Google Places and Review Sites – Are They Really Good for Business?

I’ve recently been working with a local business and the prickly issue of customer reviews came up. So I thought I would get this one sorted out once and for all. I wanted to find out if it really is important for small local businesses to get reviews and have a Google Places page. Does it really matter to their business growth or not? What part does it play in overall website marketing?

This particular client is in accommodation so they work closely with review sites like Tripadvisor. This being one of the biggest online review sites, I wanted to get inside information on what they do to help, or hinder, business owners when it comes to reviews. So I go on the phone and called their support department, which after the usual dial number whatever for this and that, got through fairly quickly to a human being, who was actually very helpful.

My initial concern was that soliciting reviews was something they frowned upon. So I was pleasantly surprised when they provided the following information.

I explained that I’m a website marketing consultant working on a business that is listed on their website. They explained all their support features for businesses to market themselves online including how to get customers to leave reviews. In fact, they actually lend a helping hand with widgets that can be added to your website and review cards that you can download and print out for your customers.

So in hind sight this all made very good sense considering Tripadvisor is one of the biggest review sites online. Getting customers to leave good reviews can be difficult because people don’t think about reviews when visiting a local business. If they’ve had a good experience then they’re happy and more often than not, they’ll recommend that business to their friends and family (particularly on social media sites). To get people to then go online and leave a review on a review site is perhaps a step many won’t take. That’s why companies like Tripadvisor help businesses to encourage their customers to leave reviews and assist in whatever way they can.

Customers who’ve had a bad experience never need encouraging to leave a review. It has been statistically shown that they will jump through hoops if necessary to express their opinion and leave their comments. Then that comment is ‘out there’ for the world to see.

I was also pleased to hear that it is OK for businesses to offer incentives for leaving reviews (whether good or bad). For example as a thank you to them taking the time to do so. That is between the business and the customer and does not involve review companies at all.

So how do reviews affect your business?

Let’s first of all say that reviews affect all types of local businesses. Not just accommodation, restaurants and cafes. A local plumber, dentist, florist or even pet store can get reviews now on their Google Places page.

Reviews are BIG for your local business!

Being listed on relevant review sites for your industry is now becoming essential for the growth of your business. Potential customers will search for reviews for your business online and if they cannot find any, then they make consider a similar business that does have reviews. People will buy from you if they trust not what YOU say but what OTHERS say about your business. Reviews give people the confidence that they won’t be mistreated, misled or ripped off. They also give people encouragement to buy from you when the reviews are good. I’ve done this myself many times where I’ve gone with someone who has slightly better reviews than another.

What about bad reviews?

Of course good reviews are great but bad reviews can also be turned around. The most important thing to do is don’t ignore them. Respond as quickly as you can and don’t ever attack or criticise your customer. It doesn’t matter if they were in the wrong or whatever stars were in alignment that day. Turn the situation around by apologising first and offer compassion for the experience they’ve had. Ensure that you’ll make it up to them the next time they visit. Doing this not only turns the negative into a positive but you’ll also show other potential customers that you really care and value the experience people have with you. I can’t say strongly enough how much this will have a positive effect on your business. It’s good business to do so!

Do reviews affect search engine rankings?

Absolutely! The more activity there is on a page that is linked to your website, the higher up in the Google, Yahoo and Bing search engine rankings you’ll appear. All search engines love activity now and Google has clearly defined that ‘activity’ (classed as people doing things like comments, voting, etc) is now a ranking factor.

For example, if you have a listing on TripAdvisor then that page links back to your website (hopefully). That page points directly to your website and if that page is ‘busy’ then so much the better. All review sites should provide a link back to your website thereby getting you another incoming link. Incoming links are the number 1 most important thing you can do to improve your online search visibility for your business.

Google values reviews so much that they allow reviews directly on your Google Places page. If you haven’t claimed your Google Places page yet I strongly suggest you do or get some help to do that for you. Google Place pages are vital for local businesses but that’s the topic of another blog post.

The fact is that reviews are not going away … ever! Search engines actually go looking for and display reviews because they understand that this is what people are looking for online. Google actually says:

“Google provides reviews to help users name informed decisions on businesses and services. We believe that overall the reviews system is an opportunity for great businesses to shine and attract more customers.”

Conclusion

So what’s the conclusion about reviews? I’d say they are definitely worth your time and effort. Get more and don’t be concerned about whether they are good or bad. Getting feedback on your business is fantastic for development and growth. You can turn your business around to be one that people love and enjoy visiting time and time again.

Let’s end of with a question ….

What has been your experience of reviews? Whether you’re a customer or a business owner, what do you think about them?

… Deb