ADVICE: How to get more Google reviews for your estate agency
Nelly Berova looks at why Google reviews are important for your agency, how to get more and what to do if yours are less than glowing.
Getting positive reviews for your agency can help your business in multiple ways. However, they do involve a bit of effort on the part of your customers. So, unless your service has been truly exceptional, you may need to seek them out.
We look at why Google reviews are so important, how to get more and what to do if the results are less glowing than you might have hoped.
How important are Google reviews for estate and letting agents?
People are increasingly focused on reviews and star ratings to inform their buying decisions. From small grocery purchases to choosing the estate agency selling a home worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, nine out of 10 of us rely on reviews, and for at least two thirds, Google is the place they look. How good the reviews are counts too. Research shows almost half of consumers won’t consider anything less than four-stars.
If you have glowing 5-star ratings featured on the Google local results page, your business will instantly appeal to anyone looking for an agent.”
Google reviews are especially important for estate agency businesses because of the local angle. When people search for an ‘estate agent near me’ to list their property, they will see local companies at the top of the page – the so-called Local Pack of map-based search results. Google reviews and ratings will appear as part of the business listings. If you have glowing 5-star ratings featured on the Google local results page, your business will instantly appeal to anyone looking for an agent.
The third reason why Google reviews are so important is the part they play in SEO, particularly when it comes to those all-important local listings. Positive reviews really do boost your credibility as a site and improve your SEO ranking.
Finally, reviews are a great way of getting valuable customer feedback to help you improve the service you provide. They are also important for generating two-way dialogue with your customers and increasing engagement with your brand.
How should I ask for Google reviews?
The key to getting Google reviews is to ask. You can do this in person, by phone or by email, but if you know a customer has had a good experience, you need to make requesting a review a natural part of the transaction.
People who have had a great service, especially when it comes to such a significant life event as selling or letting a home, will usually be happy to provide a positive review. They just might not get round to it without a nudge. When asking for a review, be appreciative and explain how much of a difference reviews can make to your business. You can even ask for a review as a personal favour.
Responding to existing reviews is worth doing too – see below. It shows you value the comments and that the effort customers have made to give a review hasn’t gone to waste.
How do I reply to a positive review on Google?
It’s important to reply to reviews and not just the negative ones. If someone leaves a positive review, it’s worth thanking them for their comments. You will look like a responsive agency that people will want to do business with. Always leave an individual response that picks up on the points in the review. This reinforces what the customer liked about the service – but don’t go too far and use the response as a sales pitch.
How do I reply to negative Google reviews?
If replying to positive reviews is good practice, replying to negative ones is pretty much essential. Consider the review and investigate the comments – are they justified and are there ways you could do better in future?
When responding, thank the customer for their comments and, if things have gone wrong, apologise and explain how you’re preventing issues in future. Don’t come across as defensive. Even if you think the comments are unjustified, maintain a calm and professional tone at all times. You could also offer the customer the opportunity to contact you to discuss their concerns further (offline).
How do I remove a review from Google?
You can’t remove a review that you didn’t write from Google. However, you can flag an unfair review and ask for it to be removed on certain grounds. These include if you suspect the review is fake or if the content is offensive or defamatory. To do so, click on the flag icon beside the review and select your reason. Google will analyse the review and decide whether it violates the guidelines.
Never be tempted to add your own fake reviews to your site or to buy reviews.”
One final point, never be tempted to add your own fake reviews to your site or to buy reviews. Google’s algorithm has sophisticated ways of finding the fakes, which could see you penalised, including the removal of your business account altogether. Instead, put all your efforts into getting those genuine reviews from happy customers.
Need help with the optimisation of your Google Business account and ranking in the 3-pack for your branch locations? This is one of the marketing services we provide at www.artdivision.co.uk and we will be happy to help you too.
