Glad we bullied you into focussing on Google reviews?

Back in the day there were a plethora of review offerings, from Facebook to Feefo and Trustilot, from Yelp to Trustatrader and Yell. The list was almost endless. But we stuck firmly with Google. Every one of our clients, for over ten years now has been given this simple advice...

Many people still attribute the stars (and score) you see above to Google. They are actually pulled, by Google, from the business's own reviews hosted on the business's own website.

1. Get reviews to your own website - so they can be moderated and to boost your SEO (and get stars in Google searches)
2. Get those reviews copied over to Google - as many as you possibly can

We did not base this advice on guesswork; it was obvious to us that the other review sites would struggle against Google, for the following reasons...

• Google reaches by far the most consumers: Google was - and remains - the gatekeeper: anyone looking for a business (or a review of a business) has to use a search engine, and Google dominated search - and continues to do so
• Google has credibility: most consumers now understand that there are no barriers to writing a review on Google (much as some businesses wish there were!) and that, unlike sites such as Trustpilot and Feefo and Trustatrader, Google has no direct financial interest in the businesses under review. In short: consumers have come to trust Google reviews.

The numbers

Just look at this chart...

Source: Birdeye 

Facebook, against many pundits' predictions, has dwindled to around 1% of the online reviews market. All the other review sites together total just 20%. 

Here are some more interesting statistics taken from the article linked to above: 

• Google reviews soared by 15%, capturing 79% of all online reviews
• Each business location, on average, received 66 new Google reviews
• Google captured 94% of healthcare, 92% of legal, and 90% of home services reviews
• Facebook’s share of online reviews took a steep dive to 1% in 2023, down from 23% in 2016, marking a drastic reduction in its importance as a review platform

For reviews of high-value services Google is not just dominant, it is just about the only resource trusted by consumers today. All of which corroborates our historical and current advice.

Remind us: where, exactly, does HelpHound come into this equation?

Apart from the 'stars in search' at the head of this article, HelpHound's role is threefold...

1. To provide moderation of factually inaccurate or potentially misleading reviews, enabling the business to confidently ask for reviews in the secure knowledge that the reviewer will be asked to correct them before they are published anywhere - on the business's website or on Google
2. To enable our businesses to comply with the law - the CMA regulations in the UK
3. To provide the software to make the process as seamless as it can be 

And, in addition, to provide tailored specific advice throughout your business's reviews journey.

Further reading

• The proof is in the pudding: concrete proof that you can expect an uplift in business and, just as importantly, an uplift in the quality of each individual piece of business. Backed by our guarantee.