Why Google Reviews Are Good For Business

I’m sure I’m not alone when I tell you I head straight to Google reviews before making a decision on a restaurant or holiday accommodation.  I also know I'm not alone when I tell you I'd usually book the one with the highest rating and best customer reviews over others. 

There are so many reasons why Google Reviews are important to a business, one of the standouts to me is the increased online exposure along with the improved SEO (search engine optimisation) of your business.

Growing your Google reviews will eventually allow you to increase the trust people have in your business and brand.  The more people trust you the more likely they are going to choose you over your competitors - even if you are more expensive.

Obviously, there will also be negative feedback.  This is a good opportunity to assist in identifying areas of your business that may need improvement.  Had the reviewer not notified you of this issue you would be none the wiser which could cause further damage down the track.  People can also become suspicious if you have only a 5-star review.  They may question whether they are legitimate, especially if there are lots of reviews and none are less than a 5-star!  How you answer the negative reviews is really important too, but that is a topic for another day!

So no matter what your field of work, I strongly recommend asking your clients for feedback, make it as simple as possible for them to create the reviews, include links and steps on how to provide their feedback. 

It’s also vital to acknowledge and respond to these reviews, whether it’s good or bad. It's important to show people that you have your finger on the pulse and you know what’s going on inside your business. In the event you receive a negative review, this is an opportunity to stop, investigate and learn and ensure you can take a positive out of the experience and make changes if need to improve service to your clients. 

So summing up, I would say the quantity of reviews is important. You want to have more than your direct competitors (this may take some time, but you need to be asking & encouraging your customers).  And,  of course you want an average rating in the high 4’s, ideally higher than your competitors! 

In next weeks Blog we will look at “How to Grow your Google Reviews” and “How to Answer Reviews both Good and Bad to maximise positive impact for your business”.