We know that one of your primary goals with LoyaltyLoop is to generate more positive Google reviews for your business. It's a great way to build your online reputation. You may have noticed, however, that even when you receive a glowing survey response from a happy customer, it doesn't always result in a new Google review.
This is a common observation, but rest assured that your LoyaltyLoop system is working exactly as designed. When reviewing the gap between a completed survey and a posted review it is important to understand the specific requirements set by Google itself. Our goal is to minimize friction for your customers, but some steps are controlled entirely by Google's platform.
Let's break down 3 factors that influence why a survey response doesn't convert into a Google review.
To leave a review on a Google Business Profile, a person must have a Google account. This includes any account that ends in @gmail.com or any email address that has been registered as a Google account (e.g., for YouTube, Google Drive, etc.).
Google's Policy: This is a non-negotiable requirement from Google. It's their way of verifying the authenticity of reviewers and reducing spam or anonymous, untraceable reviews.
The Impact: If your end customer does not have a Google account, they will be prompted to create one when they click the review link. For most people without a Google account, this is a significant barrier, and they will simply abandon the process. They can still provide you with valuable feedback through the LoyaltyLoop survey, but they cannot post that feedback publicly on Google.
NOTE: Most review sites like Google, including Facebook and others require an account on their platform before a person can post a review.
This is one of the most common friction points. Even if a customer has a Google account, they must be actively signed in to it on the device (phone, tablet, computer) they are using when they click your review link.
A Common Scenario: Imagine a customer receives your survey link via email and opens it on their work computer. They are thrilled with your service and give you a 10/10 rating. They click the link to post a Google review, but on their work computer, they are not logged into their personal Google account. Google will then prompt them to sign in.
The Impact: This extra step is often where the process stops. The customer might not remember their password, may not be allowed to (or want to) log into a personal account on a work device, or may simply not have the time to complete the sign-in process.
Google's policy allows an individual user account to leave only one review per business profile. This is crucial to understand, especially if you serve repeat customers.
How It Works: When a customer who has already left you a review in the past clicks your LoyaltyLoop review link, Google will not allow them to post a new, second review. Instead, Google will take them directly to the review they previously wrote and give them the option to update or edit it.
The Impact: While updating a review is positive (especially if they add more detail about a recent positive experience!), it does not increase your total number of reviews. If you are expecting to see your review count climb after sending a survey to a loyal, long-time customer who already posted a Google review, this policy is likely the reason you don't see a new review appear.
Understanding these Google hurdles is precisely why we designed a powerful feature to guarantee you get marketing collateral from your happy customers: Frictionless Testimonial Capture.
This feature operates before your customer is ever asked to visit Google.
How it Works: While your customer is actively engaged in giving you positive feedback in the survey, they are presented with a simple checkbox. With a single click, they can authorize you to use their comments as a testimonial in your marketing materials (on your website, in brochures, on social media, etc.).
The Impact: This is a game-changer. You are capturing their goodwill at its absolute peak, with zero friction. They don't need a Google account, they don't need to be signed in, and it doesn't matter if they've reviewed you before. You are securing a guaranteed, usable testimonial that you control, regardless of what happens in the next step of the process.
Your testimonials can be published to your LoyaltyLoop Testimonial Widgets on your website, shared on your social media channels or utilized in any creative marketing you can imagine.