Stars in the eyes: Google reviews put opticians in the lead

Already googled today?

How do customers actually find you? They are not printed telephone books and company directories — they have had their day. Anyone looking for a company, a service or simply a solution to a problem today goes to the Internet. Use users search enginesto obtain the desired information in the jumble of the World Wide Web. Google is clearly the favorite, with over 80% of all searches. If you can't find something here, it almost doesn't exist. So it's no wonder that Google has become enormously important for companies.

How reviews improve your position on Google

Google offers users the opportunity to companies rate. Between one and five stars can be awarded per rating. A full five stars is a perfect result. Users can also write a written comment and publish pictures of the store or its products. An overall rating is then formed from the reviews submitted. The number of reviews and the average number of stars awarded are ultimately publicly visible to all users. This allows them to quickly get an overview of how other consumers have rated their buying experience. Good reviews are rewarded by Google with a better ranking. Anyone who can call many positive reviews their own will step by step to the top of the search results — leaving the competition behind.

The effect of reviews on Google Maps

Reviews are particularly important on Google Maps, Google's map service. In addition to unique addresses, Maps also understands search queries such as “Optician near me.” Based on the request, Google determines the location of the device from which the request was launched and then suggests suitable results. What the algorithm thinks is a suitable result is from three factors Dependent:

relevancy

If you're looking for opticians, you also want to find opticians — not a car repair shop. Google therefore crawls your website and checks whether it matches the user's search query. If so, your chances of being referred increase.

distance

The closer the better! Google checks the user's current location and recommends nearby stores that match their request. That is the only factor that you have no control over.

notoriety

Google is not a person and defines a company's reputation differently than we do. Among other things, it searches online for valuations. The more of them you have and the better they are on average, the more likely you are to be suggested to users.

Reviews are therefore an important factor in terms of placement in search results. And the latter is important for your visibility online. You can find out how to get more reviews in the following paragraphs.

More reviews: not so please!

There are multiple ways to get positive customer reviews. Before we take a closer look at them, there is one important thing to clarify in advance: Buying reviews is illegal in any case. What looks like a shortcut to success can cause you massive problems in the form of warnings and fines. We therefore clearly discourage this practice. It is also inadmissible Compensation for reviews to offer. A case, cleaning cloth, or ultrasonic cleaner in exchange for an evaluation is also prohibited.Delete negative reviews, violates the Unfair Competition Act and Is therefore also inadmissible.

How to get more Google reviews

The simplest solution is: Ask! If your customers are happy with your service, they will also rate your business. But very few people do this of their own accord, which is why you should take action first. A good opportunity to do this is through a personal conversation. If you feel that your customer is comfortable with you, ask for a review. You are particularly effective when you build on existing routines. Ask at specific stages of the purchase process, such as when making a payment. This makes asking for an evaluation a habit and becomes easier and easier for you over time.

What about negative reviews?

It's obvious that no one likes to be rated poorly. Still Bergen negative reviews great potential benefits. Feedback from your customers, unless it's just “letting off steam,” helps improve your business. Therefore, take customer feedback seriously. If you get a bad review, don't let yourself be upset. Consumers understand that even the best company in the world gets a bad rating. After all, they are written by people whose motivations and perceptions are often fundamentally different. What is particularly important now is that you respond appropriately to the feedback. In fact, in the context of reviews, nothing is more harmful to your online presence than unanswered negative comments. If you don't answer, you're suggesting that you don't care about what your customers think. This is why you should always answer and show ways in which you will improve in the future. This shows that your customers are important to you and shows professionalism.

More reviews thanks to Socialwave

Get professional support for maximum success. For this purpose, Socialwave offers a system, which automatically collects reviews and customer data for you via stickers and displays. How does that work? The advertising material is printed with QR codes. Instead of having to search the Internet for a review option, customers can simply scan one of the codes and go directly to a review screen. This does not require extensive technical expertise, as every smartphone can recognize QR codes today. Particularly sophisticated: The system distinguishes positive from negative reviews and redirects users to different sites according to their information. Positive reviews are published directly on Google. As a result, your online reputation improves and you move up in search results. This in turn attracts new customers — completely automatically. And what happens with the negative reviews? These are not published, but forwarded directly to you. This gives you valuable feedback from your customers, but without affecting your overall rating. Socialwave thus combines the best of both worlds for you.In addition, collects When submitting a review, the system always Your customer's contact details. You can then use these for customer loyalty measures such as newsletters and vouchers use. Also automated and 100% legally compliant UWG and GDPR.

conclusion

Local businesses such as opticians are also increasingly benefiting from easy accessibility on the Internet. If you want to be found, you need a good ranking in search engines, especially Google. Reviews help to appear high in the ranking, improve your online presence and attract new customers. Experts like Socialwave have been proven to help increase the number of reviews quickly and legally. With our WLAN marketing package, your customers/patients/guests advertise for you, are happy and recommend you to others.