February Update: Why GBP Reviews Are Important
Welcome to the February LifeX Marketing update! Here's what you'll find in this update (click a section to go directly there):
How Can We Pray For You?
Every Monday morning, our team takes some time in our weekly team meeting to pray for requests from our clients and the team.
It’s part of our mission at LifeX Marketing: Multiplying wholeness in the lives of our team, clients, and communities by living like Jesus.
If you have a way we can pray with your team or for your team, please leave it here.
What Is Your Google Business Profile (GBP)?
Your Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly called Google My Business (GMB), is essential for local SEO and contains key information about your business: photos, website, business hours, services/products, basic information, reviews, and much more.
A quick way to take a peek at your GBP is to simply search for your business name.
If you are aware of your GBP but not sure what all it contains, then ask your account manager at your next monthly meeting. We’d love to show you and tell you more about your GBP!
4 Reasons Your Business Needs Regular GBP Reviews
1 - It Strengthens Your Brand
Let’s say you are looking up two competing companies to provide a specific service.
You look up both companies and notice Company A has over 100 reviews on their GBP while Company B has 3.
Even if all 3 reviews on Company B are 5-star reviews, you may be hesitant to work with a company with fewer reviews than the competition.
It's simple: the more reviews you gather from satisfied customers, the more you strengthen your brand and stand apart from the competition!
2 - It Is A Sales Tool
In a world where we are bombarded with ads and services, more people are turning to reviews and other social signals to see how others have experienced your brand and services.
The more positive reviews you have the easier it will be to show someone how you helped other customers, especially if the reviews include photos and specific ways you helped the customer.
3 - Google Is Paying Attention
Having regular reviews coming into your GBP is a ranking factor that Google and other search engines watch and reward - assuming the reviews are mostly positive!
Google not only pays attention to how many reviews you have and the overall rating, but it also pays attention to how you respond to reviews, particularly negative ones. This is why we encourage you to respond to EVERY review that comes in, both positive and negative.
4 - It Provides Unique Content
With AI-written content becoming more common online, unique content stands out further and is even more important.
And what’s one of the best sources of unique content?
Reviews and testimonials!
Even though the grammar isn’t 100% perfect and they may contain some misspelled words, testimonials are a fantastic source of unique content when compared to AI.
At LifeX Marketing, we use your testimonials on many landing pages because they help provide unique copy while also providing sales value.
3 Ways To Get More Reviews
1 - Make it easy
Google makes it easy for people to leave a review by providing a specific link that takes customers directly to the review field.
Save your customers the work of finding your business and clicking the review button by sending them the link!
Simply log into your GBP and copy the URL under “Ask For Reviews.”
If you aren't sure how to access your GBP, please let us know, and we'd be happy to help!
2 - Ask!
Are you frustrated at how slowly reviews are coming in, even though you provide a great service?
One of the best ways to have people leave reviews is to ask!
If you send your customers a follow-up email when they are done working with you, then that is a great time to include the review link mentioned in #1.
You’ve probably experienced this yourself: you are much more likely to leave a review when the link is clearly in front of you in an email and the company is asking nicely 😀.
3 - Respond to every review
That’s right, even that 1-star review from the customer who was very hard to please. Customers are more likely to work with you and leave a review if they see you actively engaging with others who are leaving reviews.
Pro Tip On Bad Reviews:
Respond professionally to these reviews, own any mistakes you made, and take the high road.
We get it - this is harder than it sounds, especially when the customer was at fault for the issue…
However, a professional response that doesn’t yell at the customer goes a long way in showing your integrity to those researching your company.
Meet Stuart Mullet, Our Google Ads Expert
Stuart is a quiet, responsible, deep-thinker. But his outbursts of humor always seem to scratch the especially itchy places on our funny bones. And above all, his gentle, sensitive spirit shines through in all that he does
At LifeX, Stuart is our certified Google Ads manager -- a perfect fit for his love of data analysis and problem-solving. Stuart has a MA in English and helped pioneer the early days of Zollikon Institute, both invaluable assets to the LifeX team and our clients.
Outside of work, you'll find Stuart spending time with his family or relaxing with a good theology or short fiction book. He also enjoys getting outdoors, tending his garden and cooking.
Monthly Meme - when a good review is bad…
We hope you never receive a “positive negative” review like this!
Questions or Comments?
Have questions, comments, or feedback for our team? Please leave it here!
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