Learning how to get more reviews is imperative for small businesses that want to grow and stay competitive in their market niche.
A good rating on the most popular local review sites can help you win new customers and grow the profitability of your business.
This article shows you the best practices that you can apply to get more reviews on your review site of choice.
Why Getting More Reviews Is Important
Nowadays, learning how to get more reviews is fundamental for any business that aims to thrive.
The Internet changed the way people look for information about products and businesses. As a consequence, most people check reviews before deciding how and where to spend their hard-earned money.
If you run a restaurant, a cafe, a tattoo studio, or any other type of local business, getting reviews and managing your online reputation will be decisive to staying competitive in your market niche.
According to BrightLocal, over 90% of users read reviews before visiting a business. This means that only 1 person out of 10, will pick a business randomly.
When you grow your rating on the best local review sites, your business will naturally attract more customers. Moreover, it will be shown before your competitors for similar searches on these types of websites.
Therefore, if you are a small business owner, finding a reliable way to get more reviews is decisive for your success and should be part of your marketing strategy.
7 Best Practices to Consider to Get More Reviews
Although there are a variety of websites where your business can be reviewed, there are a few best practices that can be implemented by business owners to get more reviews, regardless of the platform of choice.
This is a breakdown of the most useful yet effective practices that every business owner should know and apply.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #1: Answer to Reviews
The first method to get more reviews is answering reviews. Many business owners struggle to grow their ratings online, however, they never answer reviews.
Answering reviews is a great way to show customers that you value their feedback. It also helps build trust and credibility with potential customers. Additionally, it can help you identify areas where your business can improve.
Moreover, responding to reviews (whether positive or negative) can help you provide better information about your business and attract new customers as a consequence.
If your business is listed on multiple review sites and you want to save time, guest WiFi software allows you to manage all your reviews from one single dashboard.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #2: Curate Your Customer Experience
At the end of the day, your customers will pick your venue because of the experience your business provides.
Therefore, before wondering how to get more reviews, be sure that everything in your business works as intended and that your products and services fulfill your customer’s needs and preferences.
If you take care of the wholeness of the customer experience at your business, getting more reviews will just be a natural consequence.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #3: Ask in Person
Have you ever heard the saying “Ask and you shall receive”?
Well, it is by far one of the best methods to get more reviews for your business.
Many business owners struggle to ask customers for reviews because it seems daunting and out of touch. However, the benefits outweigh the initial awkwardness.
Happy customers are often willing to write reviews, however, they won’t think how important that is for your business. Therefore, remind them. It will be just fine.
Your happy customers are your best allies in growing your reputation online. You will be surprised at how much they are willing to support your business.
Therefore, place a smile on your face and ask for a review.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #4: Acquire New Customers Consistently
Although this might sound obvious, to get more reviews you want to get more customers.
The weekly and monthly reviews you receive affect your rating and visibility on most review sites. Therefore, one of the most important things to do to grow your rating is to increase your footfall.
Moreover, repeat customers won’t write more than a few reviews about your business, therefore, getting new customers and nudging them to write about their experience will be critical to growing your rating and online exposure.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #5: Simplify the Process
If asking for reviews is important, making things easier for your customers is fundamental.
Many people refrain from writing a review because there are too many “steps” to publish a review about a business.
While you cannot change the process completely, you can make life simpler for those who are willing to write a review.
The best way to do so is to embed shortened links or buttons that bring your customer straight to the page where the reviews will be published.
Embed such links into your website’s footer, email signatures, and social media pages.
To get more reviews, be sure to let your customers know on which platforms your business can be reviewed.
This is typically done through stickers and certificates spread around your venue.
However, you should embed this information also on your website and any other medium you use to promote your business.
How to Get More Reviews Practice #7: Create Specific Content
A good strategy to get more reviews is to create specific content that reminds and encourages your followers to write a review.
For example, you can share on your social media of choice a snapshot of a heartfelt review.
Alternatively, you can create a specific email-marketing campaign that shows a few great reviews, and explain how to review your business on a specific website and why that matters to your business.
The point of this strategy is simple. Just draw attention to your business profile on a local review site and show other people’s reviews.
What You Should Never Do to Get More Reviews
Considering the impact that a positive rating can have on the profitability of a business, many business owners look for shortcuts.
However, such shortcuts might be counterproductive or, even worse, demolish the reputation of a business.
If you want to learn how to get more reviews, you should also understand what you should never do. This can be resumed in 2 points:
- Cheating by buying fake reviews
- Breaking local review sites’ terms
Whether you are looking to receive more reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, or any other site, you should refrain from these two activities.
In Particular, you should never buy fake reviews. In fact, these types of reviews are easy to notice; both by your customers and by website algorithms.
If your customers find out you are growing your rating through fake reviews, you can be sure that they will avoid your business.
Moreover, you might be punished by the website through penalties that will last forever.
Therefore, play by the rules. If you implement the right strategies, you have no reason to cheat.
How to Get More Reviews on the Most Popular Review Sites
In the coming sections, you are going to see how to get more reviews on the best review sites that exist today.
The best practices you read so far work fine on any of these websites. However, to get the most out of a specific review site, you need to understand how that works and how you can leverage that platform.
Let’s start.
How to Get More Tripadvisor Reviews
TripAdvisor is one of the largest travel sites and provides reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions, as well as booking services. It also offers a forum where travelers can ask questions and share tips.
If your business is within the hospitality field, creating a process to get more reviews on TripAdvisor should be considered mandatory.
Many business owners buy fake TripAdvisor reviews. Do not follow their example.
To get more TripAdvisor reviews, instead, you should keep your business page updated and always ask your customers to rate your business on that specific platform.
TripAdvisor is very popular, therefore it is likely that your customers will have no problem heading to that website and leaving a review.
Moreover, promote your presence on this platform by displaying signs or handing out cards that mention TripAdvisor.
You should also include a link to your TripAdvisor listing in your email signature and on your website.
With these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to getting more reviews on TripAdvisor, which can help attract new customers and boost your business’s bottom line.
How to Get More Reviews on Facebook
Facebook is the king of social media and millions of people use it to learn about businesses and what other people say about a specific business.
While TripAdvisor is mandatory for hospitality businesses, Facebook is mandatory for any other type of business.
Barbers, Gyms, Tattoo studios, and other businesses that are not in the hospitality industry will be first checked on Facebook by new customers.
If your business has a good rating and an optimized profile, it is more likely that people discover your business and visit you.
To get more reviews on Facebook, you can create specific posts asking for reviews, and showing samples of your work.
Moreover, you can tag your customers and share user-generated content (UGC) to get even more traffic.
It is also important to optimize your business page and implement an effective social media strategy where you share engaging content regularly.
How to Get More Reviews on Airbnb
If you’re looking to get more reviews on Airbnb, there are a few things you can do.
First and foremost, make sure you’re providing a great experience for your guests. This means being responsive to their needs and ensuring the space is clean and comfortable and providing any amenities or services that they might need during their stay.
Secondly, reach out to your guests after their stay and ask if they would be willing to leave a review. However, do not reach out just for the review.
Write a follow-up message after your guests have checked out, asking them how their stay was and if they have any suggestions for improvement. Then, ask if they are willing to write a review as that will help you stay in business.
If you take care of your guests and make sure they have a positive experience, you’re way more likely to get more reviews on this platform.
How to Get More Google Reviews
Google, and its geolocation service Google Map, is by far one of the most important local review sites.
Google collects a variety of signals to establish the ranking of a business or a website, and reviews are among the most important factors.
Therefore, if you manage to get more reviews on your Google MyBusiness page, you can be sure that Google will show your business more frequently on its applications, and, as a consequence, many potential customers will discover your business and pay a visit.
As a rule of thumb, you should keep your MyBusiness page always updated, answer all reviews and ask your customers to review your business on Maps.
However, considering the staggering amount of traffic that Google can drive to your business, you should dive deep into this topic and learn all the tips and tricks to get more Google reviews.
How to Get More Reviews on Amazon
Are you an Amazon seller?
Then you know how important reviews are to have your products ranking high on this website.
Here are a few tips to get more reviews on Amazon:
- Make it easy for customers to leave a review. Include a link to your product’s review page in every order confirmation email.
- Send follow-up emails after orders have been delivered, and gently remind customers that their feedback is appreciated.
- Offer an incentive for customers who leave a review, such as a discount on their next purchase.
- Use social media to reach out to past customers and ask them to leave a review.
The more reviews you have, the higher your rating and ranking will be, and the more users and customers will see your products.
Moreover, this will also build trust with potential buyers.
How to Get More Yelp Reviews
Although Yelp is not specifically designed to serve a specific type of business, it is used by millions of users every day.
When it comes to Yelp, even a little improvement in your rating can dramatically change the profitability of your business.
The most important actions to implement to get more reviews on this platform are:
- Promote your presence on Yelp with in-store stickers, banners on your website, and social media content.
- Keep your business page up-to-date
- Respond to existing reviews
- Create special offers for Yelp use
- Run ads on Yelp
However, there’s much more to say when it comes to learning how to get more Yelp reviews.
Therefore, if Yelp is an important platform for your business, be sure to look deeper into this topic.
How to Get More Trustpilot Reviews
Trustpilot is a popular review website where consumers can read and write reviews about their experiences with businesses of any type.
A good rating on Trustpilot can build trust with new customers and offer multiple benefits to your business.
If you’re looking to get more Trustpilot reviews, there are a few easy things you can do.
Start by making your Trustpilot profile easily reachable. Include a link on your website and in your email signature.
You should also promote your presence on Trustpilot with your customers. Moreover, you can give your customers an incentive to leave a review. For example, you can offer discounts or free shipping for those who take the time to write a review.
Last but not least, follow up with customers after they’ve made a purchase and ask them to leave a review.
If you manage to make that request somehow personal, your success rate will increase. A personal touch can go a long way in getting more reviews.
Using WiFi Marketing to Get More Reviews
Given the large number of platforms where your business can be reviewed, you should pick those that are more useful to your business.
When you focus on a few good platforms, your ability to get more reviews and grow your popularity online increases exponentially.
However, the best way to get more reviews is to automate the entire process with a social WiFi hotspot like Beambox.
Beambox’s Review Automator allows you to automate the entire process of getting more reviews.
When someone visits your venue and connects to your free WiFi, you can send them a prompt to leave you a review at a set time after. If their rating is positive (4 or 5 stars) they’ll be redirected to leave a written review on your review site of choice.
If the rating is negative, instead, the review will be diverted to a form that you’ll manage internally.
Growing your rating on local review sites is just a consequence when you get Beambox.
Moreover, you can take advantage of all the other features to grow your popularity online and build a perfect user experience.
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