According to Forbes, word of mouth is the most valuable form of marketing.
These days, that translates over to online reviews, which play a huge part in the decision-making process for customers.
If your business doesn’t have enough online reviews, you could be losing out. Read on to find out why.
We’ve got 5 reasons why Google business reviews are important.
5 Benefits of Google Reviews
1. You’ll Gain Credibility
People trust reviews. Before buying, most customers would much rather hear an unbiased opinion.
If your business has positive reviews, customers will be more likely to try it for themselves.
According to Bright Local, 91% of customers read reviews to determine whether a business is good or bad.
That same survey showed that 84% of people trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations.
This means that online reviews could completely transform the way people feel about your business.
2. It Helps People Find Your Business
Google Plus Local ranks businesses by their reviews. This means that places with lots of authentic, positive reviews will be favored by their algorithm.
When you search an area on Google Maps, the businesses with the highest ratings will be shown to you first.
Therefore, the better your ranking is, the more clicks you’ll get.
Eventually, these will be converted into purchases.
3. It’s Free Marketing
Chances are you’re already spending a good chunk of money on marketing.
No matter how much you spend telling people how good your business is, some people just won’t believe it until they hear it from another customer.
Google reviews are a completely free way of letting people know who you are and what you do.
4. You Can Engage with Your Customers
Customer reviews and testimonials provide a chance for you to talk directly to your customers.
This allows you to gauge feedback and respond to comments.
Even if some of them are negative, it still presents an opportunity to put things right.
Here’s what to do if you get bad reviews on Google.
5. Customers Need Recent Reviews
Perhaps you already have a ton of reviews, but they were posted a while ago.
That’s not good enough.
73% of consumers think that reviews older than 3 months are irrelevant, so it’s crucial to keep your reviews current and updated.
Otherwise, people won’t trust it and may end up going somewhere else.
How to Get More Google Business Reviews
Now that you know how important online reviews are, you’ll want to make sure you get as many as possible.
But how do you get people to post reviews?
The easiest way is to simply ask.
About 50% of people who are asked to leave reviews do it. This means that you could significantly boost your business’ reputation simply by asking a favor of your customers.
However, it’s important to do it ethically. Never pay for reviews or offer incentives for them. They must be genuine.
If the product and service you provide are excellent, the reviews will be, too.
If you want to get more google business reviews, we’re here to help.
