A customer completes a purchase.
Or a project is delivered.
Or a service has completed..
They thank you.
They are satisfied.
And then everyone moves on.
This is where many businesses miss an opportunity.
While your happy customers might want to talk about how they’re doing it, they’re not necessarily going to say to themselves:
Sometimes they just need a friendly reminder every once in a while.
Google even states that reviews need to actually be an honest experience, and companies can ask customers to write reviews. (Google Help)
This is one of the most important points.
“Please give us a five-star review.”
Instead say:
“We’d appreciate it if you could share your experience with us on Google.”
There is an important difference.
The other is asking for a specific rating.
Words from the actual experience of the customer are what should constitute a true review.
Google’s policies aim at defending reviews from fake involvement and rating manipulation. Reviews should be genuine and unbiased.
So, request for the review.
Allow the customer to choose the rating.
Your reviews should be from individuals who have done business with the company.
This could include customers who:
Purchased a product, consumed a service, worked on a project, went to your business or had a real business experience.
Do not try to increase your rating by asking people who have never used the business to post reviews.
That can include situations where:
staff members, friends, relatives, or others are asked to pretend they were customers.
According to Google, it’s essential that reviews are authentic and that they don’t encourage bogus engagement.
The safest rule is simple:
If there was no genuine customer experience, there should not be a customer review.
Timing can make a big difference.
Ask when the customer has had enough experience to give meaningful feedback.
For example:
The restaurant can inquire after the meal, or shortly after the visit.
After an essential phase of the service, a consultant might ask.
A construction company can inquire either after project delivery or a meaningful milestone.
When deciding on the timing of a clinic, or a professional practice, the nature of the service and relevant privacy and/or professional requirements should be considered.
An online store might ask after the client after they have received the product.
The customer should be familiar with what he/she is looking at.
Don’t ask too soon.
Avoid saying the following to a customer:
Simply conduct a Google search of the company’s name, locate its profile, click on reviews, and post feedback.
Google enables businesses to develop a straight link or QR code to their Business Profile review.
For example:
“Thank you for choosing us. If you have some time, you can post your experience here:”
Then give a link to the direct review.
The less steps, the easier it will be for the customer who really wants to respond.
Google suggests several practical places where businesses can make their review link or QR code available.
These include:
Receipts, thank-you e-mails, chat sessions, and QR codes in the store. Google also mentions that review requests may be sent via email, WhatsApp or Facebook.
Your business could therefore include the link in:
The request should feel like a natural part of the customer journey, not a hard sell.
You do not need to make a long message.
For example:
“Thank you for choosing us. Your feedback helps us understand your experience and also helps others learn about our business. If you have a moment, you can leave a Google review here.”
It explains why the review matters.
And it gives the customer a choice.
Avoid language that sounds demanding, such as:
“You must leave us a review.”
or
“Please give us five stars.”
Good review requests should feel respectful.
Avoid offers such as:
“Leave a review and get 10% off.”
“Give us five stars and receive a free gift.”
“Write a review to enter our giveaway.”
Google does not allow for incentivizing anyone to post a review, edit a review, or remove a negative review with payment, discount, free goods, or free services.
It is essential that a review be written because the customer wanted to share an experience, not because there was some financial gain connected with it.
The other error is asking only those who are sure to write positive reviews, while turning a blind eye to the others.
A healthy review profile should have authentic customer reviews.
Google suggests giving all reviews and notes importance and that a combination of positive and negative can make it more credible to future customers
You shouldn’t be trying to make a flawless score.
It’s important to build a realistic view of customer experience.
This is much more helpful in the long run.
Many business owners panic when they see a negative review.
Many business owners panic when they see a negative review.
But one negative review does not automatically damage a strong business.
How you respond can matter too.
A calm, professional response can show potential customers that:
When you listen, you pay attention, and you’re ready to learn and grow when needed.
Professional, relevant answers are the key, and Google advises that businesses should refrain from personal attacks or meddling into the privacy of the customer.
Don’t fight in public.
Avoid giving out personal customer data.
Don’t react emotionally.
If the problem needs to be discussed further, ask the customer to proceed in a private channel.
A review should not be reported simply because you dislike it.
According to Google, reviews are allowed to be removed from Google when they are in violation of the company’s policies, not just because a business doesn’t agree with the consumer.
If a review contains:
spam, fake engagement, prohibited content, or another policy violation, you can report it for review.
But a truly good criticism should usually be dealt with by a professional response and, if possible, a better service to the customer.
Reputation is not the only use of reviews.
They can also serve as an useful feedback.
If every customer receives:
“Thank you for your valuable feedback.”
When appropriate, mention something specific from the review.
“Thank you for mentioning our installation team. We’re glad the process was clear from planning through completion.”
Google says that it is better to steer clear of repetitive, overly promotional answers and instead, have businesses make an answer that is relevant to the customer’s message.
Don’t recall reviews just when the rating drops.
Construct a basic system.
For example:
Service completed and then thank the customer and send the review link, monitor the feedback and reply accordingly.
This can be done by:
A customer support, sales, administration, account management or other responsible team member.
It is important to be consistent.
If asking for a review is a regular step in your customer journey, don’t need to surprise your customer base with a flurry of requests for feedback at once.
Trying to collect a large number of artificial reviews in a very short period can create problems.
Google has a specific focus on review patterns that are unusual, as well as other behaviors that are meant to game the ratings, under its fake-engagement rules.
Build the habit.
Do not try to manufacture the appearance of popularity overnight.
It is no longer just an ethical problem when artificial reviews are created.
They can establish consequences for platforms.
Can develop platform consequences.
According to Google, any business that is found to have committed a violation of the fake-engagement policy can be subjected to a number of restrictions such as:
Finding it difficult to accept new reviews, the ability to temporarily stop the publication of existing reviews, or warning message that fake reviews are no longer visible.
It’s better to secure your review profile than to try to get a quick rating.
Build it slowly.
Build it genuinely.
The best reviews often contain useful details.
They may explain:
what service the customer used, what they appreciated, what the process was like, or how the business handled their requirements.
Do not script these responses for customers.
Allow people to express themselves in their own words.
That is only helpful to the next person doing research on your business!
A potential customer is not only looking at the number of stars.
They are often asking:
“What was the experience like working with this company?
Real reviews can help to answer that question.
There are no tricks.
There’s no need to create fake accounts.
There is no need to purchase reviews.
You don’t have to ask everyone for five stars.
You need to:
Treat customers well, seek honest feedback from genuine customers, make it easy for them to give feedback, respond professionally, and repeat consistently.
It might take longer than shortcuts to do that.
It makes something much more valuable, though.
A review profile which is a true example of customer experiences.
Wait till the right time to ask.
Pass on the direct link.
Request that they be honest, not five-star reviews.
And let real customers voice their experience – and your reputation will take care of itself.
A Webrandtech Education Series for Smarter Digital Growth.