There are lots of opportunities to place reviews, but except for niche review sites for particular industries, Google Reviews tops them all and everywhere.
WHY?
Not the least reason, if you search using Google (which a large majority of people do), Google will show Google Reviews in the search results more prominently than almost anything else.
This is through the medium of Google Business Profile (GBP) formerly known as Google My Business. Amongst other things, it gives the number of reviews and their average rating.
Most of the time, on desktop GBP, if it is shown at all, appears in the right column all by itself. Talk about a great position! And Reviews are a prominent part of the GBP display and are very widely used by people seeking information about a company. So this is a straight route to your online reputation.
Google Search Results don’t always show a GBP. First of all, it is about a business, not products. Secondly, it is specifically for local search. The ultimate origin of GBP is as the online version of Yellow Pages.
There are two types of searches that will produce a GBP in the search results and therefor provide exposure for a company’s Google Reviews.
- A search for a specific business “Joe’s Plumbing” will almost always produce a right column GBP result that lists the number of reviews and average rating and with one more click gets you into a display of the reviews. This works from anywhere, not just near the business location – so long as the business name is unique or Google can figure out which “Joe’s Crab Shack” you are asking about.
So this extremely valuable in building the all-important trust factor. If someone has found out your company exists, there is an excellent chance they will search for your company on Google to find out what OTHER people think of your company. So this makes it worthwhile for national and international companies to work on getting more great Google Reviews.
- A “near me” or similar type search, such as “plumbers near me” or “plumbers 33756,” or even just because Google believes the searcher is likely looking for a local business. Location is paramount in this. It is unlikely you will show up at a distance greater than about 10 miles from your physical business location. You may only show up within a short distance (a few blocks) if your local rankings for a term aren’t good.
Such a search will result in a display of usually the top 3 local results in what is known as the “map pack.” Accompanied by a map showing the results locations, it will give the number of reviews and average rating and you can click through to get to the actual reviews.
As a note, GBP will ALSO show other review results, as you continue to scroll down you’ll get reviews from Yelp and other sources. But Google shows their own reviews first. A large number of excellent reviews is a fast route to an excellent online reputation. We see people doing a local search looking at the Google Business Profile and the reviews, and calling the business without even looking at the website. We also see tremendous numbers of people clicking through from the GBP to the website, then calling or filling out a contact form.
Below the map pack you will usually see search results based on the website, which are independent of the GBP search results. So don’t neglect Google Reviews or sell them short. And do properly set up your GBP so people will find your reviews. It may be your fastest route to improved business development.
