Make it easy to encourage positive reviews (updated January 2024)
A simple way to encourage reviews for your Google Buisness Profile - because more reviews = better rankings & better customer experience
Isle of Wight customers for Isle of Wight businesses
Here at Island Web Design we are passionate about local business being the first choice for local customers. These days, many potential customers will make extra effort to ensure they can buy what they need from a local business, as long as the service or product is of good quality, reliable and not that much more expensive than from large, national or international retailers.
But they have to be able to find it. They have to be able to find YOU! Your business needs to be 'on the map' so to speak and that means that, when the client goes online to search for the product or service, and if that search has local intent, Google will show them the 'map-pack' with the 3 businesses closest to them that can proved that product or service.
If you are interested in finding out more about the 'Map Pack' and what it takes to rank in there, take a look at my article Higher rankings and more customers for local business
Any local business owner can do this. You don't need to be an Island Web Design customer to optimise your Google Business Profile and to improve your online visibility to local customers. Just follow the "7 Google Business Profile Maintenance Tasks" in the above mentioned article and you are well on your way to make an impression.
How do I get more reviews from my customers?
Today I want to show you how my clients and I go about encouraging more reviews for their businesses so that you can do the same and start getting more reviews and start ranking better in local search results. And not only that, customer reviews are extremely powerful when it comes to influencing consumers to make a purchase, so it really is a double-edged sword.
- The first thing you need to do it find your GBP review link. Open Google on your browser and search for your business name. As long as you're signed in as the manager of that profile, you will see 'Your business on Google' with a series of buttons and panels below. Click on the button that says 'Customers' and on the next page click on 'Reviews'. You'll see a blue buttn that says 'Get more reviews'. Click on that and on the panel that pops up, select 'Copy link'.
- With that review link copied to your clipboard you can now visit an online QR code generator such as
https://www.qr-code-generator.com and paste it in the appropriate field to generate your QR code. - Choose your preferred format and download it to add to a business card, your invoice (or any other business stationery), or print it out on your printer and hang it up in your shop. Now, after every sale or service, give your customers a card or point them to the QR code on your invoice or your poster and ask them to scan it and leave a review.
Make sure to tell your clients how much helps a local business to get these reviews. - You can also send the link in text messages and emails so customers are only a click away from leaving you a 5-star review!
For one of our clients we created a square card (148mm x148mm) and used the back to promote the email marketing sign-up page in a similar fashion. For another, we created a simple business card style review request.
Should I reply to the reviews?
Absolutely. Good AND bad. If the review is good, make sure you thank the reviewer and if it is not so good, ask them to contact you via your website's contact page. Personally, I would not quote an email address or phone number and no matter what, never try and sort it out on the review page. Just say something like "I am really to sorry to hear we did not live up to your expectation and would be grateful if you could contact us via yourdomain.co.uk/contact so that we can try and resolve it and learn how to do better in future".
Most won't bother but it will look good for anyone looking at the reviews to see that you care.
Consistency of review acquisition is a huge ranking factor
In the dynamic world of online presence, Google reviews have become the unsung heroes of local businesses. Forget the notion of scoring a sudden influx of 100+ reviews and then hanging up your boots; at Island Web Design, we're all about the long game.
Picture this: a steady flow of reviews over time, signaling to Google that your business is alive, kicking, and genuinely cared about by the community. It's not a one-and-done deal; it's a continuous dance of engagement.
Why, you ask? Because in the eyes of Google, consistency is the secret sauce that propels your business up the local search rankings. So, here's the scoop: never hit pause on asking for reviews. Make it a seamless part of your marketing strategy, and watch as your business not only thrives online but also builds an unshakable trust with your audience.
At Island Web Design, we're not just crafting websites; we're weaving a digital narrative that echoes in the hearts of our community. Ready to join the review revolution? Let's make our online Island presence stronger than ever!
So, is that all there is to it?
Well, yes and no....
In and by themselves, reviews are not going to make all the difference in the world but as part of an overall package of GBP profile activity and optimisation, they form an important part of your marketing strategy. It does mean you need to monitor your GBP profile every day but you can set your phone up to receive notifications from Google Maps.
Island Web Design does offer a package of measures to help you stand out in local searches and we'd be more than happy to discuss the details with you. This will allow you to be more or less hands-off and we take care of monitoring and replying to reviews, as well as social media and GBP posts, citation building, website optimisation and so on.
But if your marketing budget is limited, it doesn't mean you can't make meaningful advances if you follow the advice in the aforementioned article and find a way to collect reviews as discussed here.
Let me know of you have any questions and until next time, Happy Marketing!
Koo Janzen
Island Web Design
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