If earlier a good plumber or a restaurant was found by the word-of-mouth method, today everything is found on the Internet – in Google, to be more exact. Hence, Business Profiles in Google make you more visible to your local customers and showcase the services or goods you supply in the best possible light – but under certain conditions. Your business profile needs to abound in reviews from customers, preferably satisfied ones. Then it will be ranked high in local search and your place will be on top of the list offered to people looking for this particular kind of service in the nearby area.
Yet, the point is that a literal key to your Business Profile is a separate Google My Business account, and it is through this account that you claim, edit and update the Business Profile and manage the reviews. The more reviews and your answers to questions that people ask – the higher the Google ranking and trustworthiness of your business, especially among locals.
So, to stay on top and be competitive according to the Google rules, you need to:
- Set up a Google My Business account,
- Manage with its help the Business Profile carefully, that is, keep the info correct, upload new photos, add new features, etc.
- Get Google reviews regularly and manage them – reply, deal with negative ones, answer questions, and so on.
Getting More Reviews: Limitations Of Google My Business Tool
However, the Google My Business account has a limited toolkit for managing reviews, and you will need some assistance to boost the process. There are dedicated tools that help you ask (and remind) customers to leave reviews, make this process streamlined and fast, and let you interact with these reviews in time and in the best possible mode, depending on the situation. Moreover, such tools can search the web, find reviews mentioning your company on third-party sites and integrate them all into your Business Profile, thus making it fluffed up and competitive on the market.
Finally, such tools have you covered in case you need to detect and respond to negative reviews ASAP. These systems have internal alerts about 1-star ratings and bring suggestions on dealing with problematic reviews for the best outcomes (like templates of civil apologizing responses, etc.). Remember that a company is evaluated
not only by the sheer number of reviews but also by the number of negative reviews and responses you provide.
Below, we have compiled the list of the 5 best tools to use for getting more reviews for Google My Business (GMB) and for managing these reviews better and faster. Mind that we do not advise you to buy Google My Business reviews because the harm to your reputation may outweigh the potential gains. Just nicely remind customers to write a couple of warm words about your services and the results will be more than positive.
1. Trustanalytica.com End-To-End Business And Reputation Management Tool
TrustAnalytica is a powerful tool that combines business management, CRM functions, and reputation management under one roof. So, together with Get Reviews campaigns, you get communication tools, a convenient dashboard, contacts manager, messenger, marketing kit, and more useful options. The standard package includes multichannel review requests linked to your customers’ database, signature Review Reminder emails, badges, a widget, and supporting features to streamline reviews management. With this tool, you can generate, display, and respond to reviews in a smooth and efficient way.
- Pros: an accessible and capacious tool.
- Cons: somewhat limited number of reviews per campaign in a starter package, but with an upgrade, this problem is solved.
- Pricing starts at $99 per month for the whole end-to-end business management solution, where reputation management and reviews building come for less than $10 monthly.
2. BrightLocal Reputation Manager
BrightLocal offers a decent reputation management solution that can be purchased alone or as a part of a local digital marketing kit. The reputation management tool includes Get Reviews campaigns rolled out via SMS, emails, in-store devices, and an analytical tool for measuring impact, etc. With help of this tool, you can display reviews sourced from other sites, and you can also ask customers to post reviews on sites other than Google. All in all, the toolkit is basic but robust and will be a good choice for beginners.
- Pros: you can ask for reviews to be posted on other reviewing platforms and display them in the Google account. Google My Business Audit is included in the end-to-end package.
- Cons: if you want to buy a whole local marketing kit, you will need to buy the reputation manager kit as a separate unit, because the number of reviews included in offered comprehensive packages is very low (not to say shockingly low).
- Pricing: when purchased as a standalone reviews-generating tool, it costs around $8 dollars per month. End-to-end solutions start from $29 monthly, but a workable reputation management kit needs to be purchased separately.
3. Podium GMB Review Manager
Podium is a big CRM tool for local business-making with a separate package for reputation management. As comprehensive and efficient as it is, its costs may seem a bit too high for really small businesses. However, overall, the company has lots of positive reviews, so if you need to get more reviews on Google you can give it a try. The reputation management package includes standard options of asking customers to write Google reviews for my business (and not only Google ones), managing reviews (i.e. responding to them), analyzing the progress and the state of the company’s online reputation. In addition, you get an app for managing reviews on the go, templates for different needs and situations, a switchboard, good reporting tools, and the feature of comparing your progress to that of your key competitors.
- Pros: availability of the app, a switchboard, benchmarks, and tools for comparison across the industry.
- Cons: pricing that may look extreme for a standard kit of tools and services.
- Pricing: $350-$450 per month for a whole toolkit for a small business, but prices may go up depending on the number of users and locations to manage. It is unknown if you can purchase the reputation manager tool separately.
4. Grab Your Reviews Reputation Management Platform
The platform is a basic but efficient tool focused solely on ‘grabbing and managing’ reviews. Pricing is moderate, so it will be ideal for micro- to small businesses. The platform promises to facilitate ‘grabbing’ more reviews automatically, with your minimal involvement, and offers tools for managing reviews coming from various sites (an ideal option if you don’t plan to get reviews on Google solely). In addition, the platform enables you to interact with reviews and share the best testimonies in your Business Profile account and on socials.
- Pros: includes only the necessary tools to manage online reputation and reviews, so you don’t have to buy unnecessary features.
- Cons: a toolkit is very limited for the cheapest Basic package (you can work with only 3 review platforms, for example), so if you need to ask for a Google review from customers regularly and in bulk, you’ll have to pay more.
- Pricing: the limited Basic package costs $29 per month, the Standard package costs $49 per month, and Premium costs $89 per month.
5. Swell Review Management Product
Swell positions itself as a toolkit built and priced for local businesses, yet it lives to this promise only partially. Its pricing strategy approaches that of Podium, so this toolkit is on the expensive side. However, its comprehensive approach compensates for the price. The platform offers functions for managing and promoting businesses locally, including reviews management, payment, messaging, scheduling with customers, monitoring, and chatting with potential clients. All tools can be used on the web or via smartphone.
The Swell Review toolkit includes all options you may need including automated reviews request campaigns, reviews management and integration, filtering, tracking, and even customizable Send Request rules. No matter what plan you choose, all features of the Swell Review will be open to you.
- Pros: a comprehensive and sell-working platform for running and managing local businesses online.
- Cons: it is rather pricey, and the review management toolkit cannot be purchased separately.
- Pricing: $199 per month for access to all functions of the platform if paid in bulk annually, and $249 per month for the same access if billed monthly.
FAQ Section
Is Google My Business worth it? – Yes, the site that nurtures its Google My Business reputation has a higher ranking when searched by local keywords.
How do I create a Google review? – It’s pleasantly easy. Find a place or business you want to review on Google Maps (you need to be signed in to your Google Maps account to do it). To the left of the actual map, you’ll see a list of options, scroll and find the Write a Review field. Click it and write what you need in the open box (please be civil, though). That’s all. You can also give a score to a place/business by clicking the desired number of stars. You can add a review to a score as well. A review will be visible to anyone until you remove it. People will also see the name stated in your Google Maps account under which you write this review.
Is it illegal to buy Google reviews? – It depends. If you pay for Google reviews and use them for your private enjoyment, it’s your business. But if you post them (or have them posted for your business) as real ones, it’s a deliberate breach of the trust of your customers. That’s why professional reputation management services like TrustAnalytica do not create and sell fake reviews. Instead, they design and operate an efficient system that reminds customers to write reviews about the positive experience and gathers such reviews scattered across the web under one roof.
How much does it cost to buy Google reviews? – Prices may vary on the market, from $5 to $25 per review. More creative and true-to-life reviews will cost more per entry, and those sold by hundreds cost less per entry because they do not look like trustworthy reviews, to begin with. But this information is provided as an example only, no offers to buy or pay for Google reviews here.
Can you fake reviews on Google? – Yes, you can, but Google removes them upon detection. Sanctions against your business account may ensue.
Can I pay for fake reviews? – It’s not the best idea because Google deletes fake testimonies and reviews and your site may lose its high ranking positions because of suspected fraud.
