Crown Street, Wollongong, 2500
Crown Street, Wollongong, 2500
Why Google Reviews Are Important and How to Get More of Them
Melody Jaimon • February 5, 2025
Google Business Profile reviews can be one of your most successful digital marketing tactics, and the best part is that it's free! Whether you run a small local business or a large enterprise, having a steady stream of positive reviews can significantly impact your online presence and customer trust.
Why Google Reviews Matter for Your Business
When people search for local services, Google is often their first stop. Your business listing appears alongside Google reviews, making customer feedback highly visible and influential in shaping decisions.
Some of the biggest reasons why Google reviews are so important include:
1. Establish Trust and Credibility
Before making a purchase, most people check reviews to see what past customers have said. Positive feedback reassures potential buyers that they’re making the right choice, increasing their confidence in your business. A steady flow of good reviews helps establish your brand as reliable and trustworthy.
2. Influence Customer Decisions
In competitive industries, customers often compare businesses before making a decision. If your business has a higher number of positive reviews compared to competitors, people are more likely to choose you. Reviews act as word-of-mouth recommendations, helping sway potential customers in your favour.
3. Gain Valuable Business Insights
Customer reviews offer direct feedback about what your business is doing well and where improvements can be made. Patterns in reviews can reveal strengths to highlight in marketing efforts or weaknesses that need addressing. This type of insight helps businesses refine their products, services, and customer experience.
4. Strengthen Customer Relationships
Engaging with reviews—whether positive or negative—shows that you care about your customers’ experiences. Acknowledging positive reviews builds loyalty, while professionally responding to negative ones demonstrates a commitment to resolving issues.
5. Gain an Edge Over Competitors
A business with a large number of high-quality reviews is more likely to stand out in search results and attract new customers. Potential buyers often choose businesses with strong ratings over those with few or no reviews, making client feedback a powerful competitive advantage.
Managing Anonymous Reviews or Negative Reviews
Collecting reviews isn’t just about boosting your online presence—it also helps protect your business from unfair, random, or even malicious feedback. The more genuine reviews you gather, the less impact a single bad review will have on your overall rating. Your satisfied customers are often happy to leave Google reviews—all you need to do is ask.
While we all want positive feedback, not every review will be a 5-star rating. A negative review might feel discouraging, but how you handle it can actually make your business look more professional.
Example of a Negative Review:
How to Respond to Negative Reviews
Instead of reacting emotionally, follow these steps:
- Always respond. Ignoring negative feedback can give the impression that you either don’t care or are admitting fault. A thoughtful response shows potential customers that you take feedback seriously.
- Stay professional and polite. Responding with kindness and a willingness to resolve issues can turn a negative situation into a positive one.
- Use relevant keywords. While addressing the review, naturally include key terms related to your business—this can improve your Google visibility.
- Offer a solution if appropriate. If the issue is valid, invite the reviewer to contact you directly to resolve the matter.
- Keep collecting positive reviews. One bad review won’t ruin your reputation if you continue to collect positive feedback.
For example, even after receiving a 1-star review, our business’s average rating only dropped from 5.0 to 4.9—a minimal impact. This proves that maintaining a steady flow of genuine, high-quality reviews can help offset occasional negative feedback.
Dealing with Fake or Unfair Reviews
If a review appears to be fake, spam, or violates Google policies you can report it for removal. Google allows businesses to flag inappropriate reviews, but keep in mind that removal isn’t guaranteed unless the review clearly breaches guidelines.
Best Practices for Responding to Google Reviews
When you respond to positive reviews, it’s important to express gratitude and acknowledge the client feedback. A personalised response that references specific details from their review makes it more meaningful. You can also use this opportunity to encourage future engagement by inviting them to return, try a new product, or stay updated on promotions.
- Respond promptly – A quick response shows attentiveness and customer care.
- Be concise but meaningful – Avoid long-winded replies; get to the point while remaining friendly.
- Use a consistent brand voice – Align responses with your business’s overall communication style.
- Monitor reviews regularly – Regularly monitoring and responding to new reviews helps build a strong online presence and encourages more customers to share their experiences
- Encourage more reviews – Let customers know their feedback helps improve your service.
Managing Your Google Business Profile
You can manage your Google Business Profile on Google Maps and Search from your desktop or through a mobile device. The Google Maps app is usually preinstalled on Android devices, but on iOS you need to download it from the App Store because Apple Maps is the default pre-installed mapping service on Apple devices. So, if you’re using an iOS device and don’t have the app yet, you should download it as soon as you can to manage your Business Profile easily.
Having a Business Profile allows you to:
- Edit your profile: Update your business information, change your operating hours, or add a menu.
- Enhance your business profile: Stand out on Google by adding photos or posting updates.
- Interact with your customers: Interact with your customers by quickly responding to reviews and answering any questions they ask on your review page.
How to Get More Google Reviews?
First things first, make sure you have verified your Google Business Profile so your information is eligible. Only verified businesses can respond to reviews, which is crucial for managing client feedback and building credibility.
Once your profile is verified, you can edit your business details on Google Search and Maps. Most importantly, you’ll also gain access to your review link, which makes it easier for customers to leave feedback. Sharing this link effectively is one of the best ways to get more Google reviews and strengthen your online presence.
There are five ways to share the review link of your business. Here’s how to do it on each:
From Google Search
1. Log in to the Gmail account associated with your Google Business Profile.
2. Type in your business name in Google Search and hit search. Make sure you’re logged in to the right Gmail account by checking which profile is logged in on the upper right part of the screen.
3. Locate your Google Business Profile listing, which appears on the right side of the search results.
4. On your profile dashboard, look for the Get more reviews section. This is where Google provides a direct link that you can share with customers.
5. Copy your review link by clicking anywhere inside the text field. No need to copy the text manually. A simple click will do the trick.
6. And that’s it! You can finally start sending your review link to your customers.
From Google Maps (Desktop)
If you're using a desktop computer, follow these steps:
1. Same as with Google Search, make sure you’re logged in to the Gmail account associated with your Business Profile.
2. Once you’re logged in, go to maps and in the search bar type in your business name and location. Click on your business listing when it appears in the search results.
4. Once your business profile appears, look for the Share button. It’s usually located next to your business name and details. Click on it to open sharing options.
5. Click Copy link to copy your unique Google review link to your clipboard. You can then share this link directly to social media platforms or emails with just one click.
From Google Maps App
Follow these simple steps:
1. Launch the app on your mobile device. If you don’t have it installed, you can download it from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
2. Open the app. Again, make sure you’re logged in to the Gmail account associated with your Google Business Profile.
3. In the search bar, type your business name and select it when it appears in the search results.
4. Tap on your business listing to open the full profile.
5. On your business profile page, look for the Share button (usually represented by a share icon) and tap it.
5. A sharing window will appear with multiple options. Tap Copy link to copy your unique Google review link to your clipboard. You can then share this link directly to social media platforms or emails with just one click.
Using Google Business Profile
If you use Google Business Profile to manage your business information, generating and sharing a Google review link is simple.
1. Go to Google Business Profile Manager and sign in with the Gmail account linked to your business.
2. If you manage multiple businesses, choose the one for which you want to create a Google review link. Click See your profile.
3. A new tab will open, displaying your business information on Google. Scroll down to find the section with various actions you can take on your profile. Click Ask for reviews.
4. Once you click Ask for reviews, a popup window will appear with your unique Google review link. Copy the link and you can now share it.
Using a Google Place ID Finder
Every business location registered with Google has a unique Place ID, which can be used to generate a direct review link. This method is especially useful if you have multiple business locations or can’t access your account directly.
Follow these simple steps to generate your Google review link using the Google Place ID Finder:
1. Visit the Google Place ID Finder.
2. In the search bar, enter your business name and location. This helps Google pinpoint the exact business listing.
3. Once your business appears in the results, click on the correct listing to confirm the selection.
4. After selecting your business, a unique Place ID will appear. This is a string of letters and numbers assigned by Google to identify your specific business location. Copy this Place ID for the next step.
5. To generate a direct review link, simply paste your Place ID at the end of the following URL:
https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=YOUR_PLACE_ID_HERE
6. Your custom Google review link is now ready to be shared.
Getting more Google reviews takes consistency and effort, but the benefits for your business are well worth it. By making the process easy, engaging with customers, and delivering top-notch service, you can steadily grow your reviews and boost your online reputation.
Note: If your reviews are not coming up on your Google Business Profile, there are several possible causes for this issue. Learn how to fix it here.
Takeaway
There's no denying the importance of online reviews for businesses. In fact, nearly 90% of consumers say that their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews. And when it comes to local businesses, Google business reviews are particularly important. So if you want your business to appear more reputable and trustworthy in Google, a great way to start is by getting more reviews posted from your customers.
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