You might have heard of reviews if you're familiar with marketing. They consist of public opinions emitted by customers who express their opinion on their experience with a business and are published through Google. Usually, these commentaries are linked to the enterprise's Google Business Profile and, consequently, Google Maps.
Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to attracting potential clients, mainly because they're online's Word Of Mouth and 90% of people read reviews on Google Maps before visiting a business; as a matter of fact, 84% of customers consider them as important as a recommendation from a friend. In addition, Google Maps makes it easier for users to find businesses and removes possible barriers customers might face when finding more information about the enterprise of their interest.
No one's surprised that a client's evaluation of a business makes the difference in search engine optimization, in this case, Google. Google Maps is undoubtedly an application that goes beyond a simple web mapping platform, but how to take advantage of its facilities to benefit your business?
Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about Google Maps
1. Linking your Google Maps to your enterprise's Google Business Profile matters!
Reviews on Google Maps are an appliance that provides valuable information about businesses in which frequent or new customers can leave a comment evaluating their service, disposition and products. These reviews are attached to another essential asset, Google Business Profile, a tool that allows enterprises to be found by simply searching and showcasing helpful information about their physical store or online service area. Since it is a personalized tool, owners can customize data like:
Pictures of the venue
Schedule updates
Share contact information
Add business hours
Include your business's website
2. Future clients can explore your business through a virtual tour
Commonly people think of an elevator pitch when it comes to pursuing someone into getting involved and trusting their business. But, one of the greatest advantages of the modern online world is that clients can approach your organization without moving from their seats.
Whether it's Social Media or your website, most potential clients are drawn to a business by their photos: pictures of their products, their employees and even pictures of their infrastructure. Why? Because they are a source of credibility.
By now, you probably know that with Google Maps, customers are allowed to find out basic information about your company. Info like: the address, contact number, operating hours, website and social media profiles are displayed for them to have access to your business. However, what if the smartest move you could make for your business was to post pictures of your venue?
Pictures of your venue are one of the assets that can help customers jump from your website to your address. Having a physical reference from a place they wish to purchase from or visit is essential to determine their criteria on your amenities or even the services your enterprise offers.
Maps grant future clients the possibility to offer a virtual experience that leads them through a virtual tour of a business venue that highlights your enterprise's assets and makes them discover the place from a customer's standpoint.
Most mobile phones have the option to take panoramic pictures, which come in handy when business owners need to showcase their location. Being mindful of using technology to your advantage can be of great quality for businesses, especially when it comes to allowing clients to visualize themselves in a space.
Don't miss the ultimate guide to getting customers reviews on Google Maps.
3. You can delete Bad Reviews on Google Maps
Technically it is possible to delete a bad google review, but we're sorry to tell you that it is not as easy as clicking 'delete', whoops!
To delete a bad review on Google Maps, the Google Business Profile owner must report it. Google does not get involved with enterprises unless they acknowledge inappropriate behaviour. Since there is no particular way to tell who's right when it comes to a customer's experience, however, if the owner of an enterprise thinks that the language, intention or information displayed in the unfortunate comment fits any of the following categories: Hate Speech, Civil Discourse, Mature Content, or any Deceptive Content, they will be able to send a request to Google for them to annul the review. Still, recalling which content is prohibited and restricted first is crucial.
Here's how to remove bad reviews:
On your Android phone or tablet, Go to Google
Find your Business Profile
Tap Reviews
Find the review you'd like to report
Tap More and Report review
4. Google Maps can protect your business from fraud or abuse
For many internet users, Google Maps is a space where they look for information about locations they want to visit or places they need to go. However, it is also a site that grants business owners the security that the platform singles out blackmailers.
Just like good reviews can make or break a business, fake reviews can attack an enterprise and affect its authentic ratings, which boosts its reputation. Fighting this unhelpful content is not an easy task. In fact, it is a ceaseless battle that Google rarely details publicly, so scammers utilize their ever-changing techniques.
We know that the average customer will likely use Google Maps to navigate a commute or future trip while searching for nearby restaurants or services. They’ll leave reviews at places they’ve been and usually add ratings or photos in location-specific clusters. But what if one of the reviews left under your enterprise profile seems unusual?
Maps algorithm will detect and remove policy-violating content across a variety of languages and also scan for signals of abnormal user activity like:
Hate Speech
Civil Discourse
Mature Content
Any Deceptive Content
5. Google Reviews are an excellent tool to improve your business’ SEO traffic
Google is the world’s biggest search engine. It makes up 87% of the online search market. Online traffic is essential to optimize your website and earn a higher rank on the search engine results pages (SERPS) a.k.a, the page you see after entering a query into Google.
Google Maps allows business owners to manage their products or services online, edit pictures, monitor reviews, edit open hours, and add their website and phone number. The topics you advertise are essential for reaching your target audience and increasing search traffic. In a B2B space, like digital marketing, tracking the high and low volume of searches is essential to accelerate the process of approaching a niche market while using the broad keyboard of Google to type those keywords and scan through the options.
Getting customer reviews is easier said than done, but the reality is that the more positive reviews you have, the higher the chances that customers prefer your business to the competitors, and Google selects your website or listing as trustworthy and high-quality
We regularly get our customers to rank within the top 3 positions in local Google Search results - which is where you want to be! Rank in the top 3 or get your money back! Book a free consultation call to get started.