How to Create and Share Google Reviews Link
One of the most effective ways to improve your company’s Google search ranking is by using your Google Reviews link to get more high-quality online reviews. When someone searches for your business, or a specific place nearby, suggested results will pop up on Google Maps and Google Search.
Google states that reviews and responses to these reviews play a significant role in determining local search rankings. Not only does this help boost local SEO and increase online visibility, leading to more customers, but it also helps build trust and credibility in your store and brand.
Online reviews have become a critical part of a consumer’s purchasing process, and 98% of consumers read reviews for local businesses with 89% of consumers likely to use a business that responds to positive reviews. Having a strong online reputation and positive reviews can provide social proof and build consumer trust.
To take advantage of this, marketers should create and share a Google review link that drives traffic and attracts more customers. However, it’s crucial to first claim your company’s business listings on Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) to be able to respond promptly to reviews and act on valuable feedback.
Getting Started with Google Business Profile / Google My Business (GMB)
- Visit https://google.com/business and sign in or create a Google Account
- Press the Manage Now button and sign in (or create) to your Google Profile
- Follow the steps to create and fill out your business profile. If you need some additional help, we have an entire step-by-step article outlining how to set up your Google Business Profile here!
How to create your Google Reviews Link
There are a couple of different ways you can find your Google Review link:
- From your Google Business Profile
- Google Search
- Place ID Finder Tool
option 1: Google Business Profile
If you already have a Google Business Profile or Google My Business, this is going to be the easiest way.
- Search your business name on Google (make sure you are signed into your Google account you used to set up the profile – otherwise this won’t work).
- You can also access this menu by going to: https://www.google.com/business/ and pressing Manage now.
- Press Ask For Reviews
- You should then see a shareable link. You can click the link to copy, and there should also be options for sharing the link on Email, Whatsapp, or Facebook.
Option 2: Using Place ID Finder Tool
If you haven’t claimed or setup your Google Business Profile, you can still share the Google review link without signing into your GMB or Google Business Profile.
You can do this via the Google Maps Place ID Finder Tool!
- Visit: Google Maps Place ID Finder Tool
- Enter the name of the business you would like to find the ID for in the search bar
- Select the location and you should see a pin on the map with the name of the business, Place ID, and address
- Copy the Place ID into the URL below after the “placeid=” text
- You can then use this URL to share with your customers!
Option 3: Google Search
Lastly, you can just search for your business on Google.
- Search the business name on Google
- Press ‘Write a review’ at the bottom right hand side of the popup
- Then copy and paste the URL at the top (note it is going to be long)
- You can then share this link for others to leave reviews.
- Bonus Tip: Seeing the URL is so long and clunky, you may want to consider shortening it with a URL shortener like Bit.ly to make it easier to share the link on social media, email, WhatsApp, and other platforms
Sharing the Google Review Link
Now that you have your Google Review link set up and ready to go, what is the best way to share it?
Here are some ideas:
Send an Email request
Sending an email to ask for a Google Review is very straight forward and a lot of your customers may already expect this. It is important the email text and layout is visually appealing to encourage your customers to leave a review. Some customers may also forget to leave a review on the first or second email, so be sure to follow up!
Use WhatsApp or SMS
If you have your customers phone number, WhatsApp or SMS is a great way to request a review. Simply generate the Google Review link following the steps above and send the text via SMS (or just share directly on WhatsApp using the option Google provide for you).
QR Code
Another great way to share your reviews is via QR codes. Customers are now very familiar with this, and you can use a number of free QR code generators (like Adobe’s free QR code generator). Just paste your Google Review link into the QR code generator and voila! You now have a QR code that you can print and hang on the checkout counter, doorway, exit, etc.
Ask your customers
The old tried and tested way – ask your customers in person. This is a little bit trickier as it shifts some of the work to the customer (they need to remember to do this and then need to find the business on Google Maps), but can still be an effective way to gather reviews.
Closing Thoughts
If you follow the above steps you should be in a great position to start getting more Google Reviews. Once you do have a couple of reviews, make sure to respond to reviews both positive and negative, as 89% of consumers are likely to use a business that responds to reviews. Luckily, you can view all your reviews on your Google Business Profile or Google My Business profile, so you have a single location to track everything.
Mastering your Google Review collection process
We at Rate.Ink understand that the review process is time-consuming, you need to design and create email templates, write the text, remember to follow up, all of which takes time away from you running your business. This is why we offer a simple and free tool that allows you to populate the customer email, and then we handle the rest! We have researched the best practices for gathering reviews (highest-converting layouts, wording, follow-up frequency) all so you don’t have to. In addition to that, we offer ReviewShield technology which only prompts happy customers to leave reviews, while privately collecting any feedback unhappy customers have so that you can review.
Give Rate.Ink a try and watch the 5-star reviews come rolling in.
