How To Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Like the other Google Business Profile features, Google Questions are another opportunity to engage with consumers. Demonstrate the type of service they can expect from your team in-store with informative and friendly answers. If you receive a question that might be a sales lead, follow up with contact information and encourage the poster to visit your business. 

To make the most out of this feature, post your own questions and responses to address common concerns. This can be done manually, but if you manage multiple storefronts this can be time consuming work. Widewail’s Engage Plus product can help you quickly populate all of your GBPs with FAQs + answers and monitor ongoing question activity. 

Monitoring is an important part of reputation management. Any person with a Google account can ask questions, and any person can answer. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to unhappy customers spamming Q&A sections with false information. A less malicious but more frequent issue is that community members will answer questions with whatever information they feel is relevant. While occasionally helpful, these answers are often inaccurate or even include recommendations for your competitors. We see it all the time. 

Responding to all of your questions in a timely manner is the best way to keep your Google Business Profile accurate. 

If a question goes too far and violates Google’s content policy, such as the one below, click the vertical three dots on the right-hand side and press “Report.” Unlike reviews, the Google team is very quick to remove reported content in the Q&A section. Take advantage and keep it clean.

Any person with a Google account can create a review and rate your business from one to five stars. The ratings are compiled and the Google star rating average is displayed on your GBP in bright orange font, right below the name of your business.

Reviewers can also leave a comment if they choose, whether that be a simple three-word assessment or a story that uses up Google’s 4000 character limit. 

Why Should You Care About Reviews?

Let’s start with a simple fact: “The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business.” 

Having a steady supply of reviews gives your business the best chance to earn business online. On the other hand, not having enough reviews puts you at risk of losing potential customers. 

Further, the 2019 Local Consumer Review Survey also found that 91% of consumers are more likely to use a business with positive reviews and 82% of consumers are less likely to use a business with negative reviews. It’s not just volume that matters, but the quality of reviews as well.

This brings up an important point: unhappy customers are more incentivized to leave feedback than happy ones. 

Ensure that you’re asking all of your customers to post reviews so that positive sentiment can outweigh any unflattering posts. The easiest way to do this is through an automated service, like Widewail's Invite. Our software integrates with your customer database to collect contact information and send review invitations to your patrons. You have the option to personalize messages, and you can send individual review requests right from your phone. To read more about how Invite can help you get more Google reviews, click here.

You’ve got reviews, now what? Respond.

Within your Google Business Profile, visit the menu on the left-hand side. If you are managing multiple locations, click “Manage reviews” and then select the location from the dropdown menu. If you are only managing one location, click “Reviews” in the left-hand menu. You will then have the option to view your reviews and reply.

For positive reviews, say thank you to your customers. Make your answers personal and unique by using the customer’s name and reiterating details from their feedback. This is also a great time to include keywords, which we will discuss further below.

Finally, encourage them to return to your store in the future.

This could be a simple sign-off like “Looking forward to your next visit!” or a specific suggestion like “Hope to see you again for your next oil change!” 

Negative reviews require a bit more finesse, but they shouldn’t be ignored. Take the time to write an appropriate, non-aggressive response that addresses the reviewer’s concerns. Apologize if necessary and take the conversation offline by offering to contact the reviewer or by leaving your phone number.

Again, the #1 goal when responding to a negative review is to take the conversation offline.

Even if the content of the review surprises or frustrates you, always maintain an even-keeled attitude in your response. Handling disappointing feedback in a professional manner will demonstrate the way you conduct business with future customers. By answering a negative review kindly and being proactive in your follow-up, you could even earn back the reviewer’s business. 

There are a few negative review scenarios that don’t require an apology. If someone is blatantly lying about their experience, calmly explain your side of the story and set the record straight for future readers. There are also rare occasions where a review includes outlandish claims, hate language, illegal content, or is simply irrelevant. These reviews should be ignored and reported to Google.

It may therefore be helpful to change the overall way in which your business considers responses to negative reviews. In reality, each piece of critical feedback may be an opportunity in disguise. 

If you respond to negative reviews in a positive and helpful way, prospects will see that you're willing to go the extra mile to satisfy your customers. This can help build trust and create a good impression of your business. So next time you see a negative review, don't get discouraged - use it as an opportunity to show your customer service skills and attract new business.

The Benefits of Responding

We’ve already mentioned that customers rely on reviews to decide where to shop. Responses matter too. In fact, 71% are more likely to patronize a business that answers its online reviews.  

Why else should you respond? For one, responding to reviews is basic customer service. Over half of all customers expect a response within 7 days of posting an online review. Reviews are no longer a newfangled feature; they are fundamental. 

Further, responding to reviews encourages repeat business. Customers receive an email about your message, reminding them of their visit and demonstrating your commitment to customer service. While a short, personal conversation may not seem like a lot to you, how often do consumers have their experiences publicly acknowledged and appreciated? This will be what customers remember the next time they go to make a purchase, and they will think twice before researching another brand or location.

Perhaps most importantly, there are two major SEO boosts that come from responding to reviews. 

1. Responding to reviews leads to an increase in review volume. Considering that review signals make up 15.44% of local pack/finder ranking factors, this means that the more reviews you get, the better chance you have at improving your local ranking. 

2. Responding to reviews also leads to a higher overall rating. Not only do customers engage more frequently with higher-rated businesses, Google prefers them too. Let’s run another search, but this time for “best hair salons near me.”