Why Google Ratings Are Essential For Your Restaurant – And How To Climb To The Top

Picture yourself searching for a new place to eat in an unfamiliar city, checking out a new business in your local area or finding top rated restaurants for that special date or birthday. 

Where are you likely to go first? It’s Google…

When customers investigate food businesses, online reviews play a key role in building trust. As part of search results, Google Maps presents the most popular businesses in your local area (ranked and rated), so diners can explore with confidence.

And how does Google decide which businesses are the best? 

You’ve guessed it… it’s customer reviews.

Why do google ratings and reviews matter?

There’s no doubt about it, Google is the most-used search engine by far. As of 2021, it accounted for over 92% of the entire market. If your customers are searching for “Chinese food” (for instance), they’ll simply type this into Google to explore the highest-rated local food brands.

The better your customer reviews and ratings, the higher you’ll appear on Google rankings. It’s that simple.

This is actually a massive benefit to smaller businesses, enabling virtual food brands to move higher up the rankings without huge social media followings or costly PPC advertising. 

So, if you haven’t set-up your restaurant business on Google and aren’t promoting customer reviews – you’re missing a vital marketing tool.

As well as improved rankings on google search results, the more positive reviews your business has, the more credible you’ll seem, and more customers will actively choose your restaurant. It’s a vital way to manage your online reputation and brand, enhance your website traffic and improve your sales…

How to improve your google reviews

Here’s just a few of the most important aspects to consider when encouraging customer reviews for your restaurant franchise:

• Actively ask for reviews – your diners may not have thought about leaving a review, so make sure you’re actively reaching out to new and repeat customers, clearly signposting where they can go to support your business. Automated review management tools can also help streamline this process and encourage customer communication.

• Aim for the stars – whilst great comments are important, most Google users simply look at the star ratings for businesses. Are there any ways you can personalise your customer service to really provide that five-star experience?

• Be responsive – in the rare instance you receive a negative review, courteously acknowledge this publicly and follow-up privately, attempting to rectify the issue and encourage the customer back to your brand.

The bottom line

Google reviews really do matter. Customers use them to judge the quality of your restaurant and they’re a key part of the decision-making process when trying somewhere new.

This is especially important for virtual food brands lacking a customer-facing store front. 

With increased trust comes greater sales and profits. So make sure you’re proactively seeking customer reviews and finding ways to improve your Google ratings.

With our uniquely flexible food concepts, Peckwater Brands help kitchen owners implement and operate successful food delivery brands. Get in touch today to discover how we can help grow your business and your profits.