Local SEO – Why You Need Customer Reviews and How to Get Them

Reviews are essential for ranking in local search results. Plus, they help convince searchers to choose your business. Google ranks local businesses with reviews higher than those without because

• Listings with reviews are more likely to be accurate than a listing without reviews. A customer is less likely to leave a review on a listing that contains inaccurate information. So reviews bolster trust.
• Listings with reviews are more helpful to users than listings without them.
• Recent reviews ensure the business still exists. Why would a customer bother to review a business that no longer exists?

But how do you get reviews? Your approach should be two pronged. First, when a customer transaction is complete, send the customer an e-mail asking for a review. Make sure the e-mail has links to online profiles (like your Google Local Listing, your Yelp.com profile, etc.) where they can leave their review of your business.

Here’s a template.

Dear (customer’s name),

Thank you for choosing to do business with me. (If you want a better response rate, specify what service you performed or product you sold). It would really help me tremendously if you would take a few seconds to write a short review of your experience.

Here are a few places you can leave a review:

(Your company’s) Yelp profile:
(Your company’s) Google page:
Any other listings you have out there

Thanks again,

(your name)

You should also include those links on your site, so people who lost/deleted your e-mail can still find them.

You could also consider handing out cards to your customers as they leave your store/office asking them to review you. Include a link to the page on your site where the links reside.

Here’s another great resource for learning more about how to get reviews: Getting Your Business Reviewed.