14 DAY TRIAL // Google is trying to please everyone with its Place Page offering and has now started allowing business owners to respond to user reviews posted on Google Maps. The idea is to enable owners to provide context for a negative review or to thank users for a positive one. User reviews on Place Pages had been a one-way conversation so far.
“Starting today, if you’re a verified Google Places business owner, you can publicly respond to reviews written by Google Maps users on the Place Page for your business. Engaging with the people who have shared their thoughts about your business is a great way to get to know your customers and find out more,” John Maguire, Google Place Page team, writes.
“For example, a thoughtful response acknowledging a problem and offering a solution can often turn a customer who had an initially negative experience into a raving supporter. A simple thank you or a personal message can further reinforce a positive experience,” he adds.
The idea is solid and it’s surprising that it took Google almost a year to implement it. Place Pages are designed to offer all manner of information about a place, be it a store, restaurant, transit spot and so on. It pulls data from several places, both from Google and from third parties. For user reviews, it relies on comments people leave on Google Maps, but also on reviews from dedicated sites, like Yelp.
Google will now enable registered owners to reply to a review, but only to those coming from Google Maps and not from third-party websites. Google encourages businesses to engage in healthy conversation and try to cater to their customer’s needs and complaints. The company is even providing a guideline for small business owners on how to respond to reviews, positive or negative ones.