Google My Business (GMB) is a great platform from Google to advertise your website in the search results, you can get reviews from clients and customers for free.
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How to set up reviews on Google My Business
Log into your Google My Business account and select the location you want to update.
On the profile, click the ‘info’ section in the menu on the left.
You will see the ‘Add profile short name’ option between your business phone number and your website address.
Click the pencil to add your short name. Your short name can be up to 32 characters and include dashes. Each short name is unique, so it could be that someone is using the one you want. Google will offer suggestions for short names to use.
Best practice is to add your full business name or your location at the end. For example:
Please note that you can only change your short name 3 times per year. So make sure you pick on you are happy with.
Collecting reviews for Google My Business
Once you set your short name, Google will give you a custom link to share online.
You can click your link to directly copy it, share it to Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, or in an email. You can use this link for anyone to leave you a review.
Where does the review link go?
The review link opens your Google My Business profile in Google Maps, with a for to leave a star rating and review.
Monitoring your reviews
You can see how many reviews you have received on your Google My Business profile either on the Home page, or by going to ‘Reviews’ in the left menu.
You can see all your reviews here and filter by reviews you have replied to, and which you have not replied to. You can easily reply to any review from this screen, simply click the ‘Reply’ button under a review and write your message.
All replies will appear with reviews when someone looks at your Google My Business profile online.
It is suggested that you try to reply to all reviews your receive, positive or negative, as a survey by BrigthLocal found that 82% of consumers read online reviews.
Why are Google My Business reviews important?
Apart from showing how great your business is, and what your customers have to say, reviews play a big part in how well your profile performs online.
When you get reviews for your Google My Business profile, these will show on your listing and across Google search where your profile appears.
How many reviews should I get?
It is suggested to get more than 10 and build from there. The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business, according to the same survey from BrightLocal.
What is the best way to get reviews?
Depending on how your business operates, it is usually easiest to ask customers or clients directly for a review after they have purchased a product or service from you.
In this day and age, sending across an email with a link to leave a review is considered the best way to get a review, but also it is worth having a link on your website for people to leave a review.
With larger businesses, you could offer a discount or voucher for customers or clients that leave you a review, or you could setup a scheme to reward employees who get a certain amount of reviews each month for the business.
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