I suspect that most people reading this article will have a Google Business listing.
If you don’t, then it is definitely something that you should organise. Setting it up is free and not a difficult process. However, you will need a bit of patience as it can take Google a while to verify things. Get things rolling by going to: http://google.com/business.
For those of you who do have a Google Business listing, I wonder how often you check it?
It tends to be something people only do when going through a rebrand or redesigning their website. However, really it is something we should all be doing regularly.
Why you should check your Google Business listing regularly
- First up, is it accurate? The more accurate and complete the listing, the higher the chances it will show up in relevant searches.
- You can amend essential information
- Share photos, logo etc
- Create posts, offers and events
- Post answers to FAQ
- There is then the question of keeping on top of any reviews. There are some lovely, grateful clients out there but, as in the social media environment, there are people prepared to state their views very frankly. And all of these reviews will be up there, in date order, for the world to see. Along with your star rating (which appears once you have more than 5 reviews.
Dealing with reviews on Google Business
It is good practice to set up a system for looking at the reviews regularly and agreeing a response on Google Business. Don’t forget that, if you reply on Google Business, then this will be visible to others.
Where you have a good review, you can use it as an opportunity to get in touch both by replying to the review on Google Business and by contacting the client direct. People always appreciate being thanked.
But what if the review is critical?
Removing reviews is possible but only if Google considers the review to be contrary to their terms and conditions. In essence you need to show the comments are irrelevant to your business, contain illegal content or are inappropriate, offensive or explicit. If you feel these apply, click on the three dots to the right of the comment and follow Google’s instructions.
I would, however, suggest that your first step is to assess whether you think it is authentic and a genuine comment on your service. See if the reviewer really is a client. Also check whether they have left other reviews and if they have a picture listed for their account. If you feel the review is not authentic then you can report it as outlined above.
If you are dealing with a genuine client, then responding to a critical review politely and constructively will reflect well on your business. It may help diffuse any issues (and you may then be able to persuade the writer to delete the negative review), improve your service and show other readers that you are professional organisation which cares about client service.
Consider asking clients for reviews
It is worth considering soliciting reviews so as to show clients you are listing and boost your star rating on Google Business.
One way of doing this is to provide clients with a link to enable them to do this quickly and easily. You can do this at the end of a matter, in a client mailing, if you have identified them as a key client etc. To get the link log into your Google Business profile, search for your exact business name (or search for “my business”) then select Customers > Reviews > Get more reviews.
In conclusion
Be aware of all the different places that your organisation has a listing. Google Business is just one of them! And put in place procedures to ensure that you keep your listing up to date and to deal with all reviews.