Have you Goggled your company lately and taken stock of your online reviews? Most buyers read reviews before purchasing online, and what they find influences their buying decision. Negative reviews can hurt your conversion rates, and no reviews can make it tough to compete online. So how do you build your positive, honest online feedback?

You start with a great product and excellent customer service. Listening to your customers will let you know if they are happy with the products or services you are providing.

Ask For A Review

Next, you need to ask for an online review. The best time to ask for a review is soon after the purchase has been made. That will give the customer enough time to try out the product, but not so much time that they lose their enthusiasm.

Make It Easy

Make it as easy as possible for clients to write the review. Provide your customers with a link to the website you would like the review posted such as Google My Business, Yelp or Amazon. You can send a gentle reminder if they have not followed through and let them know you take their feedback seriously.

Google My Business Reviews

If you have a Google My Business account, people can review and rate your business. Depending on the industry your business is in, Google is one of the most important places to collect reviews.

Star Rating

If you have at least 5 reviews on Google, search results will show star ratings, which is a competitive advantage. You can also opt for Google to search for other reviews online and on independent websites and add those to your Google rating, giving your business an overall score.

Most prospective customers are not looking for 100% ratings, they are looking for reassurance and to reduce the risk of buying – especially online or from an unknown site. They are also looking to find out what other people thought of the product or service to help them with their buying decision. Customers appreciate honest reviews and understand no business is perfect.

Interact with Reviews

Google My Business allows you to interact with reviews– this is a great opportunity to reply to feedback, post something complimentary in return, or even apologize if they had a bad experience. If reviews are illegitimate or inappropriate, you can monitor these by requesting Google remove them from your account. Customers will often post feedback on social media accounts as well, and replying to these comments on Facebook and Twitter can also give you a competitive edge and build confidence in  your business.

Build Your Reputation

Incorporate your process for collecting reviews into your business plan, and keep building that online presence. It’s impossible to fully control all reviews online, however, it’s important to monitor the feedback you are receiving often. Over time, the number of reviews your business has will grow, along with your reputation and your search engine ranking. All the best!