In today’s digital world, online visibility is the key to success for any local business.
And in this scenario, Google reviews become your secret weapon to dominate local SEO and attract more customers than ever.
And Google knows it: businesses with more reviews are 50% more likely to appear on the first page of Google.
Reviews not only influence purchasing decisions but are also a key factor in your business’s SEO ranking.
Google uses reviews as a signal of trust and relevance, so having a good number of positive reviews can help you climb higher in local search results.
But how can you get more reviews?
Make it easy for customers to leave a review
Most satisfied customers feel lost when asked to write a review.
Why? Because they simply don’t know where to leave it.
You need tools that make the process easier for your customers.
Use NFC Cards
This new technology — the same used for mobile contactless payments — works by proximity.
Here’s how it works: when your customers tap their phones on these cards, they’ll be automatically redirected to leave a Google review in the fastest and simplest way possible. Easy, right?
These NFC cards will multiply your local business reviews, but that’s not all…
Use QR Codes
SEO is an ongoing effort, and using these types of tools makes it easier to get many more positive Google reviews.
You wouldn’t believe how often customers draw a blank when a business owner asks them to leave a review.
With these permanent, customized QR codes, you can download and print them as cards or posters to place around your business and make the process easier for customers.
Use SMS
It may seem like a minor feature, but it’s one of the highest-converting tools available.
More than 97% of people who receive an SMS open it — often out of curiosity.
Imagine receiving an SMS thanking you for visiting the business and including a personalized link to leave a review.
Quite a difference, right?
Google values these kinds of customer-friendly actions when ranking your business higher in search results.
Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative
You must be patient and avoid the common mistake many business owners make when replying to reviews.
You must be patient and avoid the common mistake many business owners make when replying to reviews.
Thanking the customer for their time and clarifying any conflict can be key to preventing more negative reviews.
But what if you could avoid them altogether?
There are negative review filtering tools that few businesses know about — yet they are often the secret to success.
Here’s how it works:
Your customers “land” on an intermediate page showing three faces (green, orange, red).
If the customer is happy with their experience, they’re redirected to leave their review on Google.
…but if they’re not, their feedback is sent privately to you, so you can resolve the issue and prevent the negative comment from being published.Clever, right?
You can’t imagine how much online reputation your restaurant (or any local business) can gain with this simple trick.
But there’s even more…
Keep an eye on your competitors
Monitoring your competitors can be the key to improving your local SEO, as it helps you set clear goals and stay ahead.Some tools, for just a few euros per month, let you see how many reviews your competitors get each week compared to you, placing you in a ranking that can motivate your team to do better.
Don’t let your competition get ahead of you…
