The Impact of Google Reviews on Your Home Care Agency’s Growth
How to increase the quality and quantity of Google Reviews for maximum business impact
A Google Review is a review of your home care agency that a client or potential client leaves on the Google Reviews platform. These reviews appear on your Google Business Profile and are readily visible when potential clients Google the name of your home care agency or when they search for home care agencies in their area.
These highly visible reviews are a powerful tool for marketing your home care agency and building a trustworthy brand. Google is one of the most trusted review sites: 87% of consumers use the search engine to evaluate local businesses.
Here’s how to use Google Reviews to grow your home care agency.
Why Google Reviews are good for business
Google Reviews are a major booster for home care agency growth. Having plenty of reviews can help you manage your reputation, establish trust, increase visibility, and add new clients to your agency. Here are the top reasons you should be promoting reviews of your business.
- Increase your visibility in local search results: Optimizing for local SEO is one of the most valuable investments your home care agency can make. Though it’s not guaranteed that having positive reviews will earn you a higher ranking on local SERPs, Google does factor in quantity and quality of reviews when determining results, and indicates that higher ratings and positive reviews can boost your visibility.
- Establish credibility and build trust: Consumers are more likely to trust brands that have good reviews (and a few negative ones—more on that later), so the more credible reviews you have, the better.
- Convert leads into clients: The vast majority of consumers use Google Reviews when scoping out brands. Having high visibility in local search results and a slate of positive reviews can help you convert actively searching leads.
- It’s a relatively lost-cost addition to your marketing strategy: For nothing more than the cost of your time, you can encourage clients to leave Google reviews, respond to user reviews, and pull the best client testimonials for display on your home care agency website.
- Get feedback on your home care agency: Feedback is one of the most valuable inputs for continuous improvement of your business. The best way to know what’s working—and what’s not—is to hear it directly from clients.
- Engage with clients: Did you know that business owners can respond to Google Reviews? This is your chance to show both clients and potential clients that you’re listening and to demonstrate your high standard of care.
How to get more Google Reviews
Home care agencies can influence the quality and quantity of reviews on Google—and on any consumer review platform for that matter. Here’s how.
Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profiles appear on the right side of Google SERPs and contain valuable information about your home care agency, like location, service areas, office hours, phone number and email address, and of course—reviews.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile with rich elements like photos and videos can boost your visibility in local search results and make it easier for clients to find and review your agency.
Periodically ask your clients to review
More than 69% of consumers will leave a Google Review when prompted, according to Embed Social.
Make it as easy as possible to leave a review for your home care agency by creating a customizable link to your Google Business profile and posting it on your agency website. It’s also worthwhile to periodically ask clients to leave a review—send a friendly email blast or include it in marketing materials.
Regularly respond to reviews, both good and bad
Don’t forget to respond to your Google Reviews. When someone writes a note of gratitude for the care your agency provided, respond and thank them.
When you get a bad review, don’t respond with hostility or denial—even if you feel like the review is unfair. That can damage your reputation even more than a negative review. Don’t be afraid of bad or even lukewarm reviews. Many consumers actually look for negative reviews to gauge the credibility of a business, and a slate of overly glowing reviews can be seen as suspicious. After all, no business is perfect.
Keep in mind that anyone can leave a Google Review, this includes current and former clients, as well as those who have had the smallest touchpoints with your agency, like phone calls or email exchanges. Some users even review those interactions. This means that every interaction counts.
Add great reviews to your home care site
Get extra mileage out of your Google Reviews by adding the best ones to your home care agency website to remind potential clients what an outstanding service provider you are.
Grow your home care agency with Google Reviews
Build and execute a comprehensive reputation management strategy that helps mitigate risk while increasing brand awareness and consumer trust. Home Care Marketing Pros’ CareFunnels can help you manage your public image and build your business, all in one place. Let us know when you’re ready to get started by booking a demo.
