Many business owners tend to overlook the significance of responding to Google reviews -both positive and negative. But responding to Google reviews can boost a business’s ranking on local searches and increase customer engagement.
The Importance of Responding to All Your Reviews
Surprisingly, 75% of businesses don’t respond to their Google reviews. They might think that getting reviews alone feels like a success, so why bother to respond to them? Or, they might assume that customers don’t read review responses.
That is a huge mistake.
The fact is, people spend 49% more money on businesses that reply to reviews. And 89% of customers read review responses. Therefore, responding to reviews should be in any business owner’s best interest. It shows that your business cares about customers’ satisfaction in using your products or services.
Replying to your reviews is also an excellent opportunity to engage and build long-term relationships with your customers. Not only is it beneficial for customer retention, but prospects will also perceive your brand as a trustworthy business they can rely on. This recognition can vastly boost the chance for your business to be their obvious choice over your competitors.
Another advantage of actively responding to all your reviews is influencing your visibility and local ranking. Google encourages businesses to respond to reviews. In its opinion, your responses prove your commitment to value your customers by listening and replying to their feedback. Moreover, you could potentially yield up to 15% of customers leaving your business by not responding to reviews. You certainly can avoid this customer churn by working to respond to your online reviews.
“People spend 49% more money on businesses that reply to reviews.
And 89% of customers read review responses.”
How to Respond to Google Reviews
Here’s the step-by-step guide in how to respond to your Google reviews:
Step 1: Go to Your Google My Business Page and Click “Reviews”
Step 2: Click “Reply” under the Review You Want to Reply to
Step 3: Type Out Your Review Response and Post It
Responding to Google Reviews with 2 Step Reviews
With a 2 Step Reviews account, you can respond to all your Google reviews. In your aggregated review feed, you’ll see the green “Respond” button in the upper right-hand corner of the review.
Once you click “Respond,” your review response will be posted to where the review was left. This solution makes it easy to manage multiple Google My Business pages and Facebook business pages from one app.
2 Step Reviews also has an Auto-Responder feature that automatically responds to 4 or 5-Star reviews. The number of auto-responses is unlimited, and they will rotate so that they seem natural to your customers and Google. This way, you will never leave a review unanswered.
Constructing Your Review Response
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Take your time and plan out the response.
The worst thing you can do is write a quick reaction without giving it any thought. It usually leads to grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, which costs your business. Besides, you’re likely to respond more emotionally and say things you’ll regret if you fire off whatever is on your mind (if the reviews that you respond to are negative ones).
Instead, take the time to plan out your review and write it carefully. Ensure that it makes sense, all the spelling is accurate, and you haven’t made glaring grammatical mistakes. It’s worth getting someone else to proofread it as well, to be safe. Now, you’ll publish a professional response that makes you look a lot better.
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Respond within a few days
If possible, you should respond to any review within a few days or even less. Research shows that 55% of customers expect a response to a review within a day, while 30% expect a reply within three days.
People will be impressed that you respond so quickly, which reflects well on your business. However, if you leave it too long, your response won’t have much of an impact, as the reviewer has probably forgotten all about it.
2 Step Reviews automates the response when a review is 4 or 5-Stars, ensuring your customer gets a well-deserved reaction within minutes.
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Always be polite
It would be best if you were polite when addressing any reviews. It doesn’t matter how rude the person has been. It looks terrible when you see a business respond to rudeness with more rudeness. It’s unprofessional, and this alone could put off a lot of current and potential customers. When you’re polite, it counts in your favor – especially when people are rude to you. It shows you have integrity, and people will respect that.
“55% of customers expect a response to a review within a day, while 30% expect a reply within 3 days.”
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Address the content of the review
Some reviews will contain a lot of information and feedback for businesses to use. If you come across one that explains any problems someone had or includes questions, make sure your response addresses the content in the review. It does two things; it shows you’ve read the review and paid attention to it, and it shows you’re keen to help out and solve any issues.
If someone leaves a review and asks a question, then your response is: “Thanks for the review.” It just looks like a generic response. There’s no indication you’ve read it, and it’s like you’ve responded only for the sake of responding.
Respond to Positive, Negative, and Neutral Reviews
A common mistake is only responding to one type of review. Some businesses ignore negative reviews and focus on the positives, while others do the opposite. This, again, is a misconception. Make sure you respond to positive, negative, and neutral reviews (the ones with 3-Stars).
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Respond to Positive Reviews
Positive reviews deserve a response as it shows your customers you’re thankful for their feedback. After saying thank you for their positive feedback, you can encourage them to come back and use your business again in the future.
In your positive reviews’ responses, you might mention as well if you have a new product or service you want to promote. Again, this can be a great way to build your customers’ loyalty and let your prospects know that you’re an authentic business that appreciates happy customers.
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Respond to Negative Reviews
Since negative reviews are known to drive people away from your business, your response can be the saving factor. By owning up to your faults and trying to make it right, it’s a good sign to potential customers that you value your customers and do what it takes to assure their satisfaction.
