How to Find Your Google Reviews: A Quick Guide

Online reviews are nothing to sniff at. They provide valuable feedback, enhance your credibility, and can significantly impact your ability to grow. To harness the power of Google reviews, it’s crucial to know not only how to encourage your customers to leave them but also how to find and manage them.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to find your Google reviews, making it easier for you to engage with your customers.

Key Takeaways

• Keeping an eye on Google reviews is super important for your local business. It helps you learn from customers, build trust, and show you care about their satisfaction.
• Creating a Google Business Profile lets you see and manage your reviews. You can also talk to your customers through posts, reviews, and messages.
• Google Alerts and tools like Broadly make it easier to handle reviews. They give you updates, let you respond to reviews in one place, and help you improve your online reputation.

The Importance of Monitoring Google Reviews for Businesses

Before we dive into the “how-to” part, let’s briefly discuss why monitoring Google reviews is important.

Customer feedback can be hard, unapologetic, and often the most authentic insight you could hope to receive. It helps you understand what you’re hitting out of the park and where things have been a swing and a miss. Not only are Google reviews valuable for what you can learn from them, but positive reviews help to build trust, while addressing negative ones demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

All in all, what people are saying about you online is important, and you should be taking what you hear seriously to best meet the needs of your local community.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s take a look at how you can find, view, and engage with the feedback left for you on Google. 

Getting Started with Google Business Profile (GBP)

Your Google Business Profile is like your digital storefront, visible to potential customers on Google Search and Maps. It’s an essential tool for any business, big or small, looking to connect with local customers. Here’s a straightforward step-by-step guide to help you set up your Google Business Profile, get verified, and access all those valuable reviews.

Step 1: Create a Google Account

Start by signing in to your Google Account on your computer. If you don’t have one, you can create a new account. If you’re making a new account, make sure to use your business email address.

Step 2: Go to the Profile Creation Page

Type in your business’s name. You might see suggestions as you type. If it says someone else has already verified the business—don’t panic—you can request ownership of the Business Profile.

From there, pick a category that best describes your business and click “Next.”

Step 3: Add Your Location and Contact Information

Just because you have a physical location does not mean that it should necessarily be visible on your business listing. Consider if customers will be visiting your location to purchase goods or services.

If yes, click “Yes.” You may need to provide your business address or point to it on a map. Once you’re done, click “Next.”

If not, click “No.” Instead, tell Google the areas your business serves. You can add up to 20 areas where you offer your services (Google). We suggest not making the service area too large; Google recommends you stick within a 2-hour drive from your business location.

Add your phone number and website link.

Click “Next.”

Once you have completed adding your contact information, click “Finish.”

Step 4: Getting Verified

When it comes to your Business Profile on Google, the first step is to either add it for the first time or claim it if it already exists. Here’s how you can go about it:

Add or Claim Your Profile

Start by adding your business to Google or claiming your existing profile if it’s already there. If you’re unsure how to claim your profile, you can find detailed instructions on how to do so here.

Verification Methods

To make sure your profile is legitimate, Google allows you to verify it through various methods, including phone, text, email, or video. Depending on factors like your business category, publicly available information, location, support hours, and volumes, different verification methods may be available to you.

Choosing a Verification Method

You’ll have the flexibility to choose the verification method that suits you best. The process varies depending on your chosen method, and you can find step-by-step instructions for each.

Notification of Verification

Once your verification is successful, you’ll receive a notification confirming it. 

If the first verification method doesn’t work, don’t worry. The “Get verified” option will reappear, allowing you to try a different verification method.

After You’re Verified

Information Update: After verification, it might take a few weeks for any changes or additions to your business information to appear across Google. However, keep in mind that you can update and refine your profile details whenever you need to.

Engage with Customers: Your verified profile opens up opportunities to connect with your customers. You can make posts, respond to reviews, and use messaging to engage with your audience.

How to View Your Google Business Profile (GBP) Reviews

“Your Business on Google” in Google Search

• While signed in to your Google account, perform a Google search for your business name.
• On your business’s knowledge panel (normally found on the far left), click on the “Read Reviews” button to access and read customer feedback.

From Google Maps

• Open the Google Maps app on your mobile device.
• Search for your business.
• Tap on the “Reviews” tab within your business listing to see what customers are saying about your services.

Resources for Managing Google Reviews Like a Pro

• How to Respond to Google Reviews
• How to Respond to Negative Reviews
• Google Business Profiles for Beginners 
• Our Guide to Google Business Reviews

Google Business Profile (GBP) API

For those with development capabilities, Google provides APIs to access and manage your reviews programmatically. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Setting Up Google Alerts for Review Monitoring

(Source, Google Alerts)

Stay in the loop with Google Alerts, a handy feature that keeps you informed whenever new information on a specific topic appears in Google Search. Whether you’re interested in news updates, product releases, or even mentions of your business name, Google Alerts has you covered. Here’s how to set it up:

Creating an Alert

Step 1: Go to the Google Alerts page.

Step 2: In the provided box at the top, enter the topic you want to stay updated on.

Step 3: If you’d like to customize your alert settings, click on “Show options.” 

(Source, Google Alerts)

Here, you can adjust things like:

• The frequency of email notifications.
• The types of websites you’d like to see in your alerts.
• Your preferred language.
• The geographic region for the information.

Step 4: Specify the email accounts that should receive the alerts.

Step 5: After configuring your settings, simply click “Create Alert.” You’ll start receiving emails whenever relevant search results are found.

Editing an Alert

Step 1: Visit the Google Alerts page.

Step 2: Find the alert you’d like to modify and click on “Edit.”

Step 3: If you don’t see any editing options, click “Show options.”

Step 4: Make the desired changes to your alert settings.

Step 5: Click “Update Alert” to save your modifications.

Customizing Alert Delivery

Step 1: To fine-tune how you receive alerts, click the gear icon on the far right.

Step 2: Select your preferred options.

(Source, Google Alerts)

Step 3: Save your settings by clicking “Save.”

Deleting an Alert

Step 1: Head over to Google Alerts.

Step 2: Locate the alert you wish to remove and click “Delete.”

Optional: If you receive an alert email and want to unsubscribe, you can do so by clicking “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email.

Google Alerts is a valuable tool to keep you informed about topics that matter to you. By setting up alerts, you’ll receive timely updates straight to your inbox, helping you stay on top of the latest about what people are saying about your business across the internet.

How Broadly Can Help

Finding and managing your Google reviews is a critical aspect of running a successful local business, but keeping on top of them can be time-consuming, especially as your business grows. This is where a service like Broadly can be a game changer. Broadly streamlines the process, helping you efficiently manage and respond to reviews all from one easy-to-use app.

With Broadly, you can:

• Receive instant notifications of new reviews.
• Easily respond to reviews from one central interface.
• Gain valuable insights into customer feedback trends.
• Improve your online reputation and drive more business.

Ready to simplify your review management process? Schedule a demo with us today!