Digital Marketing - SEO, PPC, SEM

5 Ways to Use Google Reviews to Your Business Advantage

Team Pepper
Posted on 12/07/224 min read
5 Ways to Use Google Reviews to Your Business Advantage

Market competition is increasing day by day, and companies are looking for methods through which they can stand out from the rest. To do so, they make use of Google reviews. According to research, 77% of people read reviews when browsing through a business, and looking at this number, it makes sense to invest your time and energy in getting good reviews.

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These reviews are certainly helpful from the customer’s point of view. But they also help in better search engine rankings and entail many other benefits for your business. But before we move on to how you can use Google reviews to your business’s advantage, let’s understand what Google reviews are. 

What Are Google Reviews?

Google reviews are a score (in the form of a 5-star rating with one being the lowest and five being the highest) that shows up on the Google search engine depicting how good or bad your business is. This star rating is displayed when someone searches online for your business. 

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The interesting part about this is that only your customers can score you on this scale, making these highly valuable reviews. These reviews are essential for gaining visibility in search results and establishing trust with potential clients. 

Now that you know what they are let’s move on to how to take advantage of these reviews for your business.

5 Ways To Use Google Reviews to Your Business’s Advantage

You can use Google reviews in many ways, but there are some that top the others. 

1. Influence purchase decisions

Would you shop at a place with a bad review if you were a customer? No, right? Google reviews offer the customer an idea of the quality of product or service they receive from a brand. When customers read reviews, they frequently search for reassurance that they are making the proper selection.

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Positive internet reviews can confirm what customers want when making a purchase decision. However, the inverse is also possible. According to research by Podium, the least star rating that customers would engage with is 3.3; anything lower than that isn’t a good sign for your business. 

2. Improve SEO rankings

As you know, it’s important to perform better in the Google algorithm to appear on the first page of Google. And with good reviews on your business page, you give more trustworthy content to the index crawlers, which improves your overall ranking. 

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It has the same effect as using standard SEO tactics. Although, other SEO methods, like keywords, backlinks, etc., are still necessary. However, when paired with a comprehensive business page and positive ratings, your website is well on its way to the top.

3. Build brand value and trust

Despite fierce competition in every industry, the number of competitors continues to increase. The number of products and services available on the web can make it difficult for anyone to decide on the best option. So to narrow down their choices, people make use of reviews. Most customers check reviews to judge the quality of service or product that a company provides.

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According to a study, over 49% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal reviews. So it would be beneficial for firms to have more positive reviews to compete better.

4. Better click-through rates and conversion

If people don’t trust your business and services, it won’t matter how much you have spent on your business SEO strategy and optimization. Fortunately, you can boost your site’s click-through rate when it appears on the search engine with online reviews. 

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As a result, it is ideal to have multiple favorable review ratings to enhance your site’s click-through rate. Also, a well-designed and user-friendly website is good; online evaluations from actual consumers are powerful enough to turn your target audience into buyers.

5. Better feedback loop

Online reviews instill trust since they are perceived as accurate comments. You can use a good business review page as a platform for consumer and company involvement. Customers that read reviews are most often seeking answers to their questions. So you must answer their questions wisely and truthfully. 

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As a result, you can ask a consumer to submit a review, including the service or product they purchased and the price. Beware that many people upload fake reviews, but customers are savvy and can sense fake reviews, and so can Google. Remember, too many fake reviews can even get your business blacklisted.

In Summary

Google reviews can boost three important aspects of your business: brand trust, SEO, and feedback. Another great thing about this is that posting a review on Google is free, which means it’s a free marketing tool that you can use for your business. 

Although there is no set rule on how to get more Google reviews for your business, you should start utilizing it ASAP. Your competitors certainly are. 

FAQs

1. How to generate Google reviews?

The only way to get reviews for your business is to ask your customers to write them. You can ask them to write about the services or products they purchased. This will lead to more customers writing reviews, which will improve your ranking in SERP.

2. How many reviews should I have for my business?

There is no specific number to how many reviews you can or should have for your business. The more positive reviews you have for your business, the more are your chances of standing out from the competition. 

3. Is it possible to leave a bogus review?

No, it’s not possible because Google is very strict with its policies and flags any suspicious activity. They keep track of your IP address and Google account to do so.

4. Why is it important to review a business on Google?

1. Helps build trust
2. Better SEO rankings
3. More conversion
4. Influencing purchase decision

5. How should I react to a bad review?

Once in a while, you will get a bad/negative review of your business. Instead of getting sad or demotivated, accept that review as positive criticism and ask the consumer why they left a bad review. And when they tell you the reason, start working on it ASAP and resolve the problem to save yourself and your business from further negative reviews.