If you need Google business review management, professional brand managers can help you with that. These professionals ensure that your interactions with your customers don’t get unprofessional and personal, ensuring that one bad review doesn’t severely damage your brand’s reputation.
Understanding the importance of business reviews will help you appreciate why they’re crucial for your business. As humans, social proof is essential for numerous decisions. For instance, people are most likely to ask about a restaurant from their friends and family before visiting the said restaurant. This means that referrals are still a big thing even with the advent of internet advertising. People trust the word of a friend or acquaintance as far as choosing to do business or purchase something goes. When there is no friend or relative to consult about a certain establishment or business, the next best thing is a review.
A review means a lot to potential customers. It expresses an opinion based on experience. This means that a business review carries a lot of weight for potential customers. In fact, a vast number of online readers claim to go through business reviews before deciding whether to purchase from an online store (or any online business). This means that negative reviews could seriously hamper your business sales. As such, business owners would do well to pay close attention to their customers’ reviews.
Importance Of Google Business Profile Reviews
While there are plenty of avenues online customers can use to leave reviews about a business, the reality is that most people searching for anything online usually begin their search using Google. Google tends to display reviews about a business every time that business’s name is searched. This is displayed under the ‘Google business profile’ review. This usually pops up at the center and top of your result searches. Because most people make emotional decisions when purchasing, a negative business review popping up as one of the search hits will greatly undermine a customer’s confidence, making them reconsider.
This is especially relevant for local searches. People place an unusually high value on reviews about a local business in their geographical location. Some go so far as to trust it as though it were a personal recommendation from a friend. This is obviously something every business owner should be concerned about. Google business profile also affects local rankings. Whether it’s Google Local Pack or simply organic rankings, reviews are crucial.
Managing Google My Business Reviews
There are a few ways to manage your Google Business. If you have only one business profile, as most business owners do, then it’s easy for you to manage your account. You can simply type your business name into the Google search bar. Alternatively, you can type (My Business) in.
A panel displaying your ‘business profile manager’ will be displayed on the left-hand side. Managing your profile then becomes easy. To access your reviews, click on ‘Customers.’ A section for ‘Reviews’ will appear. You can then proceed to manage your reviews in Google search.
Another convenient way to manage your business reviews is by downloading the Google Maps application on your phone or tablet. Depending on your preference, you can either click on the account menu or search for your business name in the Google Maps App. Either step will display your Business profile. A section for ‘customers and reviews’ will appear. Here, you should see all your reviews and be able to manage them. Remember, you must have logged into your business profile email account for the Google search method or using the Google Map application to work.
If you have several business profiles to manage, simply go to ‘Business Profile Manager.’ All the different business profiles will appear. You can then choose the one you’d like to manage.
Notifications When New Reviews are Posted
Setting up these alerts helps you know about reviews as soon as they’ve been posted. Your Business profile panel will display these notifications if you use Google searches to manage your profile. It’s always advisable to set your email program in such a way that these notification emails stand out from the rest, ensuring that you can quickly notice them.
If you’re using Google Maps Review, an alert will appear there too, much like with your business profile panel.
For instance, when you have multiple profiles, log onto your Business profile manager to display all your other profiles. Click on the one with the newest review. Alternatively, you can go to the email that was sent as a notification. There should be a link there to take you to the review.
