more genuine and garner a positive response.
Using Your GBP for Google Review Management
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free service available to local business owners. With a Google account and completing a few steps, business owners can claim a listing on the platform, helping them to stand out in local search.
GBP listings provide users with an array of business information in search results, including:
- Business name
- Company description
- Name, address, and phone number (NAP)
- Service offerings
- Hours of operation
- Consumer reviews
This information is critical in helping people in your local area find your business. It has been shown that business owners who claim a GBP gain significant advantages, helping them to increase revenue and attract new customers.
An added benefit of Google Business Profile is that it turns on Google reviews for your business, linking those reviews directly to your profile and providing greater visibility in online searches.
This is especially important for local businesses. 91% of consumers say their overall perception of big brands is impacted by reviews of local branches.
Optimizing Your Google Business Listing
To get the most out of the GBP platform, business owners must optimize their listings in the Google business dashboard. The business dashboard provides a range of tools and tips for sharing your business information with others. This optimization improves local SEO and helps your company appear on Google Maps.
NetReputation’s team of GBP optimization experts is skilled at creating business listings with local SEO in mind. Optimization of your Google business listing can include:
- Claiming the free GBP listing for your business by creating or managing your business account.
- Filling out the fields in the business listing, including your business name, the type of business, and details about your company’s history.
- Identifying critical business information to assist customers in contacting you. NAP (name, address, phone number) data is optimized by matching it with the information available on your website and social media profiles.
- Adding details about the products and/or services your company provides.
- Selecting appropriate categories for your local business.
- Enabling Google customer reviews to encourage engagement with existing and new customers.
Once your GBF is completed and optimized, your company can stand out in local search. The benefit of this is that it makes it much easier for customers to find you and directs search traffic to your business website — and, hopefully, to your company’s door.
Standing Out in Google Search Results: The Local Pack
When business owners use NetReputation’s GBP optimization services, we take the effort out of managing Google and its dashboard tools. This service improves your online visibility, giving you the ability to stand out in Google search results.
When your GBP is optimized and launched, your business has a great chance of appearing in Google’s Local Pack. Sometimes referred to as the 3-Pack, this is a set of search results drawn from the Google business directory.
These business listings appear at the top of a given search results page. The Local Pack includes a map of the local area and a link to a tool called “More Places.”
Ranking factors for the Local Pack include:
- Relevance of a given business to a user search query
- Physical distance of the business from the person searching for information
- Prominence of the business, including the number of mentions in Google reviews and on third-party review sites
- Listings in local business directories
- Links to the company’s website or other web properties
If you are a small business owner, you can’t afford to skip out on the power of GBP and local optimization. NetReputation can provide you with a competitive advantage, helping you to stand out in your market space with a robust online presence.
What is Local SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an integral part of any modern digital marketing strategy. SEO is the practice of using on- and off-page factors to improve visibility in search results, helping customers to find information about you or your business quickly.
Local SEO focuses on optimizing your web presence for local users, such as those who are searching for a Google Maps listing or local company listings.
As shown in the section above, your NAP (name, address, phone number) is the foundation of visibility in local search results and the core of local citations on Google as well as on third-party business directories.
Google reviews are part of local SEO, too, signaling to Google’s search algorithm that your company is a trustworthy resource in your community. Every Google review is another chance to improve your rankings in online search.
A Google listing that includes more reviews can stand out in local searches, especially in Google Maps, driving more customers to your door. That’s why Google review management is so integral to your business success.
You can take control of your online reputation and Google review management strategy today, whether you’re working on your personal reputation or your professional digital presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 for more information.
3 Benefits of Effective Google Review Management
With an effective plan to manage Google reviews, your business can improve in a number of ways.
1. You’ll win more customers.
How can a Google review management strategy help you gain more customers? There are lots of ways!
Imagine a business that has 500 reviews, most of which are favorable. The number of reviews the business has makes a bigger impact than if it were to have just a handful of positive reviews.
How do you get more reviews, though?
By sending review requests to customers and making it easy for them to rate your business online, you’ll appeal to potential customers who are deciding whether or not to trust your company.
Reviews matter more to customers than pricing and discounts, and customers will pay more for the same item from a company with good reviews versus one with no reviews.
More Ways to Manage Reviews and Win Customers
- Read your reviews frequently. You cannot manage your online reputation without knowing what customers think about you.
- Respond to every review whether it’s positive or negative. It’s not always fun dealing with disgruntled customers. However, you may just win them over and turn them into a repeat customer.
- Take the feedback to heart and correct any issues with your customer service team or your products or services.
2. Your customers will become brand advocates.
Although your Google reviews start out on Google, encourage your customers to share your 5-star reviews on other platforms. Hearing great things about your company often goes over better on social media and through word of mouth than regular marketing channels.
Consider these stats:
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Google is the most-used website for reviews, followed by Facebook, Yelp and Tripadvisor.
- 36% of consumers use two review sites when researching local businesses, and 41% use at least three sites.
Using an online reputation management system can make it easier to access and manage your Google reviews. Companies like NetReputation offer a number of services to put your business on track when it comes to happy customers and great reviews.
3. Your business will increase organic growth.
There is a huge advantage to having customers leave trustworthy reviews.
Shoppers can spot authentic reviews from real customers, and they can equally identify false statements. Therefore, it’s crucial to encourage real customers delighted with your products and services to express that by leaving an online review.
We live in a trust economy. This means that whether people buy something from you off of Amazon or land on your page through a search, they read your reviews first. That’s why the ability to manage Google reviews effectively is one of the most important aspects of managing your online reputation.
When it comes to the online world, reviews represent word of mouth. When you have a happy customer, others will hear about it. At the same time, customers who have a negative experience with your brand will also let the world know.
How to Manage Negative Google Reviews
Business owners might assume a negative Google review is a done deal with no remedy. After all, negative reviews can drag down your star rating and deter customers from contacting your company.
However, there are some steps you can take to manage negative Google reviews so they don’t damage your business’ reputation.
Always Respond ASAP
No matter whether you have a positive or negative review, respond right away. Someone who isn’t satisfied with your product can quickly spread the word and hurt your business. Therefore, it’s important to respond as soon as possible.
Keep this in mind, too: Most consumers expect a response to their review within 2 to 3 days and no longer than a week.
Contact the Reviewer
Contact the person who left the bad review. If you can negotiate a solution, the user can change their response and leave you a positive review. This is a great way to prevent one bad experience from tanking your business.
Take Responsibility
Admit your mistakes. Even if the customer isn’t telling the whole story, it’s important to right any wrongs and to appear proactive in your responses.
Avoid making excuses at all costs. If the customer’s feedback represents a legitimate grievance, do your best to change their mind and provide a workable resolution.
Often, a customer will change their rating when you respond to them positively.
Don’t Take It Personally
Sometimes, a bad review isn’t about your company or your product. The customer may have just had a bad day. Unfortunately, they can hurt you just as much as someone with a legitimate grievance. Therefore, respond diplomatically to these types of reviews.
Flag Fraudulent Reviews
Flagging fraudulent reviews can help manage nasty comments that don’t accurately reflect the level of service provided.
What can you do if someone leaves a bad review without using your products or services? There are three ways to handle this situation with tact:
- Apologize for the user’s dissatisfaction and state publicly that you can’t find them in your records.
- Provide contact information to help resolve their complaint.
- Report fraudulent reviews to Google.
Ignoring a bad review or responding negatively does your business and brand no good. Therefore, think carefully before you respond to disgruntled users and fraudulent reviews.
Is It Easy to Flag a Fraudulent Review?
When it comes to who can leave your business a Google review, there are few controls to protect business owners. When someone wants to start trouble, he or she can easily write a negative review based on false or defamatory information.
Thankfully, the GBP platform allows company owners to flag these false reviews for removal.
It may seem overwhelming when you first begin to optimize your online reputation management. However, you will soon notice the difference in your bottom line. Partnering with a reputable reputation management company can make the process easier and more productive. Call us at 844-461-3632 to speak with an expert.
Final Thoughts About Managing Your Google Reviews
Google reviews are extremely valuable for business owners.
These reviews are available 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. Mobile users can post reviews based on their experiences using the Google mobile app, while desktop users also have access to the review page for any given business with a GBP listing.
Getting more reviews is only one part of the equation. How you manage existing reviews is another.
It is all but inevitable that you will earn a bad review at some point, no matter how hard you try to satisfy every customer. How you respond to that bad review can actually convince other unhappy customers to share their own experiences with your business, too. That’s why you should always take a calm and professional approach when it’s time to manage Google reviews.
Every review, both positive and negative, is a learning experience. Online reviews help you understand what you’re doing right or areas where you need to improve. Taking negative reviews and turning them into positive experiences can be done by:
- Owning up to your mistakes
- Responding quickly to any negative Google review
- Offering to make a situation right whenever someone posts an unfavorable review
- Thanking customers for taking the time to post reviews
When you take the time to respond to your new reviews, you signal to your potential customers that you value them. By applying the tips above, you can get more Google reviews that help others make critical purchasing decisions.
Google Review Management Services
If you need assistance managing your Google reviews, NetReputation offers Google review management services that can help. In fact, we have reputation management services for businesses and individuals.
We have helped thousands of businesses just like yours improve their online reputation and increase their revenue. Let us know how we can help you.
Contact us online or call us at 844-461-3632 to receive a free quote or to discuss Google review management for your business.
by Net Reputation