Google reviews and ratings are important components in any company’s online marketing strategy, and how to increase Google reviews is something we can easily assist with here at Three29.
A consumer review study done in 2021 in the United States confirmed that the vast majority, 81%, of customers use Google reviews to evaluate businesses in their area. Because online reviews are important to most people, they can significantly impact the decisions that customers make around purchases, and it is essential that your company understands how to increase Google reviews and use them to your benefit.
Ready to learn more? Follow our 10 helpful tips for how to get Google reviews and ratings for your company:
#1. Ask for Google Reviews and Ratings Directly
On social media it’s easier to reach customers than ever before, and simply asking your followers and supporters for Google reviews and ratings is a simple way to get them. Create a visually compelling post to catch people’s attention and insert a link to the Google review platform in the bio of your social media account.
#2. Respond Consistently and Promptly to Google Reviews and Ratings
It’s essential that customers know you are reading their Google reviews and ratings because it shows you care and are willing to review feedback from the community. Building trust with your customers happens easily if you respond to reviews promptly and visibly using your business account.
Additionally, if you are actively responding to Google reviews, other people may be more likely to leave positive ones since they know you are actively looking at them. Even if the review is negative, start by thanking the customer for their feedback before asking how to enhance your product or service to better meet their needs or expectations.
#3. Engage with Customers in Person
When you interact with customers one on one, the customer is more likely to feel seen, heard, and valued. Whether you have a restaurant, office, or retail store, finding a location where you can engage on-site with clients or customers is best. When chatting, you can directly ask them about their experience with your company and encourage them to write and share a Google review for your business.
#4. Create “Leave us a Review” Cards and Distribute Them
It’s easy to print a card that asks customers to leave a review and then use said cards in a variety of different ways. You can include this special card in the packaging of customer orders, place them on the table or counter at your restaurant, or distribute them at your physical location in any creative manner you can think of. Adding a QR code with an embedded link to the Google review site is a simple way to encourage customers to write Google reviews and ratings.
#5. Use Feedback Surveys to Increase Google Reviews for Your Business
Sending out surveys to your customers and clients is a great way to help understand their overall experience with your brand, and it’s likely that if they’re willing to take the time to complete a survey, they will be willing to write a Google review as well. At the end of the survey you can actually have a link that goes directly to the Google review page so that customers are taken straight there. Include a personal message that says something along the lines of, “Thank you for providing feedback! Please take a moment to provide a Google review for other customers.”
#6. Share a Google Review Link via SMS
Creating a direct link to the Google review platform and sharing it with your customers via a text message is a great way to prompt them to review your business. Text messages are opened at an exceptionally high rate of generally over 90%, so the chances of customers opening the message is high.
#7. Leverage your Mailing List
Whether you have a digital mailing list of email addresses or a physical mailing list of home addresses, it’s a great idea to include the direct link to the Google review platform and send it out in an e-blast or via postcards to your clients. This provides customers with an immediate way to assist your business without spending any money and often offers a high return on investment, especially if you go with an email list rather than spending money on physical postcards. Be sure you send the email to all customers however, so that negative reviews appear with the positive ones. This is critical in order to avoid Google’s penalty for “Review Gating” which can have serious consequences.
#8. Add a Review Button to Your Website
Prompt customers to leave Google reviews and ratings by creating a special button on the homepage of your website. If you make it as simple as possible for people to leave their feedback, they will likely do so.
#9. Use QR Codes with Review Links
When you embed review links into QR codes, you can print them on stickers, invoices, physical products, or packaging, so that when clients receive their item or service, they are curious what the QR code is for. Explain it directly or include a simple “scan me” message to pique curiosity, and encourage people to scan… taking them directly to the Google review site!
#10. Ask for Google Reviews from Partners and Vendors
Just because your business partners and vendors are not necessarily customers, doesn’t mean they don’t have experiences with your company to share! Asking them directly to leave you a Google review shows your company is collaborative and involved in the community business network.
Let Three29’ Experts Show You How to Get Google Reviews
If you’re learning how to get reviews for your business, but the answers seem overwhelming, let Three29 take the lead. We will work with you to create a strong overall digital marketing strategy for your brand and show you first-hand how to get Google reviews to make your business stand out.
Contact us at (916) 512-3290 and take a look at the many different services we provide on our website. Besides showing you how to increase your Google reviews, we can also assist with physical print marketing, web design, SEO optimization and more. If you’d prefer, simply fill out this quick online form and one of our team members will be in touch!
