{"id":4469,"date":"2021-08-16T16:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T16:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.whitespark.ca\/how-to-respond-to-google-reviews\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:04:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T22:04:42","slug":"how-to-respond-to-google-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/how-to-respond-to-google-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Respond to Google Reviews in a Sensitive or Highly Regulated Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update:<\/strong> August 24, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

After this article was posted we were asked a very interesting question that we would like to dive into a little deeper – should you use a reviewers name at all in a review? Does it infringe on a reviewers HIPAA rights? Find out more<\/a>.When your business operates in a sensitive or highly regulated industry (legal, health care, mental health) what\u2019s the best way to approach responding to reviews? How can these businesses respond to reviews that deal with delicate subjects while honouring confidentiality?<\/span><\/p>\n

In these industries, practitioners are often hesitant to respond to reviews and seek direction on how to engage. Many don\u2019t want to ask for reviews or respond to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a reputation management strategy is critical for all businesses but requires special attention when operating in a highly regulated industry. It\u2019s essential to connect with each client\u2019s review and open the doors of communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Responding to Reviews Needs to be Incorporated in Your Local Search Strategy<\/h2>\n

Google recommends responding to reviews<\/h3>\n

Google strongly recommends responding to your reviews.<\/span><\/a> According to Google My Business\u2019s guidelines, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you reply to reviews, it shows that you value your customers and their feedback\u201d. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Replying to reviews is essential to building trust and creating high-quality leads for your business. Your client is investing the time to share their feedback and tell you where you are winning and potentially where you\u2019re losing – this is invaluable information that can contribute to your business\u2019s success!\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n

Responding to reviews shows that you\u2019re listening<\/h3>\n

When you respond to reviews, it encourages more clients to leave high-quality reviews on your listing, which, <\/span>\u201c[…] can improve your business visibility and increase the likelihood that a shopper will visit your location\u201d<\/span><\/a>. Having many high quality review responses shows people that you engage, listen, and value your clientele.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, this leads to more clients wanting to express their experience as they can count on your business to acknowledge and use their feedback to improve future interactions. In the end, everyone wants to be heard and acknowledged and that is what drives a customer to leave a review.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Responding to reviews establishes trust & builds relevance<\/h3>\n

When you respond to reviews it helps you establish trust with customers and prospects, as well as Google. In the past couple years, <\/span>review spam in local search has been rampant<\/span><\/a>, making it essential to signal to Google that your business is legitimate and trustworthy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While receiving reviews helps inform Google that searchers are interacting with your business<\/a>, responding to reviews shows Google you are engaging with customers through your listing. Increased engagement can positively impact your rankings, leading to more searchers and potentially new clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Review content helps build relevance in local search<\/a> and when you respond to reviews, you show people that your business cares and you help increase engagement on your listing, which can positively impact your ranking, and drive more conversions.\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n

A negative review won\u2019t always stay negative<\/h2>\n

A recent study showed that <\/span>33% of customers<\/span><\/a> who received a response and had their needs met changed the star rating of their review. In addition, <\/span>34% of reviewers<\/span><\/a> who left a negative review, once responded to, deleted the original review. There is a huge opportunity here to keep your star rating up and your customers happy!\u00a0<\/span>\"\"Put your Google review responses in trusted and experienced hands with our GMB Management Service<\/strong><\/a>. Our team has worked across sensitive and highly regulated industries to deliver high performing, respectful, and confidential review response. Plus they will fully manage your listing.<\/p>\n

How to Respond to Reviews<\/h2>\n

Approach to positive reviews<\/h3>\n

Based on the findings from our <\/span>2020 GMB Feature Adoption study<\/span><\/a>, we found that these businesses are the most likely to have 0 reviews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n