Podium shares the Google Reviews 101 to help your small beauty business get more reviews online

Do Google reviews factor into your marketing plan as a beauty business organization? If they don't yet, they should. As i of the outset things potential customers see when they search for a new beauty service, good Google reviews of your business tin be the deciding cistron that nets you lot a new customer or non. Why? It's all about the social proof. We trust reviews from our peers and have grown to depend on them when we're info gathering to find a new, trusted dazzler therapist. Go enough good Google reviews and that could be enough to convince someone to give your business a become. And so, what does it have to get your clients spreading the good give-and-take about your business? Professional Beauty talks to Podium, a customer interaction platform, that specialises in helping you go the Google reviews you demand to aid your business organization thrive in this digital age.

What steps can businesses accept to go good Google Reviews?

Podium says that "Google doesn't openly share details near how they calculate local search rankings. However, according to their guidelines, there are iii major factors businesses should focus on when optimizing for local search: relevance, altitude and prominence."

Kate Christopher, Head of Marketing for Podium Commonwealth of australia, also tells Professional person Beauty "We always say that providing dandy service is the offset step to a good review, simply the side by side stride should always be to ask for it. Nosotros recommend asking for that review by text message, equally texts have a 98% open rate in the first 90 seconds. Permit the customer know how much a review means to your business, as it helps you get found and called." When your customers leave the salon, you can use Podium to ship them a text inviting them to leave you a review well-nigh how much they loved your service!

Why are they so important?

When's the last fourth dimension you went anywhere (salon, spa, nail salon) without looking up the Google reviews beginning? It's now only baked into how we make up one's mind where to spend our dollars. And information technology'southward i of the best ways to boost your SEO. Christopher says "Consumers need to read at least 10 reviews before they feel similar they tin trust a concern, and in 2021 the starting time thing they'll do is search for y'all online. If they don't see you as a trustworthy business concern, they volition dismiss you lot equally a good option without you always knowing."

What happens if your business organisation doesn't accept any Google reviews?

More likely than not, they won't become your customers. We trust online reviews and are wary salons, spas, blast salons and treatment rooms without whatsoever. "If you practise not accept any reviews and then you are not visible to customers," says Christopher. "They will skip directly by you lot and choose another reputable business organisation over you." Podium's advice is to text customers to ask for a review. "Later on switching to text to collect reviews," says Podium, "Paul's Pest Control jumped one-half a star on Google inside 24 hours and gathered more than reviews in one calendar month than they had in five years."

As well create a Google review link shortcut to make information technology as easy as possible for the customer to leave you i, and then manage them in one case they're upwards. "If you want to collect reviews, information technology'south crucial to show your customers that reviews matter to you—and that means managing them. Respond to negative reviews within 2 hours and positive ones within 24 hours" says Podium. Respond to both the adept and the bad, show people that you're proactive and provide stellar customer service.

How do you deal with bad ones?

The first thing to exercise is acknowledge the bad review, the feelings of the reviewer and simply apologize in a calm fashion before offering to help fix the effect. And then "drown out bad reviews with expert ones," says Christopher. "Information technology'due south that simple! People don't heed seeing one bad review out of 100, but make sure y'all are responding to any bad reviews to evidence other consumers you intendance." And unfortunately the problem of fake reviews does be, but Professional Beauty has an commodity to assistance you with that ane here.

You can besides get your re-create of Podium's guide to managing Google reviews here.

Watch demo here and read more most the make hither.

—

Read the current issue of our digital magazine here:

For more news and updates, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

—

Take an idea for a story or want to see a topic covered on our site and in our pages? Get in touch on at info@professionalbeauty.com.au.