How to Maximize Your Google Business Reviews

It’s no secret, online reviews are growing and are an important factor in the decision-making process for any business. But for those in the hospitality industry, online reviews can have a negative impact on your business if not managed correctly.

While most think of TripAdvisor as the “king” of online reviews, over the last few years Google Business Reviews has gained significant ground and has now surpassed TripAdvisor in a number of reviews. Google has worked hard to revamp its review product, increased online review volume, and effectively made Google ratings more prominent in search, Google maps, and hotel listings.

For this reason, Google Business Reviews and ratings have now emerged as one of the most important measures of quality for a property. So, to help you, we have compiled a few ways you can maximize your Google Business reviews.

Make it easy for guests

The most important thing to remember when collecting reviews is to make it as easy as possible for guests. One way to do this is to provide a direct link to write a Google Business review. With Google’s recent announcement, businesses can now create a dedicated Google Business Review page to send out to customers. Both are discussed below.

Here’s how you set it up:

How to generate your free Google review link:

  • Type your business name, city, and zip in the “enter a business” field

image of screen shot for creating a review link

  • Your review link will appear
  • Copy the shortened URL
  • Share the link with guests in emails, texts, or on printed materials at your property

Below is what will populate when guests click through to the shortened link:

image of google review link

 

How to create a Google review page:

  • Here you can create a dedicated page for your guests to leave a Google Business Review. Follow the detailed instructions below:

image of screen shot for google review link

Timing is everything

When it comes to reviews, timing is everything. The best time to ask a guest for a review is shortly following their check-out. A post-stay email, sent within 24 hours of their check-out date, is ideal. This way your property and their experience are still fresh in mind. Again, the key here is to make it easy. So, provide your Google review link and encourage at the very least, a star rating.

For more on pre-stay and post-stay emails, visit our blog on Busy Season Strategies Part 3.

Don’t be afraid to follow up

If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again. Don’t over-do it but if a guest hasn’t responded to your first attempt to get a review, send a follow-up email or text to further encourage a review.

Respond to reviews – good and bad

Regardless of the review is on Facebook or on Google Business, it is always best practice responding to reviews; both good and bad. While it isn’t necessary to respond to all positive reviews, it is a good idea to respond to all negative reviews. Not only does responding to reviews improve your likeability and guests experience, but it also enhances your local SEO. Recently Google confirmed that responding to reviews improves local SEO.

Keep these things in mind when responding to negative reviews:

  • Timeliness
  • Be positive
  • Short and sweet
  • Sympathize
  • Take ownership
  • Offer solutions

Think of reviews as another powerful tool for you to connect and interact with your past guests. Your response to reviews makes you more “human” and personalizes the experience. So, remember to make sure your responses aren’t cookie-cutter and reflect authenticity.

Ultimately, in the end, you want to aim for the following regarding your Google Business reviews.

  • Quality – Aim to have a high rating of 4 stars or better.
  • Quantity – The amount of reviews is just as important as the quality of the reviews. The more reviews, the better.
  • Relevant – We always suggest you ask for reviews from guests that have recently stayed with you. This can be in the form of post-stay emails, SMS texts, or in-person encouragement. Either way, it is important to have a steady flow of reviews to stay relevant.

Start implementing these tactics today and watch your Google Business Reviews grow and benefit your business.

For more about how you can leverage your Google Business Reviews, reach out to marketing@rezStream.com.

Published: July 26, 2019