Google star ratings - now for any business with just one review

Last weekend Google expanded its star ratings - for the first time introducing ratings for those businesses with less then five reviews. This is what it looks like:

In Map search:

Last week this looked like a simple list of estate agents - only one had a star rating - how differently do you think potential customers will react to it now?

In business specific search:

The implications:

Google are determined that their users will take notice of reviews, that is for certain. This move highlights, for the first time, those businesses that have yet to engage with reviews. In the example above none of the businesses have engaged, and how that shows since the star ratings were rolled out.

The impact:

The impact is squarely on low volume businesses - like estate agency, legal and financial. Hospitality and retail, which have massive footfalls, already have critical mass; the aforementioned invariably don't.

The opportunity: 

This is a massive opportunity for well managed customer-focused businesses in these neglected sectors to really shine. To look like this:

Most regular readers will recognise this HelpHound client. If your business is not yet a client of ours just pause for a moment and imagine it looked like this by the end of the year. That's the HelpHound effect. Now, more than ever, you need the most experienced review managers in the business on board.

And this:

It is not rocket science - consumers are impressed by businesses that care enough to ask their customers to write reviews; Google know that - it's why they are putting so much effort and resource behind reviews. Shouldn't your business be doing the same?

A note of caution

Before you simply rush to get reviews direct to Google, bypassing your own website, read this or speak to us.