The last time we wrote an article on how to solicit Google Reviews, the process was … complicated. Thankfully (since 2014), Google recognized this and improved the process to generate, and share a link to Google Reviews that you can share with your customers.
Google has a help topic called “Create a link for customers to write reviews” that explains the process. You can generate a link both on your computer, and within the app. You can also create a “short name” which sends people directly to your Google listing.
I won’t repeat the instructions, but I will tell you why generating this link, and sharing it with your customers is key to your marketing efforts.
Playing a prominent role in Google search results, Google My Business listings now show for more queries than ever before. Running on top of, or alongside organic search results these listings are front and center when customers search for your business. An important aspect of every Google Business listing are Reviews which are prominently displayed to searchers.
Soliciting reviews from your happiest customers should be a part of your ongoing marketing strategy. Having a short and direct link to this review process makes it’s easier for customers to leave reviews, which increases the chance that they’ll review your business at all.
Strategies to get reviews:
- Send emails to specific customers, asking for a review with an included link.
- Add a review link to your website.
- Add a review link to your email newsletter.
- Broadcast your review link on social media.
- Place QR codes in your physical location or on print materials.
- Offer a small incentive to leave a review, like a discount or freebie.
Getting reviews can be labor intensive, but the long term payoff is worth it. Beyond Google, Facebook is the second most important property to solicit reviews.