Is your construction business suffering from a low Google rating? Are you frustrated that you only get a few business reviews on Google? Are you left thinking about how your competitors achieve 10x the reviews? If these are the questions you have been dealing with recently, you have come to the right place.
More than anything else, it is important that your construction business has a concrete plan to manage and increase its Google reviews. In reality, almost 90% of B2B buyers are most likely to purchase after reading an honest and trusted review online. So, make sure to look for ways to get more Google reviews.
In this blog, you will discover why Google reviews matter and the many benefits you can reap when you have plenty of it. And most importantly, we will outline nine tactics that will add more traffic, traction, and visibility to your Google rating page – resulting in more Google reviews and a much-improved SEO ranking.
First Things First, But Why Do Google Reviews Matter?
It is no surprise that online reviews are still very relevant and important today, but how much weight do they carry when it comes to customer acquisition?
Customers will look for you online and search about your construction business before making a critical purchase decision. The reviews your customers and prospects are reading will give them a better understanding of your construction business, how things work between your company and the previous clients, and so much more. This helps them determine whether your services are worth the short and if you are a great construction service provider.
Also, Google reviews will directly impact your Local SEO ranking and are considered a vital part of the overall local search marketing strategy. Overall and to put it simply, it is indeed a powerful tool to convince your prospects to purchase your services and products.
The Benefits of Having More Google Reviews
A Google review may be considered a simple and quick process, and however the benefits it gives are nonstop. The more people you can convince to leave a Google review for your construction business, the more you can accomplish business objectives.
If you focus on something other than Google Business reviews, think again. This is the time to change and prioritize this in your local marketing strategy. Here are some stats and facts that prove how beneficial Google reviews are:
- More reviews, more leads to come: Did you know that 89% of consumers trust online reviews the same way as recommendations? So, when your reviews build up, the chances of a Google user/searcher engaging with your business after finding it will dramatically increase.
- More positive reviews, more purchases: People search and read for reviews before making any purchase decisions, as mentioned earlier. As a matter of fact, they read a minimum of ten reviews before being convinced and making a decision. The more reviews you have, the more likely purchase from these people will be made immediately.
- Higher reviews, higher rank: If your business has many positive reviews, expect that Google will reward you. Higher reviews and higher rank are solid SEO ranking factors, as confirmed by Google itself.
- More reviews, lower costs: There are no required fees when leaving reviews and responding to these reviews. Moreover, positive endorsements on your construction business right on its Google My Business profile serve as free Google advertising.
How to Get More Reviews on Google?
1. Create a Google review link shortcut
Your customer should go online to write the review, so make sure to create a review shortcut link and place it on your construction website.
Go first to your Google account. Then, click the “Home” tab, and from there, you can find the “Get your first review” card. Next, you should click “Share review form” and then copy the link to your clipboard.
2. Know the process
A customer only takes a few minutes to write a Google review. It looks easy, right? However, before the review becomes real, there is a process to go through. First, the customer has to:
- Open Google Maps.
- Search for your construction business.
- Click on it to open your Google Business Profile.
- Navigate down to the review section in your profile.
- Click write a review.
That’s all of it. From there, your customer can write about their experience with your services and construction company.
3. Shorten your review shortcut
It is easy to drop the link as a button on your construction website or hyperlink it with a visible anchor text. However, there are other methods of getting reviews without following the first two tactics we mentioned. We suggest you try free link shorteners out there.
Visit bitly.com – a URL shortening service and link management platform that enables you to shorten and customize your review link.
4. Link out to your Google reviews page from your main website
Your website is the first place your customers will look into whenever they want to leave a review about your company. So, how can you help them not get lost on your website? Provide a clutter-free Call to action that is clear and easy to find. Compelling CTAs will help convince your customers to write positive reviews about your business.
5. Create a Google Review page on your website
While the above strategy works, a much better alternative is to dedicate a complete website page to Google reviews and all reviews in general. Make sure the page is easy to find and accessible. You can place it in the main navigation menu. Also, remember to place CTAs on the page indicating to write a quick review about your business.
6. Include a Google review call to action in your footer
Instead of having a designated web page for your Google reviews on your construction website, you should include it in your website footer. In this way, you do not have to worry about deciding where or where not to include the call to action.
7. Emphasize to your customers how easy and quick to write a review
After reaching this part of the blog, you know how easy it is to write and leave a Google review. However, it is different with your customers. In addition, there is this thing called writer’s block. Even your long-time customer who has been your partner already for a few years may find it hard to put everything they love about your construction services into one single review.
And then there will be people needing help articulating what is on their minds. So, when you are encouraging a review to anyone, it may be helpful to:
- Remind them that it can be one or more sentences if they want to leave a review.
- Tell them they can leave a star rating without needing to write a review, and the Star rating is still applicable and acceptable.
- Use phrases like “Drop a quick review” and “Please leave a review”, instead of “Write a review,” as it sounds less awkward.
8. Ask for reviews on social media
Social media channels are incredibly great regarding conversational marketing and transparency. You can post a screenshot of your best Google review and ask your current customers to leave their feedback. Take this an opportunity to remind your existing followers on social media that this can be their chance to experience working with your construction business and experience the benefits of partnering with you.
Social media platforms like Facebook have their review system. So, you can take advantage of it when reaching out to your customers and followers.
9. Respond to your current Google reviews
When you keep responding to your customer’s latest Google reviews, you show everybody that you intentionally listen to customer feedback. In return, they will think it is worth their time to write a review and hopefully get your response.
Here are two ways where responding to reviews will help increase your Google reviews:
- Positive reviews: Being timely, specific, and grateful for your responses to positive reviews will get more positive reviews.
- Negative reviews: Responding politely to any negative reviews and resolving the issue right there and then often lead to converting negative feedback into positive one.
Make Google Reviews a Top Priority
Now more than ever, customers rely upon Google reviews and online ratings to assess the brand reputation and the quality of services and products they offer. So, many positive, reliable reviews will lead to higher rankings on SERPs. It is high time to pay attention to your Google reviews and prioritize it—another reason because it has a major impact on your SEO ranking and can provide incredible ROI.
If you are looking for an agency to help you get more reviews online and nail your overall SEO strategy, look no further than ConstructionMarketing.io.
We are a trusted full-service digital marketing firm and are currently the leading one in the market. We offer our clients conversion-driven local SEO marketing services and ensure they rank consistently higher in local search queries. If your business focuses on a single location or multiple locations across the state or country, trust that we can help you achieve the desired results and rise above your competition.
Get in touch with us, and let’s start working on your SEO campaigns.