Google Reviews are important for all companies, but especially local businesses like your favorite jewelry store, auto repair shop, car dealership, or med spa.
Online reviews, including Google Reviews, help people find these businesses through Google searches. They also help people decide which companies they want to buy from or hire based on the experiences of other people like them.
A Google Review usually has two main parts: a star rating and a written opinion. Star-rating is required, but the opinion is optional. One star means you received terrible service and would never return to that place of business. Five stars mean you loved what the business had to offer and would highly recommend them to your friends. Even negative reviews can be used to strengthen a business’s online reputation and optimize its Google Business Profile.
Google Reviews are more important than ever for businesses and customers. In fact, in 2022, 81% of customers used Google to access local and small businesses in their area.
Whether you are a user learning how to write a Google Review or a business wanting to understand how it’s done to help your customers give you more helpful feedback, continue reading this complete guide for leaving reviews on Google.
How to Write Good Google Reviews
To write a good Google Review about an experience with or at a local business—like a local HVAC company or mattress store—it’s important to follow these steps:
- Add information and be insightful: Google recommends users be specific and describe what other people can experience or expect from the business.
- Provide authenticity: Talk about your experience(s) vs. those of others. Think about what you liked or what you think can be improved and share information about that.
- Be respectful: Negative reviews don’t have to be rude reviews. Provide constructive feedback so businesses can act on it. Share the information in a way that’s helpful to the business so they can implement any necessary changes.
- Consider grammar and punctuation: Check spelling and grammar. According to Google, a paragraph is a great length for a review.
- Don’t share personal or professional information: Avoid including phone numbers and don’t write reviews about places you used to work for.
If you want to learn more, take a look at these examples of good reviews.
How to Leave a Google Review for a Business
There are a few ways that you leave a Google Review for a Business.
How to Leave a Review on Google
One way you can leave Google Reviews is through Google Search. Here’s how to become a reviewer:
- Open your internet browser.
- Search for a local business in Google and click on the profile.
- In the Business Listing, look for the Reviews section.
- Click “Write a review.”
- A sign-in box will appear if you are not signed in. You will need to sign into your Google account to leave a review.
- After signing in, you will be given the option to select a certain number of stars for the company and write out details of your experience(s).
- Click Post after selecting a star rating (leaving a description is optional).
How to Leave a Review on Mobile (iPhone and Android)
Since most of us are on our phones at any given time of the day, here’s how to leave a Google Review on a mobile device through Google’s search engine:
- Sign in to your Google account.
- Search for the business you want to review.
- When the business information box appears at the top of the page, click on the Reviews tab.
- Below the Google review summary, you’ll see “Rate and review.”
- Click the number of stars you want to award the business.
- Share details of your own experience with the business.
- Add relevant photos to your post, if you have any.
- Click “Post.”
How to Leave a Review on Google Maps
Here’s how to leave a Google review on mobile through Google Maps:
- Sign in to your Google account.
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Search for the business you want to review.
- Scroll down to see the full-screen result.
- Click on the “Reviews” tab.
- Click the number of stars you want to give the business.
- Share details of your own experience with the business.
- Add photos if you want to.
- Click “Post.”
How to Leave a Google Review Without a Gmail Account
Don’t have a Gmail account? No problem. You can leave a Google Review even if you don’t have a Gmail account. Simply follow these steps:
- Download the Google Maps app on your mobile device, or open maps.google.com in your internet browser.
- Inside the Maps app, search for the business you want to review.
- Click the business name that shows up on the map.
- Click the Reviews tab, or scroll down until you find the Starred Reviews section.
- Under “Rate & review,” click the number of stars you want to leave the business.
- A notice that you are posting publicly will appear.
- Add photos that are relevant to your review if you want to.
- Leave an explanation of why you gave the business their star rating.
- Click “Post.”
Can you leave a Google Review anonymously?
Although you can leave a review on Google without a Gmail account, you can’t leave a Google Review anonymously.
The reason behind this is simply to protect businesses from fake or malicious opinions from people or competitors, as well as to avoid inflated good reviews from friends.
Where do Google Reviews appear?
Google Reviews appear in Google search results and the company’s Google Business Profile. This means that customers are likely to see them when researching a business online or through the Google Maps app. Additionally, reviews can be used on websites and social media to show customers that a business is trustworthy. Generally speaking, though, Google Reviews are left on the business’s Google Business Profile and can be easily found and read there.
In Google Maps, simply click on a business to see their Google Business Profile. Then, scroll down to see their review summary. You can also click on “More Google Reviews” at the bottom of the summary to view all reviews left for the business by local customers. These can be further filtered by common words, highest rated, lowest reviews, and most recent reviews.
What are the benefits of Google Reviews for businesses?
Google Reviews can be incredibly valuable for local businesses. Here are some of the key Google reviews benefits:
- Increase in online ranking: Google Reviews are great for local search engine optimization (SEO). A high number of reviews on Google can help a business appear higher in search results—specifically, “near me” search results—to attract more website traffic.
- Improve brand trust: Customers are more likely to trust and choose a business that has a high rating and positive reviews from other customers.
- Collect more customer feedback: Reading through customer reviews can provide valuable insights into what your customers like about your business and where there may be areas for improvement.
- Get more customer conversions: When potential customers see positive reviews for your business, they are more likely to click through to your website or visit your physical location and convert (make a purchase).
Overall, Google Reviews can help businesses build their online reputation, attract new customers, and improve their overall performance by providing valuable feedback from customers.
Are you a business looking to increase the number of Google Reviews you get? Do you want to spend less time sending and responding to Google Reviews? Do you wish you could automate the process of personalizing and sharing Google Review responses and invites? See how Podium can help.
