The Complete Guide to Leaving Reviews on Google

It’s difficult to beat the convenience of viewing a company’s location, hours, phone number, and reviews all in one place. That’s likely why Google reviews are one of the most popular and reliable forms of customer feedback. We’re all familiar with the process, because likely we go through the steps weekly, if not daily: search Google, scroll through listings, look at star ratings, and read the top reviews, all before making even as small of a decision as what ice cream place to visit. If they don’t have great reviews, you’re more likely to move on and try to find something better. That’s the power of Google reviews.

Now apply that same process to your own business and your own customers. Getting positive reviews signals credibility to your customers. As many as 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from family or friends. More than just adding credibility, positive reviews help you outrank competitors in Google search and Google Maps so more customers can find you and turn into new happy customers.

How to leave a Google Review, Step-by-step

Here’s the process for how to leave a Google Review:

1. Open your internet browser
2. Search Google for a local business
3. Click Write a Review, found by scrolling down on a business’s listing or by clicking on their reviews in Google Maps
4. A sign-in box will appear if you’re not signed in; you will need to sign into your Google account to leave a review
5. 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)
6. Click Post after selecting a star rating (leaving a description is optional).

If you own a business, you know that while it’s not hard to leave a Google review, it’s not very convenient for your customers to take those steps. Those who do go out of their way to leave a review are often among the small minority who may have had a negative experience, meaning your Google reviews don’t reflect how the huge majority of your happy satisfied customers feel. Luckily there are ways to shorten that process and make it so easy for your customers to leave a review, they can do it in seconds.

How to Leave a Google Review on Mobile

Of course, most of us are on our phones at any given time of the day. To leave a Google review on a mobile device through Google’s search engine, follow these eight steps:

1. Sign in to your Google account
2. Search for the business you want to review
3. When the business information box appears at the top of the page, click on the Reviews tab
4. Below the Google review summary, you’ll see “Rate and review”
5. Click the number of stars you want to award the business. One star means you received terrible service and would never return to that place of business. Five stars mean you absolutely loved what the business had to offer and would highly recommend them to your friends
6. Share details of your own experience with the business
7. Add relevant photos to your post, if you have any
8. Click Post

Here’s how to leave a Google review on mobile through Google Maps:

1. Sign in to your Google account
2. Open the Google Maps app
3. Search for the business you want to review
4. Scroll down to see the full screen result
5. Click on the REVIEWS tab
6. Click the number of stars you want to give the business
7. Share details of your own experience with the business. They could be positive remarks, negative ones, or both.
8. Add photos if you wish
9. Click Post

Since most people are carrying around a device with them all the time, knowing how to leave a Google review on a mobile device is more important than ever. It also means that leaving a review is quicker and more accessible than ever. And, because everyone has a mobile device and it’s so easy to leave reviews, It is much easier to get more quality reviews for your business than ever before. This is a win-win situation for both the companies being rated and reviewed, as well as for their potential customers.

How to Leave a Review Without a Google Account

To leave a Google review without a Google account, simply follow these nine steps:

1. Download the Google Maps app on your mobile device, or open maps.google.com in your internet browser
2. Inside the Maps app, search for the business you want to review
3. Click the business name that shows up on the map
4. Click the reviews tab, or scroll down until you find the starred reviews section
5. Under “Rate & review,” click the number of stars you want to leave the business. One star = terrible; 5 stars = fantastic.
6. A notice that you are posting publicly will appear
7. Add photos (optional) that are relevant to your review
8. Leave an explanation of why you gave the business their star rating, whether positive, negative, or both
9. Click Post

Whether you’re an Android user or simply don’t have a Google account, this is an easy way to leave Google reviews for any business. Now that you know how to leave a Google review without a Google account, you can review any business you have experience with. This helps businesses know how they can improve their services and/or products. It also helps potential customers know which businesses are worth seeking out.

How can you get more customer feedback?

Knowing the reasons that motivate customers to leave a Google review is a great start, but most people are still unlikely to do it on their own. If you really want to get more customer feedback, you may have to step outside your comfort zone. But really, all you have to do is ask. With a tool like Podium Reviews, you can just send a review invite over text. That takes the first three steps out of the process—all they have to do is tap the link you sent, then share their experience. It’s so easy, they can post a new five-star review while they’re still in your store—and so convenient, they can do it from anywhere on their own schedule.

How do you measure the impact of customer feedback?

Customer feedback comes in many forms, but you can typically sort it into the qualitative (the sentiment of the words of the review) and quantitative (the amount and star rating of reviews). Both types of feedback are beneficial to improving your overall rating and ranking on online review sites. More advanced customer feedback tools such as those giving you a Net Promoter Score (NPS) may use a 0-10 scale to give you a clear look at how your customer base sees you. They can give you insight into the stages of the customer journey that need help as well as aggregate net promoter scores over time.

The information your customers can provide to your business is invaluable. Boosting your reputation by keeping your reviews current can make all the difference. Don’t believe us? Just Google it.

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