3 Steps to Google Review Nirvana

Nothing makes me feel better than a great Google review. (Well, maybe having the payment clear beats it out!) But not only does it validate your products and services for you, it also validates them to lots of potential clients. That makes reviews a key part of your marketing system and you should be leveraging them whenever and wherever possible.

If you're not using Google reviews to generate business, you're missing out on a very powerful marketing tool. To get started, here are three steps you can take to get the engine primed and running.

 1. Get the Reviews

You can't sit around and hope someone will leave a Google review for you. Like anything else in business and life, you have to go after what you want. That means asking for them.

In my headshot and commercial photography business, I put the request at the end of the email with the details of their image delivery. As I can't directly link to the review form (as far as I know) I make sure I give them clear directions and a link to my Google search result. I also mention that referrals are always welcome. Here's my verbiage.

"If it’s not too much trouble, would you leave a short comment about your experience on Google? Please click here and, in the right sidebar, click on “Google Reviews” to rate your service and leave a comment. And, of course, referrals are always appreciated!"

If my client doesn't leave the review on the first request I'll ask again at the end of my follow up email. Depending on the client, I may ask them a third time before I let it go. Although I want the review, I don't want to alienate anyone and potentially lose repeat business and referrals.

Another thing you can do is find some past clients that were thrilled with your work and ask them for a review. This can be a good way to jump start your review campaign.

Some people offer incentives for reviews. I've never done that because I feel it devalues my work and service. But if it fits with your business model, give it a go.

One last tip: ask for verbiage, not just a star rating. Not everyone will write something. But words that back up a five star review give it more legitimacy.

 2. Leverage Your Reviews to Generate Leads

Once you get your reviews, you can't just let them sit there and hope people will take the time to find them. Put them on your website, on social media, in your newsletters, marketing campaigns, wherever you have a touch with your audience. That includes past, current, and potential future clients. Even if your past clients already know and love you, seeing the reviews reminds them of you and may lead to repeat business and referrals.

 3. Optional Step: Give Your Reviews Credibility

As I mentioned above, you need to get your reviews on every touch point with your audience. However, nothing stops anyone from writing and posting a false review. So, you're hoping your audience trusts those reviews are real unless they go to Google to verify them.

Depending on your website platform, there's an additional step you can take to legitimize your reviews. In WordPress, there are several plugins that will feed your reviews directly from Google. (I can only vouch for WordPress on this as that is my website platform.) In the setup, you can set a threshold for reviews of a specified number of stars or higher, it's appearance, etc. Here's a screen shot of a portion of my feed.

The one catch to using this plugin is Google requires your business location on Google maps based on the location you provide in your Google Business profile. If you're a freelancer and work from home you may not want to do this. I believe there is a way to hide your address but it may show up on the map in search results.

 IMPORTANT NOTE: NO REVIEW GATING!

Review gating means that you have a system that allows you to review feedback before letting it post to Google. In other words, opening or closing the gate for it to be published.

From a business perspective, review gating can be a valuable tool. It gives you the ability to address any issues or misunderstandings with your client that can be easily solved. That gives them a second opportunity to write a good review for you.

However, from a Google search point of view this is frowned upon. They want the straight scoop from your clients without any interference from you in order to reflect their true experience. Google depends on accurate customer experiences to keep people using their search engine. If their reputation for reviews takes a hit, so does their revenue stream. Advertisers don't want to be associated with a service that's not deemed reputable.

So, now that you've got all this information, go get your reviews and let the world know how great you are!

Charlie Cotugno is a Seattle based headshot, commercial, and privately commissioned photographer with clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. He is also a sought after speaker on the topic of leveraging photography for career advancement and marketing success. To learn how Charlie can guide you through your visual imaging process, visit www.CotugnoPhoto.com, email [email protected], or call/text 425.501.9725.