With increasing numbers of consumers turning to online reviews to help in their purchase decision-making processes, utilising Google Reviews to enhance your online presence is a crucial element of any SEO strategy. Ranking well in the search engine results pages (SERPs) is one thing, but by setting yourself apart from the competition with a ton of positive reviews, will you start to really impact click-through rate and conversions.

In this guide, I’m going to talk about how to go about leaving a Google review and why it matters.

Want to jump to straight to the method? Click your prefered device type below.

• Google Maps App on a Mobile Device
• Search Engine Results Pages on a Mobile Device
• Google Maps App on a Desktop Device or Laptop
• Search Engine Results Pages on a Desktop Device or Laptop

The Importance of Maintaining your Google My Business Presence

Your Google My Business page will appear when people search either for your business directly or within more general searches for businesses like yours using Google Search or Google Maps.

In addition to ensuring that each element of your listing provides your potential customers with important information such as your contact number and business address, successfully securing reviews from your previous and/or current customers will help to enrich your Google My Business page and help you establish trust with your prospective customers or clients.

How to Encourage your Customers to leave Google Reviews

Although the most natural reviews are often left by customers who haven’t been prompted to do so, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t, or indeed shouldn’t, encourage your customers to leave a Google Review on your Google My Business page.

Engaging with your customers is one of the core components in the provision of excellent customer service. Asking for feedback says that you genuinely care about the experiences of your customers and actively demonstrates your willingness to continue to grow and learn from constructive criticism in order to continue to provide high-quality customer service.

When forming a strategy to help you obtain Google reviews for your business there are three key aspects to keep in mind; integration, timing, and ease.

1. Integration

If you have an email marketing strategy in place but are failing to leverage it as a tool to obtain valuable reviews from your audience, you are missing out on a potentially massive opportunity. Alongside your social media channels, this direct form of communication with your audience is an ideal place to remind them how important their feedback is to your business.

2. Timing

Timing is crucial. If you ask for a review too early, your customer might not have had the opportunity to collect their thoughts and form an opinion they feel comfortable sharing with the world. Conversely, if there is a considerable delay in asking your customer for their thoughts, they may no longer feel sufficiently engaged with you or your company to give up their time to write a review.

3. Ease

There is no getting around the fact that you will be asking your customers to spend a few moments of their valuable time sharing their opinions. As such, it is crucial to make the process as easy as possible. Providing a direct link to your review page within your email correspondence and across your social media channels will make the process simpler and more appealing to your audience.

The good news for businesses is that the process of leaving a Google review has been simplified greatly over recent years. Let’s look now at some of the ways that your customers or clients can leave you a Google Review.

Please note: To leave a Google review you will need to have a Google Account. Sign up for an account here.

Leaving a Review using the Google Maps App on a Mobile Device

As Google has recognised the increasing importance and value of user-generated reviews, updates to the Google Maps App have made the mobile review process much more user-friendly.

1. Open the Google Maps app and ensure you’re signed into your Google account

2. Search for the business you would like to leave a review for

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the box on the left-hand side until the reviews section is visible

4. Click on ‘Write A Review’ and a new box will appear

5. Enter your star rating and any comments you have, and click post

Leaving a Review through Search Engine Results Pages on a Mobile Device

1. Conduct a Google search for the business you want to review and ensure you are signed in to your Google account

2. Click on the reviews tab located in the business information box at the top of the page

3. Scroll down until you see the words ‘Rate and Review on Google’

4. Select your star rating and enter any feedback into the box that appears

5. Click post

Leaving a Review using the Google Maps App on a Desktop Device

1. Open the Google Maps app and ensure you are signed into your Google account

2. Search for the business you want to review

3. Scroll to the bottom of the box on the left-hand side of the page until the reviews section is visible

4. Click on the ‘Write A Review’ button and a new box will appear

5. Enter your star rating and feedback, and click post

Leaving a Review through Search Engine Results Pages on a Desktop Device

1. Conduct a Google search for the business you would like to review

2. Look for the business information box on the right-hand side of the page

3. Scroll down past the business’ contact information and popular opening times until you see the reviews section

4. Click on ‘Write A Review’ and a new box will appear

5. Enter your star rating along with any comments, and click post

The reviews you receive will likely be a bit of a mixed bag. Some will overflow with positivity and some will be a bit more critical. However, each one will contain valuable information both for your business and for your audience. They will also show that your company isn’t just good at what it does, but engages and listens to its customers.

The post How to Leave A Google Review (On Any Device) appeared first on Superb Digital.