The Thing About Google Reviews

I have a client that does a great job asking people for reviews on Google for her business. In fact, I was just complimenting her on it the other day as we've been seeing some positive reviews come through on her Google Business page. The funny thing is... you really have to ask for good reviews these days, and it's kind of like pulling teeth.

I find that people expect to be treated well and have a good experience when they go see a new chiropractor, a dry cleaner, or a restaurant that just opened. It's only when the customer has a terrible experience that they get to writing a review online. Would you agree?

I have been there. Seriously. I have great experiences with businesses all the time, but I can't count on my hands the amount of good reviews I've given them. However, I can distinctly remember the bad review I left a massage place a few months back because my experience was so infuriating. I couldn't wait to get back into my car to get on Google and start telling my story to the world.

Moral of the story here is: don't be afraid to ask people for good reviews! They are great to have online for new customers and people don't mind leaving them; they just forget to do so once they've walked out the door.

Here are some things to try when doing so:

• Give people an incentive to write a review
• Make it easy by sending them a link to write the review
• Give them a small gift on their way out that includes a note asking them for their feedback

Recommendations from peers work well, but so do good reviews! They also help with your website's SEO, if you're into that kind of thing :)

Keep up the good work, everyone!