How to Manage Google Reviews: Skyrocket Your Business in 2024

In today’s world, picking a new restaurant often starts with a quick online search for Google Reviews. According to recent studies, 89% of people check what others say online before buying something. 

Google reviews have become the modern word-of-mouth, shaping how customers see businesses. Online Reviews are crucial because they appear right next to your business listing on Google. 

Think of them as digital recommendations—they hold much weight in a customer’s mind.

Did you know 56% of people who read reviews change their mind about a business because of how the business responds?

So, what does this mean for you as a business owner? You must manage Google Reviews as they are essential in today’s digital world.

This blog will help you learn everything from getting more reviews to managing reviews on Google. 

So, without further ado, let’s start with the basics: what are Google Reviews? 

What Are Google Reviews?

Customers leave ratings and share honest feedback about their interactions with your business on your Google Business Profile. That is a Google Review. Anyone searching for you or similar businesses can see them.

Imagine you’re about to try a new restaurant. Wouldn’t it be helpful to hear what other diners experienced? That’s the power of Google Reviews! 

They offer a real-life glimpse into what customers can expect, such as the quality of your service, your staff’s product knowledge, or even the ambiance of your location.

In short, Google Reviews gives you a valuable platform to understand how customers perceive your business. This is why you need to manage Google Reviews for your business. 

The Google Review Effect On Your Business

When happy customers leave positive reviews about your service or products, it builds trust with potential customers who see them online. These reviews also improve your search ranking, making your business stand out when people search for similar offerings.  

The more people see your positive reviews, the more likely they are to choose you, leading to increased sales and a thriving business. 

So, why not manage Google Reviews and watch your business grow?

Understanding The Importance Of Managing Google Reviews

Pleasing Google Reviews management helps you show new customers what your existing buyers feel about your business so they can trust you even before they visit. 

Well, the impact of Google Reviews management:

1. Boost Credibility and Trust:

Positive Google reviews are more than just feedback. They serve as a testament to the legitimacy and quality of your products or services, as experienced by your customers. These reviews are crucial in building brand credibility with newcomers, making them more likely to choose you. 

2. Top the Search Rankings: 

Google rewards businesses with genuine reviews, pushing them higher in local search results. Search ranking refers to the position at which a particular site appears in the results of a search engine query. Think of it like a popularity contest—the more positive reviews you have, the more likely you will appear at the top for relevant searches. This can significantly increase your business’s visibility and attract more customers. 

3. Influence Buying Decisions: 

Manage Google Reviews so that Positive Google reviews attract new customers and sway their buying decisions. They act as social proof, highlighting your strengths and reassuring potential customers that they’re making the right choice.

4. Gain Valuable Insights: 

While not much preferred, Negative reviews offer valuable insights into areas for improvement. This feedback is a testament to how much your customers care about your business. Manage Google reviews by analyzing detailed feedback; you can identify weaknesses and address customer concerns. 

This helps you improve your products and services and shows potential customers that you care about their experience, potentially turning a negative experience into a loyal one.

How Can You Manage Google Reviews?

Google Reviews are like report cards for your business – they tell everyone how awesome you are! But how do you get more of them and ensure they’re glowing? 

Here are the different stages you must go through to manage your Google Reviews perfectly. 

Stage 1: Getting More Reviews

1. Make Leaving Reviews Easy:

Imagine you want a customer to tell their friends how great your pizza is. You wouldn’t make them search all over town, right? The same goes for reviews! 

Manage Google reviews and Find your particular Google Reviews link (search online or ask Google My Business). Share it everywhere—emails, social media, even a little sign at your counter.

2. Ask Nicely for Reviews:

The key lies in strategic timing and personalized requests. Catch customers when they’re most delighted, like after a successful purchase or a service experience. 

Addressing customers by name and mentioning the specific product or service they enjoyed is a powerful way to create a genuine connection. This personalized approach makes customers feel valued and more receptive to your request for a review. 

Finally, make it easy for them to leave a review by providing a direct link and offering an incentive, like a discount, on their next visit.

Bonus Read: How to Ask for Google Reviews (Free Templates)!

Stage 2: Respond to Reviews (Good or Bad!):

Manage your Google reviews by Responding on Google shows you care about what customers think. For happy reviews, say thanks and let them know you appreciate their business! 

If you neglect to respond to Google Reviews, especially negative ones, it can give the impression that you don’t value customer feedback. This can damage your reputation and deter potential customers from choosing your business.  

If someone gives you a bad review, apologize and explain how you’ll fix it. For example, if a customer complains about a long wait, you could respond, ‘We’re sorry to hear about your wait. We’re working on improving our service.’ This shows you listen and want to make things right. 

Remember: Being friendly and helpful builds trust and turns happy customers into fans who will keep spreading the word!

Stage 3: Embed Google Reviews on a Website

Embedding Google Reviews is an important stage of managing Google Reviews. It helps showcase a few selected reviews on your website. These reviews act as social proof that you can use to increase your brand reputation. Here’s how you can embed Google reviews on your website. Create your account on the Tagbox Widget.

1. Create your account on the Tagbox Widget.

2. Choose Google as your source channel.

3. Add the brand name or location of the brand for which you want to fetch the reviews.

4. Once the reviews are collected, select the best to display on your website. Customize these reviews to align with your theme and look attractive. 

5. After you are satisfied with the look of your Google Review Widget, publish it using the embed code. Add this embed code to top website builders like WordPress, WiX, Shopify, etc. 

6. It’s done; you have successfully embed Google Reviews on your website. 

Managing Google Reviews Across Multiple Locations

Running a business with multiple stores is excellent till you need to track all those Google Reviews, which can feel overwhelming. 

Here’s how to manage Google Reviews like a pro:

1. Consistently Reply Across Locations:

Keeping your review replies consistent is essential! Imagine you have a store with many locations. All the replies should sound the same, regardless of which store the online review tags. 

Think friendly, professional, and professional as if it’s coming from your business. This builds a solid overall image for your brand.

2. Address The Recent Issues:

Even excellent businesses like yours might have an occasional issue at a single location. 

Explain what went wrong (if they know), and assure them you are improving. 

This personal touch shows the customer you care and helps prevent one negative experience from hurting the reputation of all your other stores. 

Best Google Review Management Tools

Before choosing a Google review management tool for your business, here are some features you must look into: 

The tool should seamlessly connect to your Google My Business account, manage reviews across multiple locations, analyze them with insightful reports, and even use AI to suggest response templates.

Multilingual support ensures you can address reviews in different languages, while customer support and data security are essential.

Here are suggestions of some of the Best Google review management platforms:

1. Tagbox

Tagbox is a powerful online review platform designed to help businesses collect, manage, and showcase customer reviews from various platforms in one central location. 

Businesses benefit from Tagbox, a Google review management tool, by gathering valuable customer feedback. This allows them to understand what their customers like and dislike and allows businesses to respond to reviews, address concerns, and showcase positive feedback. 

Tagbox lets customers leave star ratings, comments, photos, and videos directly on the platform. Businesses can filter and organize these reviews, respond to them directly, and gain valuable insights through analytics and reporting tools.

2. EmbedSocial 

EmbedSocial streamlines online reputation management by automating the collection of Google reviews from all your locations. This eliminates manual tasks and provides valuable analytical insights into customer sentiment.  

However, what truly sets EmbedSocial apart is its revolutionary widget editor. This Google review management tool empowers you to build highly engaging and interactive. Google Review displays that are proven to skyrocket website conversion rates.

3. Podium

Podium is a Google review management tool designed to help businesses manage their online reputation. 

It offers many features, including gathering customer reviews, sending and receiving text messages (even videos!), and accepting credit card payments. 

However, Podium has a unique approach: it focuses solely on text messaging for all communication. This means everything happens through SMS, even when asking customers for reviews.

4. Yotpo 

Yotpo is a Google review management tool that helps online stores collect more customer reviews and boost sales. It lets customers leave detailed feedback on specific products, including fit and comfort. 

Yotpo makes gathering reviews easy with SMS and email requests and lets customers add photos and videos to their reviews. This builds trust and social proof, encouraging others to buy. 

Additionally, Yotpo offers built-in loyalty programs and referral campaigns to incentivize repeat purchases and attract new customers. 

Overall, Yotpo is a one-stop shop for eCommerce businesses looking to generate positive reviews, increase customer engagement, and drive sales.

5. Birdeye

Like other Google review management tools, BirdEye is an SMS-based app that helps you manage customer reviews. 

It allows you to collect reviews, get referrals, send surveys, and message your customers directly. It also has features to collect payments through your website.

For review management, BirdEye offers automated features to request reviews and lets customers submit them to various platforms. You can easily manage and respond to these reviews within BirdEye’s user-friendly dashboard. 

Final Words

Google Reviews is an essential tool for local businesses. They build trust, boost sales, and provide valuable feedback. 

While you manage Google reviews, consider using Google Review software as your business grows, and you receive more reviews. These tools help you manage Google reviews by gathering and answering reviews all in one place, saving you time.

So, without any delay, manage your Google Reviews today!

FAQs

1. How Can I Respond to Google Reviews as a Business Owner?

To respond to a Google Review, you should:

• Open Maps or Search.
• Find your business listing.
• Tap “Reviews” and choose the one to reply to.
• Say thanks and address any issues. 
• “Submit” to share your response.

2. How Do I Manage My Google Reviews?

Taking care of your Google reviews is essential, and it’s something you can do a little at a time. Here is how you can manage Google reviews:

• Get Your Spot: Set up a free Google My Business profile!
• Ask for Reviews: Politely ask happy customers to leave a review. Emails, website messages, or a friendly “How was your experience?” can work!
• Check Often: See what people are saying by looking at your reviews regularly.
• Say Thanks & Fix Stuff: Thank happy customers and answer any problems quickly and nicely. 
• Get Better: Use the feedback to improve your business.

3. Can I Delete or Remove Negative Google Reviews for My Business?

You can not erase customer reviews on your Google My Business profile. But if a review seems made-up or mean, you can report it to Google. They might remove it if it breaks their rules.

4. What Should I Do if I Receive a Fake or Spam Review on Google?

Got a fake or mean review on Google? Don’t worry, you can manage Google reviews and tell Google about it:

• Open Google Maps and find your business.
• Tap “Reviews” and find the bad review.
• Click the three dots next to it and choose “Report Review.”
• If it breaks their rules, Google will check it out and take it down.

You can also politely reply to the review, saying you think it’s wrong and that you’ve told Google about it.