Don’t you hate it when your customers’ Google+ reviews get devoured by the hungry “anti-spam” filter?
After all, all you’re doing is asking your customers in a polite and un-pushy way to leave some honest feedback on your business’s Google+Local listing.
They say “No problem,” they go to write you a review…and nothing happens. They’re frustrated, you’re frustrated, and your reviews end up swimming with the fishes.
It shouldn’t be this way, but it is. Getting reviews takes some finesse.
I’ve had a lot of success helping my clients and others get the results of their karma, in the form of Google reviews.
That’s why I’ve put together a quick checklist of what are, in my experience, the best ways to prevent customers’ reviews from getting gobbled by Google’s filters. It’s a quick reference for business owner and local SEO-er alike.
Here you go:
(click to download PDF)
Obviously, there’s never any guarantee that your customers’ reviews won’t get filtered. But if you’re following those best-practices, you’re probably not trying to spam or game the system in any way, and you should end up with the reviews you deserve.
(By the way, if you want even more info, check out my monstrous complete guide to Google+ reviews.)
Great checklist of best practices – thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Chris!
Thanks for the information. This Google Filter is quite tricky!
Any time, Grigory.
Phil:
Why is it such a no-no to give people a direct link to your Google+ Local page to leave a review? If you use a review system like Mike and Don’s FiveStarReviews, they provide direct links to the page so I have to believe it’s not that big of a deal. What’s your take on this issue today?
Travis Van Slooten
I don’t think it ever was a real “no-no”; it’s just a bad idea to give a direct link to everyone you ask for a Google review.
In any case, it’s feeding time on Google reviews:
https://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2013/12/03/googles-march-to-the-reviews-sea-whats-the-next-stop/
I’ve had some input on GetFiveStars. It’s a fantastic system Don and Mike have built.
O.K. so that begs the question…why is it a bad idea to give a direct link to everyone you ask for a Google review?
Travis Van Slooten
For the same reason that it’s a bad idea to ask 10 people on the same day for a review: it looks unnatural to Google.