UPDATE, May 2015: Since April 2015, the Google Maps app has been the sole means of posting a review for any business on an iPhone. That implies, unless you have a Google Map Maker approved marker for your physical location-based business, you will not be able to get reviews from people using an iPhone.
Previously, you could send customers a link from the desktop version of your Google Business Page's About tab, but this now appears to redirect them to Google Maps on the iPhone.
Getting positive Google reviews for your company is beneficial. A star rating appears next to a business's search results if it receives five or more Google reviews. That helps to distinguish your company's search results from its competitors.
Users may find it challenging to post a Google review on an iPhone because the reviews are not located where you would expect them to be. That is the second major obstacle.
The first significant challenge has a Google Plus page for your Google My Business to receive Google reviews. Visit https://www.google.com/business/ to sign up for a free account. After you've gathered all of your data, you may ask clients to post a review after they've completed a transaction with you.
An excellent approach to do this is to send them a follow-up email. If you wait too long to inquire, say a week or more, your customer's memory of the experience will fade, and they will be less inclined to respond.
Customers using a desktop browser can leave a review on your Google My Business page About tab. However, this tab somehow doesn't display in the iPhone browser. If clients can't see the About tab on their mobile device, how can you convince them to post Google reviews?
Workaround #1
Users can post a Google review on their iPhone in two ways, but both require that you have a physical address registered to your My Business profile. That isn't a major concern for storefront businesses.
Neither of these options will work if you're an online-only firm or haven't given a location. Many small businesses and home offices use the UPS Store to rent a mailbox (the addresses will appear as suite numbers).
If they don't want people to know where they live, they can hide their business from Google Maps. (To validate a physical address, Google compares it to their Street View data.)
Installing Google Maps via the App Store is the simplest way to post a Google review on an iPhone. Customers can find your business by searching for it and then scrolling down to the Rate and Review area.
Your customers can leave you a five-star rating and a great review on that page. The review appears on both Google Maps and your Google Business Page simultaneously.
Workaround #2
What if your clients don't want to navigate the App Store or have Google Maps installed on their iPhones? This second technique necessitates some assistance on your part, as no rational consumer would go through the procedure of leaving an internet review on their own.
- Open https://www.google.com/business/ and search for Google Local.
- Search for your company.
- Copy the URL from the address bar of your browser.
- Send this URL to your client via email. At this point, your clients will have to complete some additional steps on their own.
- Your clients would have to sign in to their Google account using the mobile browser at https://accounts.google.com.
- They may go to the desktop version of your Google My Business Page using the URL you emailed them.
- A pencil icon will be visible in the top right corner of the box containing your business information. Users have to click that.
- A modal window will appear, allowing them to rate, review, and publish their review of your company.
This second way is a little more complicated, but it can help your company receive more positive feedback. These reviews aid in improving the visibility of your business in local search results and allow more people to learn about it.
Obtaining Google Reviews For An Online-Only Business While Using a Mobile Device
Customers can only post a Google review for businesses that do not have a physical address listed at this time by using a desktop computer browser. Your customers can leave a review on your Google My Business profile, which is located under the About tab.
It appears like Google is concentrating on mobile-based check-ins and reviews for physically located companies for the time being. If you run a business entirely online or from a home office, you should consider using a mailbox service to give your company an actual address to which customers can respond.
Would you be interested in printing a handout for your customers?
Some websites offer free tools that allow you to enter your Google company information and print out instructions on posting a review for your business, whether on a mobile device or a traditional desktop computer.
Other "white-hat" local SEO techniques can be used to gain an advantage in local search if you are willing to put in the extra effort; this is just one of them.
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