Marketing for the Automated Robotic Industry
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First, what are Google reviews?
The reviews submitted to Google, which appear in a search along with your location, hours, and other information, are attached to your Google Business profile. You can claim your profile and make a Google Business account for free at any time, but this profile and the attached reviews will exist either way.
So why are Google reviews critical? Do they help your business?
Google is the Most-Used Review Platform
Potential customers look to Google reviews more than any other platform to learn about local businesses. Google processes over 63,000 searches every second. It’s the most-used search engine in the world, and dozens of attached tools, like Google Maps and YouTube, provide a wide range of information. Google reviews have become an essential part of that information.
Businesses With More Reviews Appear Higher in Search Results
Google is the go-to search engine for most people, who might search for suggestions, directions, or more information, including reviews. Research shows that Google puts businesses with more reviews higher on search results pages. Customers searching for “restaurants near me” or “best car dealership” will first see businesses with better reviews. Those businesses will get more clicks and are more likely to get more visits.
Google Reviews Establish Trust
If customers consider visiting your business, they might ask their friends about it first. But, if they don’t know anyone who has visited, they’ll probably look to online reviews. Online reviews help consumers gather more information about a business to decide if it’s right for them. Reviews can also show where a business can improve and problems that a customer might encounter, so they can either avoid the business, or so they know what to look out for.
How to Use the Google Review Link Generator to Get More Reviews
If you want to take advantage of the benefits of Google reviews, the first step is getting more of them.
As you might expect, the best way to do this is to ask your customers to submit reviews. There are a variety of ways to ask customers for reviews. The easiest way to get more reviews online is to ask via email or social media. Since your customer is already online to open your email or see your post, they’re only a few clicks away from leaving a review.
Use the Google Review Link Generator to give customers a way to leave a Google review with just one click.
Request Google Reviews via Email
If you have a sizable customer email list, or if you can build one, email can be a fast and easy way to get more Google reviews. Consider making a review request in a particular email, and use the Google Review Link Generator to include a direct link to your Google listing at the bottom. Your review request email might look something like the example below.
Subject: Hey [customer’s first name], got a minute?
Hi [customer’s first name], We at [your business’s name] appreciate your business, and we’d like to reach more customers as cool as you. We were wondering if you’d be willing to share your thoughts in a Google review. This would help us bring in more customers like you and keep [your business’s name] going strong!
Click the following link and go straight to our Google review page. Tell others what you love about [your business’s name], your favorite [product/service/event], or your experience. Feel free to tell us how we can improve too!
Click here to leave a review: [Insert link] All of us at [your business’s name] thank you in advance!
Request Google Reviews via Social Media
If you are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another social media platform, use your Google review link here instead. Or, if you have a notable email list and engage with customers on social media, you can try both methods. You already know what your customers respond to on social media. But if you’re unsure how to word this request, here are a few templates to get you started.
Facebook Review Template
Hey guys!
We love hearing that we’re doing a great job at [your business’s name]—it really makes our day. We’ve heard a lot of nice things from our awesome customers, and we were hoping you all could share with Google too.
Would you write us a review? It takes less than a minute! Just click the link and talk about what you love about [your business’s name], or your most recent visit. Here’s the link; [insert link here].
Thanks for being awesome
—Your friends at [your business’s name]
Twitter Review Template
Do you love [your business’s name]? Would you write us a review? You’d make our day. Click the link and talk about
what you love about [your business’s name] >>> [insert link here]
LinkedIn Review Template
We at [your business’s name] have had a great year so far, and we owe it to our terrific customers. We love hearing about a job well done, and we were hoping you all could share your thoughts on Google. Would you share your experience in a Google review if you haven’t already? Click the link below to write a review (it takes less than a minute!)
[insert link here]
Thank you,
—Your friends at [your business’s name]
Request Google Reviews via Email
Use your email automation platform to fill in personalization fields, like your customer’s first name. This will make the email feel more familiar, and it will help to get your customer’s attention. This template uses a casual voice, so you may wish to make edits if your business is more professional. Don’t be afraid to use this email more than once, but make sure you don’t resend it to customers who have already left a review. In your email automation platform, you can automatically remove recipients who click your link.
Improve the Quality of Your Google Reviews
Some customers read many reviews; some read just a few. For many, it depends on what they’re looking for.
This makes the quality of the reviews just as critical—if not more important—than the number of reviews you have. When we say “quality,” we mean two things: The overall review rating (out of 5), and the information provided in the review. If you have several Google reviews but are not positive overall, here are some ways to improve them. If you have some Google reviews, but they’re very vague, here are some ways to improve the content.
How to Improve Your Google Star Rating
Before 2017, Google used a Bayesian average to calculate the overall star rating of businesses, which wasn’t wholly dependent on an individual business’s scores. Now, they use the approximate mean average of a business’s star reviews. This can make it difficult for businesses with only two reviews, and at least one is terrible.
Though you can’t delete a Google review just because it’s terrible, there are some things you can do to improve your overall score.
How Can Customers Edit Their Google Reviews?
Customers can indeed edit their reviews. This is quite simple if you know where to look. If you’ve successfully changed an unhappy customer’s mind and they’ve agreed to change their bad review, give them these steps.
Go to Google Maps. You can search any location to get there.
Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the upper left-hand corner.
Click “Your contributions.” Click “Reviews.”
Click “Edit review” and rewrite or change the review.
How to Improve the Content of Your Google Star
Rating Maybe your overall star rating is good, but your reviews don’t provide much helpful information. Remember that customers also use reviews to get a sense of your business, not just to see the quality. Short, non-descriptive reviews also raise red flags for prospective customers, since it’s difficult to tell if actual customers make these or not. If your reviews aren’t beneficial, here’s how to improve the content.
Do’s and Don’ts of Google’s Review Guidelines
Google’s review policies outline what business owners can and can’t do to get more reviews. Make sure you understand what is and isn’t allowed before you start gathering reviews. Here are a few essential tips to keep in mind, but remember that this is not a comprehensive list, nor is it legal advice.
Only use real reviews from real customers. Fake reviews of any sort are not allowed.
Do not pay or offer other incentives to customers or anyone else for Google reviews.
Do not gate reviews. Everyone, whether they are happy customers or not, should be able to submit a review if they choose. Do not discourage any customers from reviewing.
Don’t review your business or ask your employees to do so.
Flag reviews with explicit or abusive content.
Whether you are a new business gathering your first Google reviews, trying to improve your star rating, or wanting to stay competitive, you can use the Google Review Link Generator to get a direct link to your Google listing for review. Use your emails, social media messages, and other review requests carefully, and remember that you’ll probably have to make these requests more than once to get your customer’s attention.
And there you have it! You now have all the tools you’ll need to get more reviews. Use the Google Review Link Generator to send your customers straight to your listing, and start bringing in reviews.
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Subject: Hey [customer’s first name], got a minute?
Hi [customer’s first name], We at [your business’s name] appreciate your business, and we’d like to reach more customers as cool as you. We were wondering if you’d be willing to share your thoughts in a Google review. This would help us bring in more customers like you and keep [your business’s name] going strong!
Click the following link and go straight to our Google review page. Tell others what you love about [your business’s name], your favorite [product/service/event], or your experience. Feel free to tell us how we can improve too!
Click here to leave a review: [Insert link] All of us at [your business’s name] thank you in advance!