Google Gets You Reviewed : Google Places

There have been many reviewing platforms before online which the Small and Medium enterprises have been leveraging. Many small businesses rely on generating positive word of mouth by managing their reviews online. With Internet taking up space on the shelf, reviewing products and services online has become far easier and powerful for the customer, as the customer can now not only review an item but share it on the social web, which empowers him/ her to get feedback of others who have experienced the service like him/ her.

Google lets you review everything on Google Places

The above screen capture shows how Google Places lets you not only host your business in a manner that it is searchable online, but also lets customers review your business.

How to write a review?

The process is fairly simple actually. All you need to do is to click on Start Rating and you will be re-directed to the following screen:

As an example we are rating restaurants in the city of New Delhi. Google lists down all the restaurants which are in its database on your screen in a particular geography and you can simply rate it by marking the stars at the bottom of each image. You can also write a review by clicking the "write a review" link at the bottom of the image.

How does this help my business?

To reach to this point, you first have to list your business on Google. The search engine must recognize your business, which will help customers find it online. Once done, your business is now searchable by location/ geography and customers can write reviews about your products/ services. Most of the customers before buying are increasingly taking reviews online, hence the reviews about your product/ services are increasingly being seen by many prospective customers which will affect your sales.

How do I manage this?

No business can be perfect at all times and hence if a customer does write a negative review about your business, you must reach out to that customer online and try and address the issue. This engages your audience and presents you as a responsible and active business.

Team IndiaMART Knowledge Services is committed to create new opportunities or SMEs to grow. To know more about how you can leverage the internet and new media technologies, drop in a comment to this post and our team of experts will be happy to help!