Reviews are an important part of online and offline businesses. In the past, reviews were mainly via word of mouth recommendation from a pleased customer to a potential customer. However, in the digital age, consumers are paying more attention to what they see online. An upward of 85% of consumers are more likely to make a buying choice based on the reviews they find online from past customers. This makes it all the more important for business owners to pay attention to what is being said about them and their business.
With the internet, businesses are now exposed to a global scale of audiences who want great products and services and rely on the reviews of satisfied customers to make their choice. Google, the biggest search engine platform on the internet, has realized the importance of reviews and so rolled out the Google Business Profile as a means to directly collect and manage reviews for businesses.
Google Business Profile comes with many features that have helped both businesses and consumers. More recently, a new section was added to Google Business Profiles called “reviews from the web.” The latest addition by Google will force more businesses to pay attention to reviews and review collections. It’ll also encourage them to improve their business’ products or services to increase reputation and sales. The recent feature is seen by some as a challenge while other businesses have embraced it and are working on exploiting it in their favor.
If you aren’t already leveraging the power and benefits of the GBP review section of your listing, below are some of the ways you’re missing out.
Social Engagement
Most businesses are interested in fulfilling their orders to customers and moving on to others. However, the latest addition will change the tides by allowing businesses to relate better with their customers. Businesses now have to ask for reviews at the end of product or service delivery. These reviews will help them to shape an image that’ll inform new customers’ decisions to do business with them. Consumers also get a fair deal out of it because a business that expects a positive review will strive hard to deliver exceptional quality products or services.
Business Improvement
Businesses that are able to gain more positive reviews stand a chance of boosting sales and lead generation. Consumers are more interested in getting value for their money and are most likely to contact a business with tons of good comments from past customers. With good reviews, you build trust and confidence around your brand and business. You also get a chance to improve your reputation and convert more visitors into paying customers.
Why Google Business Profile Review Management is Important
A lot of businesses today are converting customers with less stress on the basis of their positive reviews. However, negative reviews have as much impact as positive reviews on your brand and its reputation. The consequences of negative reviews include:
- Lower Google Rating – Google is interested in recommending top-performing businesses to its users. There is a high chance that you may miss out on customers through deranked listings caused by bad reviews.
- Decreased Reputation – Consumers are interested in businesses that are reputable. Bad reviews inspire fear thus causing consumers to move on to competitors.
- Hard to Fix – Bad reviews are often there to stay. It is often hard to fix negative reviews and ratings except it’s a one-off occurrence.
Negative reviews affect your business in more ways than you can imagine. It is cheaper to maintain positive reviews compared to fixing negative reviews. Google review management can play an instrumental role in reducing the negative consequences of bad reviews.
