When it comes to lawn care, reputation is everything. A good reputation can help attract new customers, while a bad reputation can drive them away. And, online reviews are a key part of that reputation.

That’s why it’s important for lawn care companies to focus on their online reviews. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why reviews are so important for lawn care businesses, and we’ll offer some tips for getting more positive reviews.

Why lawn care businesses need great reviews

There are a few reasons why reviews are so important for lawn care businesses.

First, potential customers often research companies online before hiring them. If they see a lot of positive reviews, they’re more likely to contact that company. But if they see negative reviews, they may look elsewhere.

Second, online reviews can impact your search engine rankings. If you have a lot of positive reviews, your website is more likely to show up higher in the organic search results. And that can lead to even more customers finding and using your lawn care services.

Finally, reviews can help build trust with potential customers. When people see that others have had a positive experience with your company, they’re more likely to trust you and hire you for their lawn care needs.

8 ways to get more lawn care reviews

Your reviews — and your average star rating — are the foundation of your online reputation. But, great reviews and a high average star rating don’t just happen; they require active reputation management.

Here are 8 things lawn care companies can do to get more 5-star reviews and build a strong reputation:

#1. Level up your customer service

The first step to getting great reviews is to provide excellent customer service.

Your reviews are a reflection of the customer experience you provide. If you want customers to leave positive reviews, you need to give them a reason to do so.

That means going above and beyond for your customers, every time. It means being responsive when they have questions or concerns. And it means delivering lawn care services that exceed their expectations.

If you provide top-notch customer service, your customers will be more likely to leave positive reviews — and they’ll be more likely to tell their friends and family about your lawn care company.

#2. Ask for reviews

Even if people are happy with your service, most won’t write reviews unprompted. If you don’t ask for reviews, you’re probably not going to get them.

Unfortunately, the only time customers write reviews on their own is when they’ve had a negative experience. This means that if you don’t take an active role in managing your reviews, they can paint an unfair picture of working with your lawn care business.

The good news is that most people are more than happy to write reviews when asked.

That’s why it’s important to proactively encourage your customers to leave feedback. You can do this in a number of ways:

• Include review requests in your invoices
• Send follow-up emails after lawn care services are complete
• Ask customers in person if they’re happy with their lawn
• Display lawn care reviews on your website and social media

The easiest and fastest way to get more reviews is by sending automated feedback requests via email, but the more places you ask for lawn care reviews, the more likely you are to get them.

#3. Make it easy for customers to leave reviews

Don’t make your customers search for where they can leave a review. Instead, give them a direct link that they can follow.

You can include this link in your email signature, on your website and on social media. You can even include it on lawn care invoices and receipts, or include a QR code with a link to your review sites on signage or direct mail.

Modern consumers value convenience. The more hoops people have to jump through in order to write a review, the less likely they are to actually do it. But if you make it easy for them, they’ll be more likely to take the time to write a review.

It’s also important to make sure that your link goes directly to your review page. If customers have to search for your business on a review site, they may get frustrated and give up before they even leave a review.

#4. Offer incentives in exchange for reviews

While you should never pay for reviews, there’s nothing wrong with offering an incentive in exchange for feedback, especially if you’re not requesting a specific star rating.

For example, you could enter customers who leave a review into a monthly drawing. Or, you could offer a discount on lawn care services for customers who write a review.

Be sure to check the terms of service for each review site before offering any type of incentive, as some sites don’t allow it.

When done correctly, incentives can be a great way to increase the number of reviews you get. Just make sure that your offer is compelling enough to actually encourage people to write a review, but not so valuable that it seems like you’re trying to buy positive reviews.

It’s also important that you incentivize all customers and types of feedback, not just happy customers and five-star reviews.

By showing that you’re interested in all feedback, you demonstrate that what you’re really after is honest feedback rather than paying for great reviews.

#5. Highlight great reviews on your website and social media profiles

When you get a great lawn care review, don’t just leave it buried on the review site.

Instead, share it on your website and social media profiles. This is a great way to show potential customers that you’re worthy of their business.

You can also use lawn care reviews as social proof in your lawn care marketing. For example, if you’re running a lawn care ad on Facebook, you could include a quote from a satisfied customer in the ad copy.

When potential customers see that other people have had success working with your lawn care company, they’ll be more likely to take the leap and hire you too.

Plus, when your customers see how much you value customer feedback, they’re more likely to write reviews of their own.

#6. Embed a reviews widget on your website

If you want to take things a step further, you can embed a reviews widget on your website. This is a great way to show off your five-star lawn care reviews and increase customer confidence.

Most review sites offer some kind of code or widget that you can use to display reviews on your website.

 

For example, the Top Rated Local® widget displays your average star ratings and most recent reviews. It also takes visitors directly to your Top Rated Local profile, where they can write their own reviews.

Having a reviews widget helps to build trust with prospective customers who visit your website, while also making it quick and easy for your customers to write reviews.

It’s a win-win!

#7. Always respond to your reviews

It’s not enough to just get lawn care reviews. You also need to respond to them.

When you reply to lawn care reviews, you show your customers that you’re interested in their feedback and that you care about their experience.

This is important because it helps to build trust with your customers. And when people trust your lawn care company, they’re more likely to do business with you.

It’s also important to respond to lawn care reviews because it gives you an opportunity to resolve any issues that your customers may have had.

For example, if a customer writes a review complaining about lawn care services that were not up to par, you can reach out to them and offer to make things right.

This is a great way to turn a negative experience into a positive one. And it also shows other potential customers that you’re willing to go above and beyond to make sure your customers are happy.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when responding to negative reviews:

• If you’re upset, give yourself a few minutes to cool off before you respond. This will help you to avoid saying something that you might later regret.
• It’s important to be professional, even if the person who wrote the review is being rude. Remember, potential customers will be reading your response.
• Avoid getting into a back-and-forth argument with the reviewer. This will only make things worse. Instead, provide your contact information and invite them to talk with you directly.
• Apologize for the poor experience. Even if you don’t think that it was your fault, an apology shows that you’re willing to take responsibility.
• Offer to make things right. If there’s anything you can do to remedy the situation, let the customer know.

Once you’ve responded to the review, be sure to follow up with the customer to resolve the issue. This will show other potential customers that you’re committed to providing excellent customer service.

Responding to negative reviews the right way can turn an unhappy customer into a lifelong fan. Often, the customer will even change the review after the issue has been resolved.

#8. Monitor your reputation

It’s important to keep an eye on your lawn care company’s reputation. This way, you can address any issues that come up right away.

There are a few different ways to do this:

One way is to set up Google Alerts for your business name and keywords. This will send you an email notification anytime your business is mentioned online.

Another way to monitor your lawn care company’s reputation is to check review sites regularly. This includes Google, Yelp, Angi, Facebook and any other sites where customers may leave reviews.

You can also use reputation management software, like the Marketing 360® Reputation app, to track your lawn care company’s ratings and reviews in one place.

This app also makes it easy to respond to reviews and track your progress over time.

Monitoring your lawn care company’s reputation is important because it allows you to resolve any issues that come up quickly. This helps to prevent small problems from turning into big ones.

It also shows your customers that you’re committed to providing excellent service.

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A strong reputation is important for lawn care companies, and reviews play a big role in building and maintaining a good reputation.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your lawn care company has plenty of five-star reviews and a strong, positive reputation. Learn more and see our plans and pricing.