The internet has changed the way businesses market themselves and build customer relationships. It's easier than ever to reach a wide range of customers, but it can be difficult to stand out from the competition. One of the best ways to set yourself apart is by encouraging your customers to write reviews about their experience with your business.
Reviews are one of the most powerful tools in local SEO, helping you increase visibility and connect with new customers. As such, our SEO experts have put together five tips for getting more online customer reviews for your local business.
How To Increase Customer Reviews For Your Local Business
Ask Customers Directly.
Asking customers directly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get more reviews to boost your local SEO. Make sure you have a process in place that allows you to ask happy customers to write a review after they’ve made a purchase or interacted with your business in some way. You can also email past customers who didn’t leave a review already and ask them if they would be willing to leave one now. If you make this part of your customer service process, it won’t feel like an imposition on your customers, and they will be more likely to take the time to write a review.
Make it Easy.
Make sure that leaving reviews is easy for your customers by providing clear instructions on how they can do so – whether it’s through Google My Business, Yelp, or another platform – and provide direct links if possible so they don’t have to search too hard for where they need to go. If possible, offer multiple platforms so people have options depending on what works best for them (for example, some people might prefer writing longer reviews on Yelp while others might find it easier just to leave a star rating on Google).
Offer Incentives.
Offering incentives is another great way to encourage people to leave reviews for your business, improving your local SEO. This could be anything from discounts on future purchases, free products or services, or even something as simple as gratitude gifts such as t-shirts or mugs with your company logo on them. Incentives show that you value each individual customer’s opinion and want them to share their experiences with others, which can go a long way towards building trust and loyalty among potential customers.
Follow Up.
Once someone leaves a review, take the time to thank them personally via email or social media if possible; this shows that their opinion matters and builds good relationships with other potential reviewers who may see those interactions online (especially if you post about it publicly). Additionally, follow up with anyone who left negative feedback so you can try and resolve any issues they may have had; this demonstrates that you care about every single customer experience and strive for excellence in all aspects of running your business – a quality any potential customer would appreciate!
Promote Reviews Online.
Last but certainly not least, make sure you promote positive reviews online! Share them across all your social media channels as well as any other websites or platforms where potential customers might see them (such as forums related to topics relevant to your industry). This will help spread awareness about what kind of experience people can expect when dealing with your business – which could very well lead new users straight into becoming loyal patrons themselves!
Increase Your Local Reputation With SEO Junkies
Encouraging customer reviews is an important part of growing any local business in today's digital age; not only does it help boost visibility online but also provides valuable feedback from real-life users which can help inform future decisions made by owners/managers regarding products/services offered by the company itself.
With these five tips in mind – asking customers directly, offering incentives when appropriate, making it easy for people to leave reviews, following up afterwards and promoting positive comments publicly – any business should be able to increase their number of online customer reviews in no time at all. If you need any additional expert advice on getting the most from your local SEO, the team here at SEO Junkies are on hand to help.
We offer a wide range of localised SEO services, from local listings and local citations to local search engine optimisation and local landing pages. Our team of experts have years of experience optimising local businesses, so you can count on comprehensive results that will help you reach more local customers and grow your business. With our analytic tools, you'll receive an in-depth look at what strategies are performing, giving you actionable insights for further optimisation. Get in touch with us today if you're looking for the perfect local SEO partner for your business!
Give us a call on 0118 380 0203 or send an e-mail at sales@seojunkies.com and we’ll get in touch as soon as possible.