How to Ask for a Google Review

Do you want to spread the word about how great your business is? Are you actively working to build your online footprint? Have you been looking for new ways to engage your customers?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, we have one answer that can solve your problems: Google reviews.

Google reviews play a unique role in SEO, improve your online visibility, and give your customers a new way to interact with your brand. Knowing how to ask for a Google review as well as when is critical for your business.

A well thought out Google review marketing strategy will help your business tremendously. Accordingly, we’re here to help you get the reviews you need. Keep reading to learn how you can get more 5-star reviews for your business.

How to Ask for a Google Review the Right Way

Business owners don’t need to be told how important reviews are, but they may not know why Google reviews matter more than reviews on other websites.

Unlike Yelp and industry related review platforms, Google reviews are extremely visible. They’re going to be one of the first online resources customers see when they find your business in search results.

Having numerous Google reviews within your Google My Business profile can help build a positive reputation for your business and could even help boost your local SEO ranking. You can even post the reviews to your website for added visibility.

Reviews are important for both online and brick and mortar businesses. Some online-only businesses may struggle to get reviews since they can’t ask people in person to leave reviews. Luckily for them, there are plenty of ways to get reviews from customers that don’t have to rely on face to face interactions.

As a business owner, it’s important for you to know how to elicit reviews from your customers. If you want to know how you can get more reviews for your business, make sure you follow these important tips.

Don’t Miss the Moment

Whether you’re doing in-person transactions or have people purchasing products and services online, you can’t underestimate the power of timeliness when you’re trying to get reviews.

If you own a brick and mortar store, consider training your employees to bring up the subject of reviews during checkout. Customers will be more engaged during this time and may be more willing to leave a review. Some may even be willing to give you five stars while they wait to pay!

Online retailers can still take advantage of the moment after purchase. After your customers have placed their order, program a prompt to appear on their screen that asks them to leave reviews.

Add a Review Link to Your Website

If you want customers to leave Google reviews you’re going to have to make it easy for them. Instead of asking them to find you on Google and leave a review show them exactly where they can find you.

Give people several opportunities to leave a Google review on your website. Put a direct link to your Google My Business page on your home page, contact us page, and anywhere else you think is relevant.

Regardless of where you decide to put your link, make sure it’s visible and easy to find. Directing people to your site and making it difficult to find the link could lead you to get fewer reviews than you’d hope.

Use the Power of E-mail

Did you forget to ask a customer for a review after a great experience? Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to get the review by using e-mail.

E-mail marketing can be a powerful tool to help you get the reviews you want. Well-timed emails can ask customers to leave a review a few days or a week after they make their purchase. Our recommendation is to send 2 reminders after the original email: the 1st will be sent 2 – 3 days after the original request, and the 2nd should go out 4-5 days after the original request. Feel free to shoot us a message for a free copy of our review strategy.

While developing a review elicitation strategy, you will have to decide if there is someone in-house that can handle this or if want this done automatically. If you choose the latter, find an email automation tool that can help you send out emails to customers. The right tool can use data to figure out the best time to send out emails and can automatically follow up without you having to worry about a thing.

E-mail tools can also help you improve the customer experience and deal with negative reviews.

Did someone mention that they had a bad experience with your product or company? Find software that can auto-respond to negative reviews to ask reviewers what you can do to improve their experience. Sometimes simply making the effort to contact an unhappy customer can be enough to change their attitude about your company.

Incentivize Customers

The benefit of reviews can seem one-sided from a customer’s perspective. After all, they have to do the work of leaving a review while you reap the benefits of their positive feedback. What’s in it for them?

Customer incentives can help you get quality reviews and build loyalty with your customers. If you want to see more Google reviews, give your customers something that will make it worth their while.

You don’t have to do anything drastic to get more reviews from your customers. A gesture such as a small discount, coupon, or free product can be enough to encourage them to leave reviews.

Be smart about your incentives and tie them to other things that can help your business. One popular way to get more reviews and potential new customers is to offer reviewers a discount code for themselves and a friend. You’ll get your positive review and may even get a new customer!

Jumpstart Your Review Strategy Today

Knowing how to ask for a Google review is important for business owners. When you focus on timely follow-ups, incentives, and give people multiple opportunities to leave reviews, you’ll notice your review numbers going up in no time.

Are you interested in learning more about social media marketing? Do you want to learn more about SEO and web design?

Regardless of what you need, we’re here to help you improve your online marketing efforts. Contact us today so we can start talking about the best way to help your business.