Be on the lookout for any changes to your Google star rating!
Seeking to provide a valuable user experience, Google has long highlighted customer reviews and star ratings on its business listings. However, Google has altogether changed the way it determines and displays a business’s star rating.
Of course, it’s still based on customer reviews, but it now only requires a single review. Previously, Google wouldn’t generate a star rating until a business had at least five customer reviews. This change means a star rating, which displays right next to your business name, will appear even if you only have one customer review.
This could be good or bad for your business, depending on the review. If your only review is four stars, then your business will have a four-star rating on Google. Not too shabby, right? But if your only review is from a disgruntled customer who gave you a one-star review, your business won’t look so good. Most people would agree that a one-star rating is worse than no star rating at all.
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, a single customer review now has the ability to make or break your reputation on Google.
So how can you protect your online reputation from the whims of a single customer? By minimizing the impact of any one review. You do this by having lots of customer reviews. For suggestions on getting reviews, check out “How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them.”
For extra credit, take a look at Adam Heitzman’s article on Search Engine Journal for more details about Google’s policy change: “Google Reduces Star Rating Threshold: Why Businesses Should Take Notice.”