okay so today we're going deep on something that I think a lot of you are really interested in those Google business profile reviews yeah those little gold stars exactly and we've gotten a ton of questions a ton of research requests from you guys on this a lot of curiosity yeah I think you guys really want to understand how those reviews can actually make or break a local business absolutely and I think it's really interesting to look at the way that those reviews affect customer perception but also how Google uses them right right so they're visit ility in search exactly so we're calling this deep dive the power of transparency and we're going to unpack how Google business profile reviews you know help you build trust with customers and really build that sense of community around your business that's right now before we jump in too far I just want to take a step back I know probably everybody listening to this is super familiar with Google business profile reviews they see them all the time but just in case let's just Define it right so Google business profile or GBP as it's sometimes called it's basically like a mini website for your business it's your digital storefront exactly right on Google on Google Search and Maps that's right and so you can think about it as like your customer's first impression of you when they find you online absolutely and a key part of that first impression is the reviews right so that's what we're talking about today yeah and you know what one of the articles that was sent in described it as digital Word of Mouth which I thought was a fantastic way to put it love that because it is exactly like that you know if you were to ask a friend Hey where's a good place to go eat in this neighborhood yeah you trust their recommendation yeah you trust your friends and it's the same idea you're trusting the collective wisdom of all these customers who've already been there and you're saying okay well if they liked it maybe I will too absolutely and that's exactly what we mean when we say social proof right it's this idea that people are more likely to do something if they see that other people are doing it and liking it right so if you see a business with a ton of great reviews you're much more likely to trust them you know think okay well all these people can't be wrong right and actually one of the reports that was sent in um mentioned a study that found that businesses with a higher average star rating you know on their Google business profile actually see more Revenue yes that's a big one like I'm talking a onear increase can lead to like a 5 to 9% increase in Revenue wow it's a pretty big deal yeah that's huge and I think it just goes to show how much those reviews really do matter so I mean transparency is key here yeah it's everything because you know in the past businesses could kind of control their narrative advertising through marketing right they could put out whatever image they wanted but now with these reviews it's like customers have a voice yeah it's real people sharing their real experiences and I think in today's world where there's so much information out there people really value that authenticity absolutely they want the real deal yeah so it's not just about seeing you know a bus say oh we're the best it's about seeing actual customers saying yeah they are the best exactly and it's not always going to be positive right and you know that's actually a really interesting point right because one of the articles that um was sent in actually argued that negative reviews can be a good thing that's right which sounds a little crazy right but the idea is that if a business responds well to a negative review it actually builds trust yeah it shows that they care it shows that they care and it shows that they're willing to actually address problems and you know maybe even make things right absolutely and I think it's also important to remember that nobody's perfect right so if you see a business with only five star reviews it can actually be a little suspicious yeah it's almost too good to be true exactly right so seeing a few negative reviews as long as they're addressed well it can actually make a business seem more trustworthy yeah more human more real exactly and on that note one of the reports that was sent in talked about how businesses can use reviews to actually improve yeah it's like free feedback it's like free market research right they're saying hey pay attention to what people are saying because they're telling you what you're doing well and what you could be doing better yeah they're giving you these insights into your business that you might not get otherwise right so for example if you see a lot of people complaining about long weight times maybe you need to look at your Staffing levels right or if everyone's raving about a particular ular employee maybe you need to you know give that employee a raise or promote them right recognize them somehow exactly yeah so use that information to your advantage and then of course there's the whole uh impact on your visibility and search results oh yeah this is huge which we know is something that you guys are all very interested in and one of the studies that you sent in actually found that Google's algorithm takes those reviews very seriously oh absolutely they are a big factor in local SEO like quantity and quality of reviews how recent the reviews are they all play a role in where your business shows up in those search results and even the specific words that people use in those reviews right can influence you know how your business is categorized and how it shows up in those searches so I mean this is why you've got to actively encourage customers to leave reviews absolutely don't be shy about it yeah make it easy for them ask them and then once they leave those reviews engage with them respond whether it's a positive or a negative review because Google sees that you know they see that you're active they see that you care and that actually helps your ranking too absolutely and I think it also shows potential customers that you're a business that listens that cares about what people are saying yeah and that you're invested in building that relationship with your customer so as a business owner managing your Google business profile reviews it's not just about you know dealing with complaints or you know getting good reviews it's a key part of your over overall marketing strategy absolutely and I think as a consumer it's important to keep in mind that you know not all reviews are created equal you want to look for patterns you want to read between the lines you want to take everything with a grain of salt that's right but use those reviews as one piece of the puzzle when you're making decisions about where to spend your money absolutely so be informed be Discerning and think about this have you ever left a review for a local business you know because those reviews can really make a difference they can help other customers make informed decisions yeah you're contributing to that Collective wisdom exactly and you're helping to shape the landscape of local Commerce so think about it yeah
