Importance of Google Reviews and Tracking Them

If you wonder why you should bother with Google Reviews, it's because review services such as this are now most businesses' first (and hopefully not their only) impression on a prospective new patron. An increasing number of customers rely on Google reviews to select the business they wish to do business with. Obviously with an infinite browsing capability in your hands, via a smart phone and internet, finding a product or service is easy... but finding good customer service is equally if not more important. As the largest search engine provider, it only makes sense to get those positive Google Reviews posted!

Benefits of Google Reviews

Gives you an edge over competitors

With an increasing number of people doing business online, searching for services via the web, or simply using their smart phones for recommendations - your business marketing often starts here via a google search. More consumers today use mobile devices to investigate their decision prior to purchasing. In fact, most online users read at least 3-4 Google reviews before making a decision. So positive reviews will provide an edge over your competitors.

Boosts your Google ranking

With Google emphasizing results on local searches, positive reviews will help boost your Google ranking. This in turn increases your website traffic, improves your click-through rate and influences customers even further.

Influences the customer's decision

Yes, Google reviews can also influence the customer's decision. Many customers want reassurance before a decision or purchase. Hearing that multiple other consumers agree with their decision solidifies the process.

Helps to build trust

Recommendations from friends or relatives add more weight to your business than an advertisement. Clients tend to trust and like businesses with higher ratings. It's just common sense, few consider doing business with a low rating. Google reviews and testimonials add credibility and trustworthiness to a business or service and consequently increase the likeliness of their working with you.

Helps keep your business relevant

Not many realize that Google reviews can keep your business relevant and improve search results. Just remember that customers tend to consider and trust recent reviews more than the outdated ones. While the quantity of positive reviews is important for your business, one month or older reviews are considered outdated. Consumers consider at the most only reviews that were posted within the last six months. Not just Google reviews, even positive and negative reviews from other sites like industry-specific review sites have a great impact on what the prospective customer thinks about your firm. This is where Real Clear Software can help as it can provide means to monitor the ranking system, when it was last updated and progression.

How to get Google Reviews

It's not enough to just have a Google My Business page. It is best to implement the following steps to consistently get Google Reviews.

• Verify your Google My Business account so that your information is eligible to appear on Google Maps, Search and more. It's only if you verify your account, you can reply to client reviews.
• Remind clients to leave a review after a transaction. You could perhaps send an email explaining how easy it is to leave a review.
• Reply to reviews to show your client and other potential clients that you appreciate their input.

What to do if you have bad reviews

You may at times receive a bad review, even by someone who has never used your services before. These reviews are generally written by an unhappy client, even if you showed them your best service. Bad reviews can create lots of damage while having more good reviews makes prospective clients inclined to do business with you than competitors. While there's nothing definitive you can do about the review, there are some things you can to improve and increase your Google reviews.

• Get as many positive reviews as possible Strive to get as many positive reviews as possible so that your bad review gets pushed down the line and isn't immediately visible. You can also try to resolve their problem, so that the person who wrote a bad review acknowledges your response and attempts at resolving the problem.
• Don't use false reviews Always use genuine and authentic reviews and not false reviews on your site, even to hide the bad reviews. Consumers tend to check reviews for authenticity before making a final decision. So managing to highlight positive reviews, without cheating and using fake reviews will give you a clear edge.

The relation between reviews and the search engine

Reviews are so important that most search engines, including Google, consider reviews to be an integral factor in search algorithms. This is how and why reviews have a direct effect on your website's search engine results page (SERP). In fact MOZ statistics prove that a fifth of Google's algorithms are dependent on reviews. Both search and map results on mobile and desktop devices come with star ratings. You stand to lose about half your potential customers if you don't have a star rating.

Reviews on websites come from three sources:

• Accepted reviews from your business website
• Third-party site reviews like Facebook and Yelp
• Google reviews through Google My business ratings.

Failure to monitor and manage your review statistics may lead to poor ratings. You may lose customers as it is difficult for potential customers to locate you online.

How to use Google reviews to improve your business and digital presence

There are various other ways these reviews help increase your online visibility.

• They help you gain insights about your customers' thoughts and perceptions. Whenever you read reviews you get an idea of how well customers accept your business performance.
• It also tells you what your strong areas are, and where you need some improvement. Reviews also give you an idea of what your reputation is in the market.
• Make it a habit to respond to both negative and positive reviews. Most firms give a reply to negative ones to help rectify whatever misunderstanding there may be. However, it's important you respond to both reviews because the personalized attention is appreciated by customers.
• Encourage feedback from customers by asking them to leave their feedback. Most oblige to do so, which in turn helps to improve search engine optimization.

Review management

If you find it difficult to manage all your reviews, then you could use some review management solution. They help you keep a track and provide replies to reviews from a single source. Real Clear Software's project management is an excellent reminder and task management source to keep this process in motion. You can even do things like analyze the reviews, get feedback from them and also add them to your website. In short, these tools make review management easy as most of the work is automated.

Once you start utilizing the benefits of customer and Google reviews in your advertising campaign, you will notice a marked improvement in your online visibility. With this is the increase in number of customers, conversions, and profits for your business.

For more information on Real Clear Software, visit https://realclear.software, email support@realclear.software, or phone (949) 445-6220.