Have you ever enjoyed a special restaurant, coffee shop or café? How many times have you received excellent customer service? Why not “pay it forward” and write a positive review for the business on the internet.
What’s in a Business Review?
A business review is just a few quick sentences you write on the internet business listing of a local business.
For example:
- A review I wrote for my favorite local café:
Excellent rural cafe! Great food (my favs – clam chowder, chicken salad!). Newly remodeled makes it a nice place to meet clients without driving into the city – plus free wi-fi!
Michelle Brubaker
www.michellebrubaker.com
- A review I wrote for my favorite coffee shop:
Excellent community coffee shop, great food (my favs ~ smoothies, quiche & turkey sandwiches). Free wi-fi makes it easy to meet clients for coffee and talk business.
Michelle Brubaker
www.michellebrubaker.com
Where to Go to Write a Business Review
Local businesses are listed with search engines such as Google and Yahoo. There are also websites dedicated to business reviews such as Yelp.com, Angieslist.com and Urban Spoon.
To write a review on a Google Local Business Listing
- Go to www.maps.google.com
- Type the name of the business and location in the search box (for example “coffee shop Portland Oregon) and click “search maps.”
- In the left pane you will see a list of results. In the right pane you will see locations listed on a local area map.
- Click “more info” next to the business name.
- In the Google Local Business Listing you will see a place at the bottom to write a review.
You can view my Google Local Business Listing, or read more about business listings in my article “Free Local Business Listing with Google”
To write a review for Yahoo Local:
- Go to www.local.yahoo.com.
- Type the name of the business in the “find a business” box, type the city and state in the next box and click “search local.”
- Click on the business name.
- Click the button “Write a Review.”
Be sure to click the “stars” when you leave a review to rate your favorite business!
For both Google & Yahoo you need to sign in (have an account) in order to leave a review.
Reasons Why You Should Write a Review
- Writing a review is an act of goodwill to your favorite local businesses.
- It’s “paying it forward.”
- When your favorite business receives positive reviews it can mean higher rankings on search engines and more business.
- Each time you leave a review, always leave your online signature. I sign my reviews with my name followed by my website address.
- Your review is linked to your Google Profile or MyYahoo Page which includes all of your business information.
- It makes another positive instance on the internet where your name is listed with links to you.
- It’s free advertising back to you.
Reviews for You
Once you get the hang of writing reviews for others, why not have your happy customers write a review for you? It’s a win-win! They can have a link back to their business online and you get a positive review!
Now go write a review!
Best Regards,
Michelle Brubaker
