Let’s say you’re a savvy, web-friendly business owner. You’re feeling pretty confident about your company’s digital presence. You’ve got your website, social media profiles, Google Maps listing, some nice images of your work and team…pretty much all set, in other words, right?

Not so fast. 

While you deserve credit for being hip to modern local business trends – I’ll pause here so you can pat yourself on the back – have you thought about what’s going on with all of those digital channels? More specifically, what are your current and past customers saying about you? 

This is where online reviews come in. Not only are reviews uber-important for when prospects are comparing your services to others, they can also help you get found more often – particularly by those who need help quickly. 

Intrigued? I thought you might be. Let’s dive into why reviews matter, followed by a few tips on how to make sure your online reviews are better than the latest superhero movie (okay, maybe not that great). 

People Use Reviews Online Before Buying Plumbing or HVAC Business Services

Imagine this scenario: a young professional in a newly-purchased property goes to turn on their bathroom sink. But once they’re done using it, the handle snaps off and the faucet won’t stop running. 

Do you think their next step would be to calmly sit at their computer, thoroughly researching every option for plumbing in town? Heck no – he or she is grabbing their phone and frantically searching for the quickest solution they can find. 

Often, the company with the best reviews is the one that shows up first (more on this in a moment).

Even when it’s not an emergency, your prospective customers are still using online reviews to decide which service provider they want to go with. 93% of consumers report that online reviews have influenced their shopping decisions. 

Reviews also impact their perception of quality: research shows customers are willing to spend nearly one-third more with a business that has good reviews.

Before a potential customer can even decide to work with your company, they have to come across your business listing. Do reviews help here? You betcha, thanks in part to the magic of search engine optimization (SEO).

Reviews and SEO for Plumbing and HVAC Businesses

Search engine optimization is the process by which your company moves up the rankings in search queries. If you’re wondering why this matters, instead ponder this question: When was the last time you went beyond the first or second page of a search you performed? 

See? You just answered your own question. 

SEO matters because a higher listing in search results means you have a much better chance of being seen by someone who needs your services. According to more smart people in the industry, as few as 1 in 4 search engine users go beyond the first page. 

Nobody knows all the elements that go into ranking pages on search engine results. Google calls the formula its “PageRank” algorithm. And while the full algorithm is locked down tighter than Colonel Sanders’ fried chicken recipe, they do give us hints from time to time. SEO experts believe that user reviews – especially positive ones – are one of those elements. 

At this point you might be thinking, “Great – I get that reviews matter, but I can’t control people. How am I supposed to force customers to leave reviews?” 

Well, you’re right – you can’t force someone to give a good review, but you can strongly encourage them by asking the right way. 

4 Practical Tips to Get Reviews for your Plumbing and HVAC Company

Here are four strategies you can use right now to get more reviews on any platform:

1. Request reviews everywhere

Don’t just rely on a single email or social media post to try to spread the word about your request for reviews. Think about other common parts of your business where you might be able to include an ask for reviews, including:

• Customer invoices
• Your team’s email signatures
• Business cards
• Holiday gifts
• Printed or emailed receipts
• Customer service phone calls

2. Keep it simple

Many of your customers – especially those who had a positive experience with your business – are willing to help you by leaving a good review. But that willingness to help evaporates in a hurry when faced with a form the length of a Dickens novel.

If you’re asking people to leave reviews on a custom form, don’t include more than two or three fields for them to fill out. If you want customers to leave reviews on a specific channel or network, link them directly to that page.

3. Offer a reward

Yup, good old-fashioned bribery. Except in this case, there are no briefcases full of cash. You can offer customers who leave a review something as simple as a shoutout on your social media page. Some companies choose to offer a more substantive reward like a gift card or a percentage off their next service. If you go this route, best to keep the offer small – you don’t want to come across desperate, and offering a big reward for reviews also makes you more vulnerable to scammers.

Ultimately, we think there are better ways to get legitimate reviews than this, but it is a possibility. 

4. Don’t be afraid of negative reviews

A lot of people I talk to worry that if they start encouraging everyone to leave reviews, it’ll cause complainers to come out of the woodwork and start badmouthing their business. That may happen – every company is bound to get a negative review from time to time, but it doesn’t have to be a huge deal. 

Beyond providing the highest quality service for every customer, be polite in the face of negativity. Make sure to address their concerns publicly, then try to work something out on a private channel (like email or direct messages). Your future customers know that 1 negative review isn’t a big deal. The more important thing is how you respond to it. Often, you can win more customers over by being level-headed and gracious in your responses. 

The Last Word on Reviews

In a world of marketing where people are used to companies putting their best foot forward and sweeping their flaws under the rug, many customers look at reviews like a shining beacon of truth and objectivity. And while not all reviews are accurate or even relevant, if you keep hitting it out of the park with your service and encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews, it’ll do great things for your company’s reputation and visibility on the web.