Your Business and Google Reviews The short answer…yes! Google reviews are definitely worth having for your business. There are many reasons for this, which we have detailed below, but nowadays with all businesses moving online it is crucial to have a credible online presence, which is what Google reviews can give you if done the right way. Google reviews can be found via your businesses Google Business Profile page, located on Google’s search result page when searching for the company in Google. If you don’t have one it is easy enough to set up! Think of it like this, with products on Amazon you would always check the reviews before purchasing a product, right? I know we do! Think of Google reviews as the equivalent of these product reviews but it’s just for businesses. They Help Boost Your Marketing Even if you are not yet appearing at the top of Google’s search results page your Google Business Profile can still appear at the top of the Google Maps listing if you keep it active, this includes getting regular reviews and replying to them. For services such as Trott Rentals, a van and car rental company and Burton Waters, a boat broker, appearing at the top of a map listing is essential for two reasons. Local searches – Many people who are looking to hire or buy a vehicle will search into their search engine to find the closest place to them, for convenience more than anything. So appearing on the map listings is crucial to get in front of these customers. Competition – Appearing on your local map listings is an easy way to get ahead of your competition. Most people will click on the first map listing they see, which could be your business if you keep your Google Business Profile up to date! It’s The Honest Truth The good (or in some cases bad) thing about Google reviews is that they are the honest truth. Even if you’re not using your reviews for anything else you can use them to analyse your services and diagnose what you need to improve on. With the permission of the reviewer, you can also use Google reviews on your website as a testimonial. This is a great way to share some of the reviews you are really proud of, it will help your potential customers trust your services. The More The Better We all know that we put more trust in a company that has more reviews than others. A company with 40+ good Google reviews comes across more trustworthy than a business with only 5 good reviews. Of course we understand that it is going to take a while to build up your bank of reviews, but trust us when we say that when you do you will see a nice increase in flow of traffic! How Do I Get Google Reviews? Anyone can leave a review on your Google Business Profile, but not everybody will. Don’t be afraid to ask a customer to leave you a Google review, especially if you know they were pleased with your amazing service! But don’t go asking willy-nilly, make sure to pick and choose the right time to ask a client or customer to leave a review. Asking too prematurely or coming across too forcefully can put a potential reviewer off leaving a review and could potentially push them into changing their positive mindset on your service. If you are looking to build up your local business then we would 100% recommend starting with building your Google Business Profile and reviews. Once this is all optimised and you feel you would still like some more business it might be time to think about starting some digital marketing. If you find you are at this stage, or would like some Google Business Profile advice, give us a call on 01603 859007 or an email via [email protected] and a member of our friendly team will be in touch. Image provided by nuimage, credit – Unsplash