How Can I Get More Reviews on Google Business Profile and Elsewhere?

We know that online reviews can be incredibly powerful for businesses, both in terms of local search and leads, but asking for reviews directly can actually hurt a business’ online rating on some online platforms. Given that guidelines can vary, the best way to get more reviews depends on the platform in question. Here is an overview of the best way to get more reviews on four of the most popular local marketing platforms.

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)

Businesses that are interested in getting more reviews on Google Business Profile should follow Google’s Terms of Service when soliciting reviews. Businesses can encourage reviews from customers using a short URL provided by Google. Google urges businesses to post those short URLs on their websites in order to spread the word and remind their customers to leave reviews. Businesses can also create a Google reviews page on their own websites that includes a call-to-action designed to encourage people to leave their own reviews.

Facebook

Facebook is playing an increasingly important role in local search marketing. To get more reviews on a business Facebook page, you need to configure your page to receive star ratings and reviews. Follow these steps:

Click “Settings”
Click “Edit Page”
Scroll to “Reviews”
Click “Settings” next to the Reviews section
Move the slider from “Off” to “On”
Click “Save”

Once your Facebook page is set up to receive reviews, you can add a Reviews tab to your page and start inviting people to leave reviews. The best way to do this is by adding a CTA on your website or encouraging customers directly after they have had a positive experience. You could also repost other positive reviews on your Facebook page to encourage your followers to leave their own personal reviews.

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor offers a number of free tools that hotels can use to solicit reviews from guests who have stayed at their properties, including custom reminder cards, flyers, and a Review Starter widget. To get more reviews on TripAdvisor, start by going to www.tripadvisor.com/ReviewExpress and type in your property name. This will bring up the Review Express home page, which is this hub that contains everything you need to start cultivating reviews from your past guests.

Yelp

Unlike the other platforms on this list, Yelp actively discourages businesses from soliciting reviews. Doing so could actually cause the business’ ranking to drop on Yelp. Seeking out reviews goes against the Business Owner Guidelines section of Yelp’s Content Guidelines. The company’s software is designed to seek out reviews that appear to be encouraged by the business. Instead, Yelp suggests that businesses wanting to get high-quality and unbiased reviews provide great customer experiences without any expectations. To learn more about SOCi’s tools for managing online reviews, click here.