Service businesses and the professions - don't your customers deserve more?

At the moment many high-value 'service' businesses (and this includes the professions) - businesses where the transaction value is in the thousands (legal, medical) or hundreds of thousands (financial services, estate agency) rather than tens or hundreds (online retail) - are adopting a one-size-fits all approach to reviews, and using the same mechanism - reviews sites.

In this article we will set out the case for such businesses to use professional review management instead. We will set out the advantages and try to winkle out any disadvantages.

Reviews sites

Reviews sites give the business a widget to place on their site, enabling them to invite and display reviews there. 

Here's a familiar example...

And the reviews - and their associated score - may, or may not, show for any given Google search.

Great for: products, from shirts to vacuum cleaners; they give potential customers an 'at a glance' guide, especially when used in comparisons. Most of us have used John Lewis at some time - here are some of the toasters they're selling...

...and I'm sure most of us would agree that the reviews and ratings are useful. After all, who cares if the odd inaccurate or misleading review or rating is published - we're only talking toasters.


But services?

You are selling your home - or you have a complex legal matter that needs urgent attention  - you have £250,000 to invest - or you need the best possible heart surgeon?

Are you beginning to understand where we are coming from?

In the four examples we have used here we are betting you - as the consumer - want to know...

• that you can be as sure as possible that the person writing the review has first-hand experience of the service concerned - not a member of staff (present or past), not someone with an axe to grind or a point to prove
• that the business under review is showing you all the reviews written by its customers/clients/patients
• that all of its customers/clients/patients are able to write a review
• that all of its customers/clients/patients can write a review whenever they want
• that the absolute minimum of those reviews contain inaccurate or misleading information or statements

And, now with your 'business' hat on you want to be sure...

• that only genuine customers of your business or practice will be writing reviews
• that you will have the opportunity to correct errors of fact or misleading statements before the review is published*
• that your reviews will show up whenever a potential customer searches for your business, or a business like yours

Like this...

...the business's own reviews under its organic listing (top left) and its Google reviews in the Google knowledge panel (right)...

...and like this in a geographic (local) search...

Now, we expect, you are beginning to see where professional review management comes in. It will tick all the 'boxes' referred to above - and give your customer/client/patient the confidence to make contact with you - the rest is up to you.

Disadvantages? We promised these earlier on but, in all seriousness, there are none - unless your business is sloppy and unprofessional (in which case no reviews solution will work). 

As we said in the title of this article 'don't your customers deserve more?' And, as a business person your next question will undoubtedly be 'and just how much more is this 'more' going to cost me?' Our answer? Not a penny more. Talk to us, and once we understand your business we will tell you exactly how much - but we're betting it's less than you're currently paying for a single click on Google.


A very important note...

* 'that you will have the opportunity to correct errors of fact or misleading statements before the review is published'

This has to be the reason that so many service businesses and professionals have so far avoided reviews altogether: they are simply not confident that their business's reputation will not be unfairly harmed.

And where reviews sites are concerned they are absolutely right. Why? Because reviews sites are unmoderated, so anyone can write anything about the business. But businesses are now strongly advised to engage, for two reasons...

1. Anyone can write a review to Google, at any time. So businesses cannot 'opt-out' of being reviewed. The result is that businesses that don't find a way to engage with Google reviews will get reviews anyway - and, human nature being what it is, those reviews will be from their least happy customers (simply because they are the most motivated).
2. Because consumers increasingly expect businesses to help them by engaging with reviews. They actively want to see what other customers think - they really want to see reviews of the lawyer/doctor/financial adviser/estate agent they are considering using (wouldn't you?). They want to see this...

Rather than this...

"One of the UK's leading wealth managers" (source: their own website) - with one review, the content of which is of dubious value - and one rating: of no help to prospective clients whatsoever.

...or this...

One of the largest law firms in the world: no reviews and these six virtually valueless ratings.

...or this...

A review of services rendered twenty-two years ago and a change of address!

...and, trust us, these examples were very easy to find. 

The solution...

...is very simple, and it's called moderation. Every single review that passes through HelpHound is checked before it is published on our client business's website - for errors of fact and/or potentially misleading content.

There's more on moderation here but the nub of the matter is that it gives businesses - good businesses - the confidence to engage with reviews. To show their prospective clients just how great they are at what they do, and in turn give them the confidence to make that vital first contact - the rest is up to the business.

And a last word for the cynical (and what business person doesn't address a subject like reviews with a healthy dose of cynicism?): if it can work for a great estate agent (and Nigel Field and his team at Winkworth in Kennington provide a great service - if in doubt read their reviews - and while you are doing so remember that they started off exactly where you are today and in exactly the same frame of mind) - then surely it can work for your business?

Then you will reap the rewards...

...documented by Google and sent to your inbox every month.

Review Management - four options for businesses

Do nothing

It's what a lot of businesses do now. The majority, in fact. Just look at how many plumbers in Chiswick have bothered to get their customers to post reviews:

Advantages:

• We cannot think of any (apart from the fact that it would save someone in your office about half-an-hour a week) but that's maybe because we have seen all the advantages of taking a proactive stance with reviews for so long now!

Disadvantages:

• You lose a massive opportunity to harness your customers' goodwill to drive new business
• You allow your competitors to steal a march - and look better on their own websites and in search than you do

Independent review sites - general

   These days only one kind of review shows up directly in Google search: Google reviews.

Advantages 

• Reviews can be shown to potential customers, via links in emails or in person.

Disadvantages

• They don't always show in search when Google reviews invariably do
• Beware of their business models: do they rely on pushing your reviews down unless you pay - often called 'Premium Listing" -  (Yelp)? 

Independent review sites - specialist

   There are three ways of being listed by Google showing in this single screenshot: Paid-for advertising, the 3-Pack and natural listings. Greene & Co currently appear at the top of the 3-Pack and are the top of natural search as well. Two questions: Do you see any independent review site (specific: AllAgents or RaterAgent or general: Yelp/Yell) showing and do you think their Google score of 4.9 from 131 reviews is helping to drive business?

Advantages

• They're sector specific, so you know that someone looking at them is looking for a business like yours

Disadvantages

• You will be shown alongside all your competitors, often at a disadvantage if you do not pay for a 'premium listing' or if your rating or score is not quite as good
• Few of them will allow you to embed reviews without a link to their websites (it's never advisable to invite visitors to your website to leave to visit a site containing details of your competitors)

Do-It-Yourself

Advantages 

• You save any fees (although you should factor in time spent ensuring your strategy remains current)

Disadvantages

• You are unable to claim that you host verified reviews on your own website (verification self-evidently must be done by someone independent of your business)
• You will need to monitor changes at Google and the relevant review sites (see under 'Professional - advantages' below)

Professional Review Management

It is all about trust: this hotels' potential guests are able to fully trust the reviews hosted on the hotel's own website - all 429 of them - because they are being reassured by the line under the hotel's logo. They also love the subliminal message that they too will be invited to post a review after their own stay.

 
Here we'll take the disadvantages first!

Disadvantages

• It's going to cost you. Not a lot, and we would like to think the advantages listed below tip the balance, but it's not free
• That's it, unless you count the time spent in implementing and maintaining our recommended strategy across your business

Advantages

• You will have independently verified - and therefore credible - reviews to show to every single visitor to your website
• You will be able to ask your customers to copy those reviews onto any other open website you choose: Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp and a so on
• You will have someone - HelpHound - monitoring the reviews landscape for you 24/7. Did you notice the introduction of the Google review filter? On January 1? We did. When did we tell our clients about it? On Tuesday January 5 - the first working day after its introduction. The Google Magic 7 replaced by the 3-Pack? Same. Advice to our hotel clients to take care with TripAdvisor's modified Review Express? Within a week. Important and relevant advice - when you need it
• Full support: had a negative review - on any site? We'll advise you. Need to understand your G+ page(s): We'll explain them. Cannot wait to dovetail your reviews with social media? We'll show you the best way to integrate them with Facebook, G+ and Twitter.

Finally

If we discount the first option (doing nothing) and the second option (getting reviews to sites that don't show in Google search) the choice is yours; if we have said enough to convince you to at least speak to us about going the professional route just speak to Fiona Christie or Karen Hutchings today.

Estate Agents: Are you paying to drive traffic to your website?

It matters not whether you are paying for SEO (search engine optimisation) or PPC (pay per click) or even both - the great news is that you are almost certainly looking at making significant savings.

Saving on PPC and SEO

Never mind the acronyms - they both involve paying someone to ensure you show in search. So what if you could show in search - and look fantastic to your potential clients into the bargain - without having to pay for SEO or PPC?

Look at this search:

This search ("estate agent" in "Location") is the most common search made by your potential fee-earners. It is also one of the most expensive to buy (which Bairstow Eves have done). But did Winkworth need to pay? No - they appear in the 3-pack and they look great with their score of 4.9.

And now this one:

Four agents are paying (and competing) with Google Ads. Greene & Co don't need to. With 131 great reviews and a score of 4.9 and the top position in the 3-pack - not to mention the top position in natural search - is that surprising?

Our advice

Don't drop your current strategy - at least not yet - but get Dialogue working for you and see what happens. We have clients saving hundreds a month - surely that's worth testing?

Estate Agents - Google and reviews: Q&A

Do Google reviews show in search?

Yes - always - on a desk-top/laptop and in mobile (well over half of searches are conducted on mobiles now). At present there may appear that there is little logic - or correlation between - your reviews and your appearance in search, but, rest assured, Google are working on it.

Do Google reviews influence our appearance in the Google 3-pack?

 We are not going to take all the credit for Winkworth's appearance at the top of this 3-pack for the search term 'estate agent Harringay', but we do take credit - alongside the staff and management in-branch - for the reviews and score that appear so prominently displayed

Everything you do on your own website and on Google is taken into account as far as Google is concerned. Bear in mind that it is in Google's interest to show the best businesses in search, and what better way to indicate the best than the businesses which, in the opinion of G+ users, are the best?

If you follow the golden rule: that everything Google can find out about you on the web adds up - you won't go far wrong.

When will Google begin to rank estate agents by review score?

We don't know (and Google won't warn anyone before they do) - but if we were Google we would wait until there was a critical mass of reviews of estate agents - what that will be no-one - maybe not even Google - knows. So our advice to our clients is simple: be ready!

Do Google reviews influence our appearance in natural search?

Yes - they are far from the only influence Google takes into account, and that may change - in favour of reviews - in the future - but Google give their own reviews such prominence in search that there is only one conclusion to be drawn: that reviews rank high as far as Google's search algorithm is concerned.

Should we be paying for Google PPC (Pay Per Click)?

 Here's a screenshot of a popular search - estate agent in [location] - which agent do you think looks most attractive to potential fee-earners? The ones advertising (PPC) or Greene & Co? OK, Green & Co are a client of ours, but we don't think they are unhappy (or currently feel the need to advertise - PPC - to get their reviews seen or for any other reason).

Maybe this question needs rephrasing. How about "Would we rather look great in the Google 3-pack and in natural search?" If you can save valuable marketing spend by looking great anyway, why wouldn't you?

Should we be paying an independent review site to get us a score to show in PPC?

This is an interesting one; as review managers we monitor all the relevant review sites and how their results show up in search. Independent sites' ratings mostly appear in paid search (PPC). Google reviews always appear, in every relevant search. Maybe that's the simple answer - Google wins every time. For more on this subject read Independent review sites: Today's Answer to Yesterday's Question.

Should we be paying an SEO specialist to improve our position in natural search?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is one of the web's 'black arts'; it is effectively all about fooling Google into ranking one business above another in natural search. For that reason Google devotes extensive resources to defeating SEO. We tend to advise clients to devote their energy and resources to getting their customers to help them look great, and leave the SEO for those whose customers may be less likely to volunteer great reviews.

Having said that, a good professional web designer will build - and maintain - your site so it is highly visible to Google and is returned in relevant searches. If your site is languishing, have a word with your website people, but do bear in mind that only one business can rank top for any given search.

What is the Google review filter?

  Who wouldn't set the filter at 4.0?

It allows Google users (your potential customers) to filter two kinds of business out of search altogether:

• those with fewer than 5 reviews
• those with more than 5 reviews but which score less than 4.0 out of 5

Don't panic! At the moment Google is only applying it to hotels and restaurants. But all logic dictates that they should and will apply it to all searches. Who, after all, wants to do business with an anonymous or unpopular business? So perhaps just a gentle panic to get your business score 4.5 plus for now? For more read Estate Agents - Don't Risk being Filtered by Google

When will it apply to estate agents?

Sooner rather than later is our guess. One thing you can be sure of is that Google won't warn anyone, it will just be there one morning, just as it was for hotels this January 1. Be ready - see above.

Can we appeal to have a negative review removed?

Yes, but the review must contravene Google's T&Cs. Just being negative or a 1,2 or 3 star review is not enough; Google are very keen on freedom of speech. There are two actions you should take if you are a HelpHound client*:

• Contact HelpHound client services, who will advise on the likely success of an appeal and then help you draft your appeal if both parties agree that the review in question may contravene one or more of Google's T&Cs and then 'hold your hand' through what is a pretty complex appeals procedure
• Immediately respond to the review in question. Again, HelpHound will advise on wording if required

*if you are not a HelpHound client we strongly advise that you consult an experienced new media lawyer. They will draft and manage your appeal for a fee.

Can we choose which of my Google reviews show in search?

No. Google will show your reviews in the order they choose. This always defaults to 'most helpful', but the user can choose any one of the following (and almost always chooses 'lowest score' before deciding to contact the business in question).

Does Google delete reviews after a certain period of time? 

No - not yet. But sheer logic dictates that they will at some point in the future. If you have taken over a business and there has been a fundamental reorganisation we recommend that you contact Google through their Google My Business forum.

Should we be posting/active on my G+ page?

We often describe your G+ page as the filing cabinet that Google goes to to see if there's anything about your business they should be showing for any given search. So to expand on that metaphor: fill that filing cabinet with as much relevant information about your business as you can lay your hands on, especially reviews - never mind that your prospective customers are not swarming to that page - they are seeing its contents displayed in search.

Should  we be encouraging people to 'follow'  us on G+?

 This screenshot of part of an agent's G+ page tells them two crucial things: first, that they have 11 followers (they could do with as many more as they can muster) and second: that Google has served the information contained in their G+ page nearly 250,000 times in search. If this were your business wouldn't you want those searches to include your great Google reviews?

Yes - for the simple reason that Google sees a business with 100 followers as bigger (and therefore perhaps more relevant in search terms). Start by encouraging all your staff to 'follow' you.

What is the Google My Business Community?

It is a forum where you can ask others in the community - but, importantly Google staffers as well - any questions about Google practices and absolutely anything else Google related. In our experience Google are pretty good at coming back with relevant and helpful answers. It's here.

Search - and your website in its context

Recent developments at Google moved reviews - and review management - from 'great' to 'must have' (at least, for all those of you who wish to appear in search). We make no apology for banging this drum yet again - for businesses ignore it at their peril.

Assuming that everyone who has read this far thinks their position in search is vital to the success of their marketing plan - indeed, hopefully, pivotal - we thought we ought to put review management into context with all your online marketing efforts. 

We start with your website:

  Is there anyone who seriously doubts that Winkworth have dedicated this important position on their branch home pages for anything but the best commercial reasons?

You invest, some of you heavily, in web design. You recognise that very few people are going to use your business without at least checking out your website. You understand that your prospective clients (those who pay your fees - vendors and landlords) don't need:

• to know that you sell/let property for a living 

So if you are an estate agent you won't need to include images of houses except to differentiate yourselves in the marketplace (country/town, coastal/new build etc.). What you will need to include are reasons why the potential client should take the next - vital - step: making contact. And that's where great reviews come in - prominently displayed and independently verified client opinions drive enquiries through your website.

Google PPC

Some estate agents feel they must pay significant sums (we have heard of branches - single branches - paying upwards of £500 a month) - for PPC. If you are paying hundreds of pounds a month per branch to promote your agency, this paragraph may help you save significant amounts!

Up until recently there were two ways you could make yourselves more visible to someone searching for an estate agent: appear in the 'Magic 7' (the list of seven agents Google supplied for each local search) or pay Google for an advertisement (PayPerClick - PPC). 

In the last six months there have been far reaching changes to the way Google displays its local search results: the Magic 7 has been reduced to the 3-pack. So now, assuming an average of fifteen estate agents are competing for any given search, your chances of appearing above-the-fold without paying Google are reduced from one-in-two to one-in-five, from 50% (reasonable odds) to 20% (awful odds).

A cynic might assume that Google has made these changes simply to drive PPC revenue, but, whatever Google's motive, businesses must react. And, in an ideal world, that reaction will not be to simply pay more PPC, it will be to examine cleverer (and more certain) ways to appear in the 3-pack.

SEO

Search engine optimisation has, for a long time now, been about a lot more than simply repeating 'estate agent in [location]' all over your site. Google's algorithms are far more complex than that these days, and that's where your web designers come in - it is their job to do their very best on your behalf to ensure your website stands the very best chance of appearing in the 3-pack.

And professional review management can help: Google loves reviews and attributes a value to them in search. Even more than that, consumers love reviews too.

Aggregation Sites

This heading covers any website that purports to deliver informed consumer choice, and most incorporate some kind of review mechanism, so sector specific sites like TripAdvisor and Booking.com (hotels) and AllAgents and RaterAgent (estate agents), as well as general sites like TrustPilot and Feefo, come under this umbrella. 

  

This is a screenshot of a typical search; you will notice that only one natural listing shows 'above the fold' (i.e. before the consumer is forced to scroll). This places a massive premium on appearing in the 3-pack - otherwise you are looking at considerable outlay for your Ad to appear consistently. Greene & Co are, of course, HelpHound clients - note that they are not paying for the search term 'estate agent Maida Vale'!

 
Before Google took all the real-estate above-the-fold (the only part of the screen - and page one of search - that your prospective customer sees unless they bother to scroll down) for their own results (and reviews), these sites were seen by lots of potential customers (they generally appeared just under the business's own listing). Now these sites only appear when attached to paid-for ads or further down in the depths of natural search. Consumers are increasingly conditioned to look for Google reviews (and trust them, thanks to their link to a specific G+ identity).

More and more: reviews need to be on your own site and on Google.

But all of this is set to change - again! ...and become much simpler

  That innocuous little word to the bottom right of the search bar is going to have far reaching effects for businesses without a dedicated review management programme

Google introduced their filter at the turn of the year - currently in mobile (that's 65% of search these days) and only for hotels and restaurants to begin with. Why only hotels and restaurants - so far? Google are not telling (any more than they warned that they were introducing the filter in the first place), but the logic for rolling it out to other businesses is unarguable.

When we search the web we don't just want a list of [plumbers], we want the best [plumbers]. Google is giving us just that with its filter. Right now you can conduct a mobile local search and filter out any restaurant (or hotel) that scores less than 4.0 out of 5, based on their Google reviews. 

Why would Google not extend that facility from mobile to desk-top and from hotels and restaurants to plumbers, financial advisers and estate agents? We are sure they will. When? In all probability when they feel they have enough reviews in each business sector. And it's up to you, the businesses, to ensure that the reviews Google end up serving through their filter are great.

In Summary 

It is important to see review management as integral to your marketing efforts (not a luxury add-on). Professional review management should repay every penny invested many times over - and it should also save you money you would otherwise spend on 'essentials' like SEO and PPC.