Every business owner wants that coveted 5 star review rating on Google. You might be providing the best service, but sometimes it’s simply not enough for some customers to give you a 5 star review. However, you can get those types of customers to give you 5 stars if you ask them at the right time and in the right way. The answer to getting more 5 star reviews lies in the how, when and why of your review acquisition strategy.
In a nutshell: To get more 5 star Google reviews, you need to ask your customers directly — while maintaining a positive online reputation to influence better reviews.
The first thing you must accept is that five star reviews won’t naturally come your way, you need to ask for them. In fact, customers are only inclined to leave a review when they’ve had a bad experience. The great news is 76 percent of customers who are asked to leave a review go on to do so, an increase from the reported 70 percent in the previous year.
Secondly, it involves systems and techniques to impress your target audience. With your potential customers having a multitude of options, you must not give them a reason to look elsewhere. Begin by managing your Google reviews and gear every aspect of your online presence towards sales. Maintaining a positive brand image through 5 star reviews is a great place to start.
Amazon is a prime example of a company leveraging online ratings and reviews for exponential business growth. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, “Today customers can tell whether a product and service is good because there’s so much transparency. They can compare it to others very easily and then they can tell all their friends — the customers will do part of the heavy lifting, marketing-wise.”
This tells us that the systems in place work and that the growth potential is unlimited. Your next step is to craft a focused strategy for getting Google 5 star reviews to reap its benefits.
How Important Are Google 5 Star Reviews?
Google is the platform that 63.6 percent of consumers check during their decision-making process, this is more than any other review site. With all these eyes on you, optimizing your Google My Business [GMB] profile and increasing your average review score will go a long way. You’ll appear more credible and trustworthy with every 5 star Google review you earn.
Top reasons you need five star reviews:
1. Grows Your Customer Base
People used to consider brands solely through personal recommendations, but online reviews attract more customers by providing additional trust factors. The transparency and unbiased access to public reviews put consumers at ease despite not personally knowing who left the reviews.
2. Helps You Rank On Local Searches
Every Google 5 star review will improve your average review rating and Google considers this a key ranking factor for local search results. The Google Local 3-Pack features businesses at the top of the search engine results page [SERP] and with a unique layout, making customers more likely to click through.
3. Proven To Improve Sales
Attracting a broader market and ranking high on search results bring your potential customers closer to performing your desired action and increasing your conversions. Five star reviews act as social proof that ultimately make purchasing decisions easier. A Harvard Business School study found that a one-star increase in review ratings led to an increase in revenue by five to nine percent.
Best of all, the benefits of 5 star Google reviews come at no cost when you have the right strategy in place.
3 Ways to Encourage 5 star Google Reviews
Alan Muther, an SEO expert at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, shares that the most popular review scores customers give are five and one and almost everyone chooses to leave a 5 star review over a 4 star. This tells us that your customers may already be inclined to leave you a 5 star Google review, but you need to secure it with the right timing and an elegant approach.
Tried-and-tested techniques to sway your customer to give you a 5 star review:
1. Ask When They’re Happiest
Everyone knows to only ask for favors from someone when they’re in a good mood. For businesses, the right timing is when you’ve satisfied their needs or fixed their problem. It’s best to ask your customers during these peak happiness times and in person whenever possible for the best chance of getting a 5 star Google review.
2. Express Your Intention
Similar to how people will leave a review if you ask, being explicit about why you need Google 5 star reviews will give you the same result. You need to get the messaging right through personalized email and SMS campaigns and remind them to leave the review after just the right amount of time between their last interaction with you and you sending them a review request.
3. Showcase Your 5 Star Reviews
In his blog, Alan also shares that people are less likely to go against the grain when a business has many positive reviews and an overall 5 star review rating. Feature your 5 star Google reviews through a review widget on your site and share customer testimonials on social media to influence more people to leave a Google 5 star review.
Earn Your Google 5 star Reviews with a Positive Brand Image
Protecting your online reputation means leaving no room for your potential customers to doubt your brand. When you proactively improve your brand image, you ensure your brand is perceived in a positive light and encourage 5 star reviews in the process.
Actionable tips on maintaining a positive online reputation:
1. Respond To Customer Feedback
Around 89 percent of people read how businesses respond to reviews, so make sure you respond politely and effectively. This becomes a chance to leave a good impression and show your customers that you care. Crafting genuine responses to feedback becomes an opportunity to turn negative feedback into 5 star reviews.
2. Engage in Online Conversations
There are multiple avenues where people can leave feedback about you and it takes diligent review monitoring to stay on top of all your brand mentions. This helps you connect with your customers, gather valuable consumer insight and thank them for their 5 star reviews. You want your audience to feel your commitment to their satisfaction.
3. Increase Your Average Review Rating
One of the fastest ways to increase your average review rating is to flag, report and remove fake and unfair reviews. You wouldn’t want fake reviews to be the reason your online reputation suffers. Keep your negative feedback to a minimum to increase customer confidence in your brand.
Rally Your Team Behind A 5 Star Review Acquisition Strategy
While your online reviews showcase your brand value, a large part of your online reputation still relies on your everyday interactions with your customers and online community. We can’t discount the reality that many of your customers will weigh up if you deserve a perfect 5 star review based on their real-life experience with your business and brand. This is where you need your exceptional customer service and review acquisition strategy to work together.
To increase your Google 5 star reviews effectively, you must craft a tailored strategy for your specific business and audience. Then, align your entire team on its execution to maximize your results.
Get your team on board to get more 5 star Google reviews with these simple tips:
• Be knowledgeable on the review acquisition best practices discussed in this blog
• Identify your key customer touchpoints and unique opportunities to ask for reviews
• Have the right tools for review generation such as tablets and landing pages
• Create a culture of receiving feedback and improving your services
• Commit to providing the best service and continuously delight your customers
Get 5 Star Google Reviews The Right Way
Don’t make the mistake of faking your positive reviews. For one, it’s against Google’s rules to have your employee leave a 5 star review because of its inherent bias. Another common mistake is generating multiple 5 star reviews in a short period. Google might view these as orchestrated reviews and tag them as invalid. The last common mistake to avoid at all costs is to pay for 5 star reviews as it is an illegal practice banned by the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]. Google’s guidelines on review acquisition change over time and it’s best to have trusted experts on your side.
Rize Reviews’ reputation management software saves you time by automating your review generation and getting more 5 star Google reviews the right way. It’s a 100 percent done-for-you service that encourages your customers to leave positive reviews through email and SMS campaigns. We sway your customers to write 5 star reviews through meaningful messages personalized to your particular customers. Trust our experts to pace your review requests and adhere to all Google guidelines regarding review acquisition.
Contact Rize Reviews today for a free online reputation audit and discover how our experts can boost your sales through 5 star Google reviews.