20 Effective Strategies to Boost Your Google Reviews

Let’s delve into the impact of online reviews: A staggering 93% of consumers are swayed by them.

Shifting focus to Google: It dominates the search engine landscape with an impressive 86% market share, leaving Bing trailing far behind at 9%.

Combining these insights reveals the immense power of Google reviews for your business. It’s noteworthy that Google is responsible for hosting 73% of all business reviews online.

Top Business Review Sites

To broaden your online presence, enhance your customer reputation, and achieve a higher Google ranking, prioritizing Google reviews is essential.

In this article, we will explore:

The measurable significance of acquiring Google reviews
Strategies for increasing your Google reviews
Practical examples and templates for requesting Google reviews.

The Importance of Requesting Google Reviews

Enhancing your Google reviews positively impacts every aspect of your business, including its reputation, search ranking, and ultimately, its revenue.

Receive valuable business feedback: Reviews provide critical insights into your business’s strengths and areas for improvement, serving as a key tool for adapting and meeting customer needs.
Improve your local search ranking: Reviews significantly influence local search rankings. A higher position in search results leads to more customer attraction and heightened brand visibility.

Achieve a Better Position on Google Maps: Your Google Business Profile directly links to your Google Maps listing. Users searching for services on Maps often have a strong intention to purchase.
Appear in the Google Local Pack: Featured prominently in regular search results, the Local Pack section of Google Maps sits right below ads and above organic results. It’s a prime spot that attracts customer engagement, especially from those ready to make a purchase.

The rankings in the Local Pack are significantly affected by both the number and quality of reviews.

Boost lead generation and customer acquisition:

A remarkable 88% of consumers place as much trust in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations.
Accumulating more reviews enhances trust and bolsters customer confidence in selecting your business over others. Ultimately, improved visibility, higher rankings, and appealing listings (thanks to those star ratings) play a crucial role in attracting qualified leads, leading to increased sales and revenue for your business.

Statistics on Google Reviews

Here’s some additional data on Google reviews from BrightLocal to motivate you:

A significant 87% of consumers rely on Google to assess local businesses, a notable increase from 63% in 2020.
An overwhelming 98% of consumers turn to the internet for local business information.
Business reviews are deemed most crucial in industries like Healthcare, Automotive Services, and Service Businesses/Trades.
Google ranks as the most reliable review platform across various industries.
Typically, consumers read at least 10 reviews before deciding on a purchase.
A substantial 86% of consumers are open to writing a review.

Strategies for Increasing Your Google Reviews

1. Claim Your Google Business Profile

Start by claiming your profile to manage and respond to reviews.

How to claim your google business profile:

Conduct a Google search combining your business name with its location.

If your business is already claimed and you’re the owner, you’ll find various options directly in the search results, as shown here:

If the business is not claimed you will see this message giving you the option to claim it.

2. Create a Direct Review Link

Customers can post Google reviews by locating your Google Business Profile, going to the reviews section, and selecting “write a review.”

This process is quick and straightforward, often completed more rapidly than explaining it.

To simplify it further, create a Google review link to share directly with your customers, bypassing the need for a multi-step procedure.

Step by Step to create Google Review Link:

Go to business.google.com
Sign-in with your the Gmail account or email address associated with your Google Business Profile
You should see the Google business panel
Click the “Reviews” button
This will open new page giving you the review link

3. Shorten the Link

Use a website like bitly.com to shorten the link so it’s easier to copy/paste to your customers

4. Leverage QR Codes

Generate a QR code for your Google review link and display it on various materials like business cards and postcards.

You can use Canva or QRCodeGenerator.com. Doesn’t matter how you do it, just get the made and put on cards or flyers you can use to get your customers to quickly leave a review.

5. Adhere to Google’s Review Policies

Ensure your review solicitation practices comply with Google’s guidelines to maintain the integrity of your reviews.

You can read up on Googles polices here. You don’t want to pay for reviews. This will KILL your Google Profile and Google will block & remove you. It may seem like an easy fix but trust us, its not worth it!