Google reviews serve two purposes for accounting businesses: Most potential clients will find a few accountants online and then make a decision on who to hire based on a wide range of factors. One of the big factors is the quality and quantity of online reviews written about each business. Google is making it easier to only display highly-reviewed businesses as users are now able to even filter out accounting firms that have average reviews of lower than 4.5 stars.
The second purpose for online reviews, which pertains to SEO, is that online reviews are a major ranking factor for local searches. The more online reviews that your accounting business receives on a regular basis, the more likely you will outrank your competitors. Online reviews show Google that:
- They are a reputable business and provide high-quality services to the majority of their clients.
- They are an active business – new online reviews posted on a consistent basis show that a business is active and is likely accepting new clients
So now that we’ve established that Google reviews are important. How do you get them? How do you make sure that they are high quality? What do you do when a person writes a negative review? We’ll walk through some methods that accounting businesses can employ as well as frequently asked questions regarding Google reviews.
How do accountants get more online reviews?
It may seem simple, but the most effective way to get more Google reviews is to start asking your clients to write a review. A large share of clients would be happy to do so – they just need an extra reminder or reason to take the two minutes to do so, and there are many different methods to ask for a review.
Establishing a system for requesting reviews is key. Here are a few of the most commonly utilized methods that you can try out for yourself:
Email or Text
After completion of services, you can follow up via email or text message to ask what else you can do to help and request a review if they are satisfied with how things went. Setting up this type of system will allow you to track how many reviews you average per client and enable you to create new reviews for your business on a consistent basis.
If you send out a newsletter, it doesn’t hurt to include a request to review in each newsletter. The individuals who read through your newsletters are probably the ones who will most likely review your business.
Put instructions on your website
If you have a testimonials page, this is a great location to place this. Among the featured reviews, you can provide your website visitors with clear instructions on how to leave a review for your business can further encourage them to leave you a review. Be sure to include links to your Google Business Profile as well as screenshots. Another great location to include a link to your review page is in the footer section of your website.
Create flyers or cards
If your clients stop by your office on a frequent basis, print out some flyers or cards and leave them near your reception area. Use the shortname found in your Google My Business account to link to your review page.
Have more questions about Google reviews?
Netvantage has over a decade of experience in providing SEO services for accountants. We can help answer any questions you may have about local search and what can be done to improve your current keyword rankings. Talk to one of our staff by giving us a call at 877.204.0234 or by filling out our contact form.
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Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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