Local businesses with successful digital marketing strategies prioritize gathering

online customer reviews and promoting them on the review sites that matter

most. Combining the following review management tactics will help get more

online reviews. Help your business rank higher in local search, increase search

click-through rates, and positively influence customer purchasing decisions.

1. Ask for the Review

Recent studies reveal that 7 out of 10 consumers will leave a review if asked. Consistently receiving positive

reviews on your Google My Business listing have a proven effect on local search rankings. Additionally, many

consumers use review sites to start their buyer’s journey so just ask. You can automate the review gathering

process with a service like Reputation Loop to continuously gather, manage, and promote your online

customer reviews.

2. Verify and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Verify your business on Google My Business and start sending customers there to leave reviews. Filling in your

business profile in its entirety, adding photos, and keeping this information up to date not only optimizes your

Google My Business account for search, but makes it extremely easy for new customers to choose your

business.

ALSO READ: How to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

3. Promote Your Best Reviews

Most websites have widgets and plugins that allow you to display customer reviews and testimonials. Place a

bold CTA (call to action) on your website that asks website visitors to leave a review with easy links to the

review sites that matter most to your business.

4. Encourage Employees to Ask for Reviews

Make the ask part of your employee training. Point of sale and customer-facing employees should know the

importance of reviews, which sites to send customers to and how to convey your appreciation of each and

every review when ending an interaction with your happy customers (especially if they have gone above and

beyond).

SMB Cheat Sheet

5. Use Facebook Reviews

Consumers are using Facebook to read reviews and learn more about businesses. When a business shows in

Facebook search the user sees the review star rating and number of reviews directly under the business name.

Go into page settings to make sure the review tab is activated and visible on your Facebook business page.

6. Use the Yelp Review Badge

For local purchases, Yelp is still one of the first stops for consumers. Encourage new and loyal customers to

leave reviews with a Yelp Review banner or badge on your website. Review Badges allow you to showcase

your business's reviews from Yelp on your own website, and the counter updates every time you get a new

review. If you don't have any reviews yet, it's also a good way to drive traffic to your Yelp Business Page. These

are a free feature that you can set up by going to the Review Badges section of Yelp for Business Owners.

7. Respond to All Reviews – Even Especially Negative Reviews

Responding to customer reviews on review sites where future customers will see it not only helps you build

relationships with your current customers but shows future customers that you are invested in the customer

experience. Negative reviews are read more thoroughly than five-star reviews and give you an opportunity to

correct misunderstandings and clarify what new customers should expect from your business. Keep it

professional, apologize, offer a solution and remember that you’re writing a response to appeal to future

readers, not necessarily to win back that one customer.

ALSO READ: Handling Negative Reviews by Creating a Process and How to Respond to Negative Reviews

8. Tell Customers Where to Leave Reviews

A quick look at your website analytics will tell you which review sites bring you the most traffic. Then you can

ask customers to leave reviews on the sites that have the most impact on your business. “Leave us a review,”

can be too vague of a request for a customer to follow through on. Make it easy for your customer with

specifics they can easily execute, “We’d really appreciate if they could leave a review on a Google about your

experience with Sharon today. There is a link at the bottom of our website if you get a chance.”

9. Put Reminders on Customer Receipts

Add instructions to “Leave Us a Review on Yelp” or your preferred site to your POS receipts. If you email

receipts, be sure to ask for the review and make it easy for customers by providing links to your business

profiles on your chosen review websites.

10. Follow Up with Your Most Loyal Customers

If you have loyal customers who are consistently singing your praises when in your company but have not left

a review online let them know how helpful it would be to your business if others knew of their experience.

Don’t feel awkward about following up if you don’t see the review. If you make it as easy as possible to leave

a review for your business then it’s not a big deal say, “Were you able to leave a review on Google?” the next

time you connect with that customer.