The Small Business Guide to Google Reviews

Did you know that around 90 percent of young consumers trust online reviews? It shows the influence of online reviews and why newer consumers are relying on them. It also shows the power of Google business reviews and why every small business should invest more time in them.

But how can Google reviews work for your small business? How can they benefit your small business? Should you delete Google reviews, especially if they are negative?

Here's your go-to guide for small business Google reviews, including why and how these reviews can help your business.

How Google Reviews Influence SEO

The first thing you should know is how Google reviews influence local SEO.

If you're unfamiliar with SEO, you should know that SEO (or search engine optimization) helps influence your website ranking. When you have more keywords in your blog content, for instance, it can help you rank higher on a Google search.

As a result, you'll be found more often by your target market.

When it comes to Google reviews, you should know how they can influence your Google ranking. For example, the more positive reviews you have in your business, the more it helps you climb the ladder of Google search.

This is why it's important to accumulate positive Google reviews. This can influence how quickly someone finds you on a search page.

It's one reason why you should encourage customers who've had a positive experience to leave Google reviews for your business. You should guide them and tell them exactly what they need to do to leave a Google review since it's different than leaving a review on Yelp.

Claim Your Google Business

Another part of Google reviews that you should be aware of is how to claim your Google business. This is how you receive business in the first place and start receiving Google reviews.

In order to claim your Google business, you need to create a Google account. Then you need to add a location.

After that, you need to name your business. After you've completed this process, you will receive a Google verification through the mail. You then enter this code to verify your business.

Claiming your business is a vital part of Google reviews because it's how you receive any reviews at all. It's also how you accumulate word of mouth and positive reviews.

How to Monitor Google Reviews

Now that you have a business account set up and you know how it can influence your local SEO, you should now know how to monitor Google reviews.

This is important if you receive a negative comment or review. You want to be able to quickly respond instead of attempting to delete, which is almost impossible. You may have a different side of the story than the customer, which is why it's important to monitor Google reviews.

You can look at all of your Google reviews under your account and have the chance to reply to each of them. It's important to remember that if you respond to the negative reviews, you should also respond to the positive reviews by thanking people too.

If you do respond to customers, the customers will be notified by email and can then respond again.

How to Get More Positive Google Reviews

As mentioned before, there are a lot of ways to accumulate Google reviews.

You can encourage customers to leave a review after they've visited your business. You can also create a shortcut for your customers to leave a Google review when they are visiting your website. This makes it easier for them to leave a review instead of trying to figure out where to go online.

You can also email your customers and ask them to leave a positive review. This is a friendly reminder of how your customers can help you.

The Benefits of Google Reviews

One of the best benefits of Google reviews is they increase brand awareness and trust. When more people see your business and the positive reviews of your business, it can build brand awareness.

For example, let's say you had a restaurant and someone from out of town was looking for the best restaurant in the area. They would come across your business on Google if it has the highest number of positive reviews.

Another benefit of Google business reviews is that they increase website traffic. If someone sees Google reviews of your business, they might visit your website and see what you have to offer. This is also why it's a good idea to update and optimize your website so your bounce rate is low.

Google reviews also convert more people who are trying to find a business to shop at. Since so many people look at Google reviews and reviews in general, it's essential that you focus on getting good reviews.

The more people that visit your website and look at your Google reviews, the more people you can convert. You can improve your overall conversion rate when you focus on encouraging people to leave positive Google reviews.

Now You Know How to Utilize Google Reviews

There's a lot of value in Google reviews. Since you know so many people look at reviews as an indicator if they should shop at your business, it's important that you start focusing on getting positive Google reviews.

This guide shows you what you need to do to start getting positive Google business reviews. You also know how to create a Google business account and how to list your business.

What else can you do to improve the way you do business? If you want to transform your business with more sales and better reviews, you can request a demo of customer and sales management software here.