The Ins & Outs of Customer Reviews on Google & Facebook

Is your business collecting reviews? If so, are these reviews displayed on Google or Facebook? If not, what are you waiting for?

Reviews on Google and Facebook provide invaluable information for both consumers and business owners and can be achieved without spending any money. But let’s talk about what Google & Facebook reviews are, the benefits of these reviews, and what you need to know in order to be successful with online reviews.

Google Reviews

Business reviews on Google can show up next to your listing in Maps & in Search. A claimed GMB account is required for businesses to collect reviews. Reviews on Google are based on a 5-star rating.

Facebook Reviews

Facebook is one of 5 platforms consumers check for reviews before they visit a business and, in some cases, before they visit your website, according to a survey performed by Review Trackers. If you’re actively posting to your business page on Facebook, obtaining reviews is a must.

Facebook reviews changed to recommendations in the later part of 2018. This means Facebook business pages can now have a mix of both reviews and recommendations from users. Only pages that allow reviews/recommendations to be added to their page can collect reviews, so check your page settings to ensure this feature is turned on.

The Difference between Google & Facebook Reviews

Besides the fact that Google & Facebook are separate platforms, each platform provides its own array of benefits once a review is obtained.

Google Review Benefits:

• Help build brand trust
• Help increase online exposure & local SEO
• Establish a feedback loop for your business
• Help increase click through rates to your website
• Convert more customers

As you can see reviews on your GMB page can help support your business in a multitude of ways. From brand exposure to building trust and converting more customers, this is one step your marketing plan should not forget.

As for Facebook, reviews can:

• Increase organic reach
• Boost credibility
• Promote positive and direct customer service
• Get top position at Facebook professional services
• Gain immediate trust

With all these great benefits obtaining reviews has, how do you get customers to leave you a review? It really boils down to just asking customers for them. According to Podium, 70% of consumers would be willing to leave a review for a business if asked. The key is making the process of leaving a review easy & unbiased. Reviews are only valuable if they’re unbiased and honest and both platforms recommend you do not offer incentives for customers to leave reviews.

When asking for reviews create an e-card that gives them the steps & instructions for leaving a review in the image and then link that image to the respective review platform. You can also use a software like Podium to manage review requests, reviews received, and more. Whichever method you decide, make sure it can be easily followed.

As you can see, reviews can help improve your business in a variety of ways. Make sure you diversify the reviews you receive and to not focus on any one platform. In addition, respond to every review you get, good or bad.

If you have questions about getting reviews on Google and Facebook, reach out! We’re here to help you with all your digital marketing efforts. Contact us today.