Free Strategy →
Wondering how to get more Google reviews? No problem! Here’s everything you need to know about how to increase Google reviews and also improve your star rating too. Scroll down and start collecting more Google reviews today.
When you understand the benefits of Google reviews, you quickly begin to understand the importance of continuously acquiring new reviews from various clients, sources and mediums. It’s not just Google reviews that are important, it’s every channel that you feature. However, for anybody who has ever tried to quickly get more reviews on Google, you will also understand us when we say that it can be a nightmare that doesn’t always seem worth the hassle.
Without absolutely begging your customers to help you out, most people will not go the extra mile for your business and leave a review. More often than not, you have to do something absolutely out of the ordinary to spark the thought in your customers’ minds to candidly leave you a 5-stars review. And yet, with every other business also trying to also get more reviews on Google, even providing a standout service is even more challenging.
So, what do you do?
Well, for starters, you follow this simple guide on how to get more reviews on Google! We’ve delivered countless small business SEO campaigns over the years and each client has the same goal as you do – to get more reviews. So, we have compiled this shortlist of every trick we have up our sleeves so you can start getting more Google reviews the moment you finish the article!
How to get a Google review link?
Before we share how to get more reviews on Google quickly, you are going to need to grab your Google review link. There are two primary ways you can do this. The first is straight out of your Google My Business dashboard which provides you with a slightly ugly looking review link. The second is to take this link and shorten it so you can cleanly use it throughout your marketing without making your content look really terrible.
Either way, this is much easier to share with your customers than having to direct them to your Google My Business page over the phone or sending them an email with step by step instructions on what to search in Google and how to leave a review. Just simply follow the steps below.
Follow these steps for your Google review link.
- Sign in to Google My Business.
- Select the correct business location.
- Make sure you are on the home screen.
- On the dashboard find “Get More Reviews”
- Click the button to load your link.
- Copy the URL or share via social media.
Once you have grabbed your URL, you can then use a service such as Bit.ly to shorten this URL. You can even change the link to something like bit.ly/digitalnextreviews which will make more sense for your customers when they receive this link via email.
How to get more Google reviews quickly
Now you know how to get a quick link sent to your customers, let’s explore how to get more Google reviews quickly for your business. Most of these tips are super easy to implement. However, some of them will require a little time to set up properly but will eventually just work autonomously for you.
So without further ado, here’s how to get more Google reviews.
1. Improve your service.
We’re not patronising you here, we promise. However, as explained above, getting more Google reviews becomes much simpler when you provide such an incredible service that your customers feel compelled to leave one. Sure, many customers need a little nudge, however, the best Google reviews are those that come from deep within the customer’s hearts.
To acquire these types of reviews, increasing your service game is paramount. So, have a think about what little extra touches you can add to absolutely blow the minds of your customers (in a good way) and start enjoying a barrage of 5-star reviews that amplify your profile and Local SEO services.
2. Ask for customers to leave reviews.
The old saying “you don’t ask, you don’t get” could not be truer when it comes to getting more Google reviews. Just because your customers have not left you a review, that does not mean they would be unwilling. All it takes sometimes is a reminder that sharing the experience they had with your business would be of huge help and your happy customers will jump straight online and write a stellar review for you. Just remember to not leave it too late before asking!
3. Add review links to your website.
As much as you are not asking for people to leave 5-star reviews directly on your website, chances are that many customers will visit your website first to find where to leave a review. By adding a page such as “testimonials” or “reviews” and placing a very clear badge to leave reviews on Google, you will start to harvest more reviews from people who did not think to go to Google directly.
What’s more, there is a very slight SEO benefit here should you also display the most recent reviews that have been left on Google on your website too. Every time your page gets updated with fresh content, Google has something to recrawl and this will help your SEO endeavours too.
4. Display a floating badge on your website.
By displaying a floating Google reviews badge, customers are immediately reminded that they are on Google and can instantly leave a review via the website. Another fantastic reason to display badges like the one above from WidgetPack is to improve your websites trust signals.
Trust signals are elements on your website such as testimonials, ratings and secure payment badges that signal to your customer that you are trustworthy. The more trust signals and social proofing that you can display, the greater the likelihood that a customer will buy from you.
5. Send out thank you cards.
If you are shipping goods, sending a little personalised card to thank the customer is a phenomenal way to seal the transaction. Here, you can also prompt the customer to leave a review and be smart with your message to make them feel absolutely compelled and inspired to support your business.
In a digital-first world, the nostalgia of receiving something handwritten or stylishly designed on thick cards goes such a long way to instilling brand loyalty. Just remember to keep your branding and brand colours on point and absolutely nail the message. After all, poor messaging here could ruin what was a great experience.
6. Follow up with an email.
If you are not sending physical goods, adding a ”leave a review” email to your post-purchase email funnel will absolutely do the trick. In fact, your conversion rate from this will be higher than physical cards as the customer will already be online.
Just as you can with thank you cards, you can also use this as an opportunity to offer the same customer a discount to come back and spend again. Or, you could opt to let them know about communities or charity work that you are investing into to get them ‘good vibe’ juices flowing before they review your business.
7. Send out a survey.
Another fantastic way to get more Google reviews is to send out customer surveys. By opting for this method, you are less likely to come across as asking your customers for a review which some may find a little disingenuous. However, you will still be asking for one at the end of the survey regardless! 😊
Select your best customers and ask them to complete a survey about how you can improve your business. Then, at the end of the survey, ask them to leave you a review on Google. You should be safe to do this as you have allowed them to steer how your business treats them moving forward which is phenomenal.
8. Use automated review services.
Automated review services such as GetFeedb are absolutely brilliant at prompting customers to win you more Google reviews. However, they are also incredible at filtering out disgruntled customers before they get a chance to leave a bad review about your business. With tools like these, you can spend less time responding to negative Google reviews and more time collecting 5-stars.
Yes, there are monthly costs for these apps. However, getting more Google reviews on autopilot is a huge win for your business. Not only are you saving massive amounts of time chasing customers up for your reviews but you are getting direct feedback privately from the disgruntled ones too!
9. Create a quick how-to video
Although this recommendation might sound strange, there are over 2,000 people each month within Australia that search on Google for ‘how to leave a Google review’ which is actually quite an astonishing number. So, as much as leaving a review might seem easy for you, it’s really not that easy for everybody. We’re not all computer geniuses!
By creating a quick how-to video you can also share examples of what other people have written about your business that you really like. This way, your customer has a starting point and will find writing the review much easier. As a result, they are more likely to leave you a review in the first place.
10. Respond to existing reviews.
Last, but not least, you should always respond to existing reviews. No matter whether they are good or bad, responding to reviews shows other potential reviewers that you care about their opinions. After all, why waste the time writing your opinion when it looks like the business owner does not care anyway?
Remember, when responding to reviews (good or bad) be tactful in your response. It’s always wise to draft a response and then get somebody else to check over your comments. Once you have responded, there is no going back and there is also no such thing as an open dialogue. So, when you get the chance to have the last say, make sure that you say it well.
Can you buy Google reviews?
In short, yes, you can buy Google Reviews. In fact, for something that goes against Google’s review policy and is supposed to be illegal, buying Google reviews is actually very easy. There are many online providers that will load up your Google My Business profile with fake reviews.
While tempting to get more reviews on Google by faking your way to the top, the real question is whether you want to do that to your business? Sure, you might end up with a large review count, however, customers read the reviews at length and spotting fake reviews is pretty obvious. Not to mention that buying fake reviews is just pretty lame and not a good indication that you have a good business.
One of our biggest rules when looking for how to increase Google reviews is to be authentic. Nobody likes a cheat and everything feels so much better when it has been earned. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You do not need to buy Google reviews to get more of them.
Summary: Increasing Google Reviews
We guarantee that with these simple tricks you will almost instantly start to get more reviews on Google. Every time you engage with your customers is an opportunity to bag yourself another 5-star rating. However, do not be pushy. Not every customer (no matter well you have serviced them) will feel inclined to leave a review. Sometimes, you think you are almost nailed on to get a stunning review but it never arrives. It’s actually the most surprising reviews that get you the most.
While all of these tips are simple to implement, some of them will require a little time to setup. Yet, once complete, you will start to get more reviews on Google automatically and will never have to intervene. Getting Google reviews is important. But not at the detriment of other priority tasks. So, by automating this process, you will achieve the best of both worlds. For more information on managing your Google My Business profile and your online reputation, check out some of these articles below:
Leave A Comment