Replying To Google Reviews
In today’s society and culture, with information so readily available at the click of a button, it has become the norm for consumers to heavily vet their options for any service or product they are interested in. From comparing reviews on the best plumber in town to fix your sink, to looking up the menu on a restaurant you’re thinking of trying, people are aware of the many options out there and the power to make an informed decision. So how do you manage your online reputation and stand out from the pack? Building a strong review base is a great way to prove quality and reliability of product and service, but there’s another edge a business can have to grow consumer confidence. Responding and replying to reviews has been proven to give over 55% of consumers a more positive impression of a business!
So, lets talk strategy! Some businesses will choose to only respond to reviews that are positive and ignore the negative reviews so as to not draw attention to them. Other businesses will only address negative reviews. The best proven strategy is to respond to all reviews- both positive and negative! Over 89% of consumers say that they would be more likely to use a business that responds to all reviews, where 57% of consumers say it would be unlikely for them to use a business that doesn’t respond to any reviews at all. When responding to negative reviews, it is important to be empathetic and non confrontational in your response. A great response to a negative review can actually increase customer advocacy.
When a business owner takes the time to reply to a google review they are accomplishing two things.
1). It shows another side to the story which reduces the negative impact of a bad review and enhances the positive impact of a 5 star review. As consumers are deciding on which business to contact in front of their screen, seeing brand personality and humanizing a business could be huge draw! Replying to reviews offers an opportunity to show who you are as a company and how you communicate to your customers.
2). Google looks at which businesses are replying to reviews and its a ranking factor within their google business page AI algorithms. The more a business owner uses their business page the more Google will show that business page in local organic search.
The way a business wins online is simple, make your customers happy and make Google happy.
Written and Published By Emma Bosma