Make the most of customer reviews to boost your SEO

Updated on December 11, 2017 (direct link to writing a review)

If you have a business, it is essential to harness the potential offered by customer reviews.

It is particularly important to know how to react properly to criticism or a negative review about your store.

What are the prerequisites for benefiting from reviews ?

Ensure that you have complete and well-maintained listings

There are various sites where users can leave reviews, including the indispensable Google+ Local and Yelp (world-renowned).
Check that all information is correctly entered on each of your listings :
Logo, storefront photo, hours, category, phone number, etc.

Fill in every piece of information that you are asked to provide.
If you are a restaurant, use this space to showcase your most beautiful dishes photographed by a professional.
If you are a retailer, you can include a photo of the interior and exterior of your store.

Create links on your website and in your emails

Never forget that a dissatisfied customer will more easily take the time to leave a negative and vindictive review. Therefore, it is necessary to anticipate this and encourage your satisfied customers to leave a review.
Several solutions are possible: add links on your website, follow up with your customers after delivery (via email), offer a game or contest (“leave your review and win a €50 voucher”), etc.

Respect the rules regarding reviews

https://support.google.com/plus/answer/2622994
For example, avoid self-rating, as it is pointless (the review will not be published) and could be perceived negatively.

Why Care About Reviews ?

• Increase your traffic
  As you can see below, results with a rating are much more visible than others.

https://www.google.fr/search?q=shop+coiffure+monplaisir

• Build a connection with your customers
  Responding to customer reviews will show that you care about their feedback, that you are listening.
  It is important to pay attention to what is being said about your business, whether it’s good or bad. You should monitor your reviews and respond to them.
• Maintain a good reputation
  You should not let negative reviews harm your reputation, especially if these reviews are not based on a real experience.
  You need to uncover fake reviews by looking into the issues encountered by the disappointed customer.

How to Respond to Different Types of Reviews?

You may come across negative comments, posted by unscrupulous competitors. If you are certain that this is the case, report it.

But take the time to respond anyway, as it damages you. You need to understand what happened, why the customer is disappointed.
If the review is “fake” and indeed comes from a competitor, the deception will not last long.

Writing Tips for Negative Reviews

• Identify the writer (Who is he? When did he come? What happened?).
• Show that you have recognized them if that’s indeed the case (“Mr. X, I remember you well”).
• Thank the customer for their review, for the time they took to post their testimony.
• Highlight positive points.
• Show that you are attentive to the problem, rephrase the situation, the problem the customer faced in your own words.
• Do not be aggressive, even if the customer is acting in bad faith, remember that your response will be read by others. An aggressive response can do more harm than a negative review.
• Offer a solution, apologize if you are at fault, and show everything that has been done to solve the problem.
• Show that the establishment has improved and that the problem will not happen again.
• Above all, do not offer compensation directly online, as this would encourage customers to leave negative reviews.

Writing Tips for Mixed Reviews

• Do not apologize, there is no fault.
• Remind them of your professionalism, the attention you pay to details.
• Don’t be afraid to assert yourself: “I’m sorry this offer didn’t suit you, please know that we have put all our expertise into buying used motorcycles at the best price for 30 years” (It is recommended to end on a positive note).

Writing Tips for Positive Reviews

• Deliver a “human” thank you and show them that their review pleases you. That’s all.
• Do not respond to a minor critique in their message.
• Never ask them to talk about your business to their friends (it’s unprofessional, and they will do it themselves).

How to Create a Direct Link to Write a Review ?

1. Retrieve your place ID here https://developers.google.com/places/place-id by searching for your establishment.
   

   

2. The direct link to write a review will be : https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=<identifiant_lieu>
   For example : https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=ChIJeXmHIy7q9EcRORY3rBGHTSA
   
3. The above link will open a pop-up allowing the user to write a review.