How to get Google reviews: our practical advice

Google reviews have become a crucial element of online reputation for local businesses, directly influencing customer trust and purchasing decisions. Indeed, studies on the psychological mechanism represented by social proof have been carried out since the 1980s. To put it simply, this phenomenon pushes us to make decisions by observing the behavior of those around us, and thus nowadays, by taking into account online reviews.

But how do you get Google reviews authentically without spending too much time on it? In this article, we will give our 6 practical tips to help you strengthen your online presence and reputation with Google reviews. For this, we relied on a study published in 2023.

How do Google reviews impact visits to your local store?

In a recent study conducted by BrightLocal, we can draw these main conclusions:

• 87% of consumers used Google to review local businesses in 2022, up from 81% in 2021.
• However, the percentage of consumers using Facebook to review local businesses decreased for the second year in a row, from 54% in 2020 to 48% in 2021, then to 46% in 2022.
• 42% of consumers are convinced they have seen fake reviews on Facebook in 2022, compared to 37% in 2021.
• The top industries where consumers consider reviews most important are: healthcare, automotive services, and service/trades businesses.
• Google is the most trusted reviews platform across all industries.
• 26% of consumers were asked to leave a review of their business in exchange for a discount in 2022, compared to 15% in 2021.
• A high rating would encourage 58% of people to choose a local business.
• And finally, more than 65% of customers are ready to leave a review if asked!

Top 6 best practices for getting Google reviews

Have we convinced you of the benefit of asking your customers to leave a review on Google?! First of all, let’s take a look at these 6 good practices to put all your chances on your side.

Provide excellent Customer Service

Before you start obtaining customer reviews on Google, be demanding about the quality of your customer service because it is often on this criterion that you will make your customers want to take the time to submit a review or not. reviews on Google.
✅ If it’s excellent, you’ll probably get great reviews without even having to ask.
❌ If it’s still progressing because you have experienced several months of lack of staff for example, you risk having few positive opinions and this could demotivate you… Which would be counterproductive! Focus on your activity and you will come back to it later.

Don’t buy fake reviews to go faster

It may be tempting to buy fake reviews to quickly increase your rating because you’re doing a good job and deserve it. But this can have disastrous consequences. According to an IFOP study cited by Forbes, 68% of customers do not trust an establishment that only has positive reviews. Authenticity is key!

Respond intelligently to existing reviews

Whether positive or negative, take the time to respond constructively to all reviews. On the one hand, this naturally demonstrates to customers that their opinion is important to you and that you value their feedback, thus strengthening customer trust and loyalty towards your business. On the other hand, in the event of a conflict you can give your version of the facts.

Let’s take an example :
You have actually kicked out a customer who allowed himself to behave badly in your establishment and you receive a murderous notice on your Google page the same evening? 😤➡️ Take a deep breath then bring your own truth, with respect. Potential customers who see the conflict will have both sides of the story and will be able to form their own opinion. This still gives you the advantage of demonstrating that you know how to react intelligently when you are in a delicate situation. And then if you lose potential customers who think that “I do what I want anyway because customer is king”, is it really a big deal that they don’t come to your store?

Ask proactively and at the right time

If you follow the basics, most of your customers will be willing to leave you a review if you ask them. Don’t underestimate the power of a simple polite request at the end of a transaction. Don’t be shy, naturally ask your customers to leave a review on Google by making a short and engaging request, emphasizing the importance of their opinion to you.

The key is to do it at the right time! The best practice to remember is to reduce the time between request and purchase as much as possible. You can do this in person after a successful transaction or by sending a push notification to your customers’ smartphones in the hours or days that follow.

Use review management tools

There are specific tools designed to manage online reviews. However, it would be wise to find a single tool that allows you to manage multiple needs without spreading yourself too thin. Tools like the Fidelatoo Merchant mobile application allow you to dematerialize your loyalty program but also to send notifications directly to your customers’ smartphones.

Make the review process easier

Make the review writing process quick and easy. Provide clear instructions on how to leave a review on Google, especially for customers less familiar with the platform. The most effective is to give them access to the link to the review submission on your establishment profile on Google. For example, you can incorporate call-to-action buttons on your site, your social networks or even display a QR code in your establishment which links to the page in question.

What about showing you how to do it?

Get Google reviews in just a few clicks

Step 1: Recover the link to submit a Google review

To do this, log in to your Google establishment manager account then follow the following tutorial ⬇️

Step 2: Send or Make the link accessible

Then choose how you want to send the link. At the beginning, don’t hesitate to ask your customers how they would prefer to receive it and then set up a process that is simple for them as well as for you and your employees.

Let’s take a pictorial example of sending the link via a push notification in the Fidelatoo application. Click on Notification then provide a title, a description with the link and an image if you wish. Select the segment of your customer base that seems relevant to you then press Send. A notification arrives directly on the smartphone of targeted customers where they will only have to click and write their opinion. Isn’t life beautiful?