Google is one of several online service providers that offers a password-free login system for your account, but knowing how to set it up can be tricky.
Accessing your email or account without ever entering a password might not feel like the safest thing in the world, but it’s an increasingly popular way of reducing friction for logins without compromising security. Better still, you can optionally use it as part of a two-factor authentication.
If you have to type in a password regularly, on a wide variety of devices, most people will choose something relatively short, easy to remember, and easy to type quickly. They’ll often re-use a familiar password, or change it only slightly. All of this increases the risk that your account will be compromised.
One solution to this is passwordless login. It works like this: when you try to log into your account, instead of entering your password, you’ll receive a challenge message on a designated device – often your phone. Respond to the challenge, for example by tapping approve on the phone or by selecting a number that matches the one displayed on-screen, and you’re logged in.
Your password is still required for high-security operations, like adding more two-factor authentication devices, but this reduces the number of places where you’ll have to physically type your password, meaning that it’s less inconvenient to use a long, very strong password.
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It makes it very obvious if someone is trying to gain unauthorised access to your account. And it can even help protect you against keyloggers by reducing the number of places in which you’ll have to type your password in full.
There are downsides: losing your phone – or just forgetting it at home – becomes more of an inconvenience. And your phone will need an internet connection to pick up the login request.
To activate passwordless login on Google, you’ll need to delve into your account settings. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
You will need
- An Android or iOS smartphone associated with your Google account
- A desktop PC with internet access
The Short Version
- Open your Google account security settings
- Enable phone sign-in
- Get started
- Select your phone
- Give it a test run
- Approve it on your phone
- Turn it on
Go to //myaccount.google.com/ in a browser your PC, then click the Security tab on the left-hand bar.
On the Security screen, click the > arrow next to Use your phone to sign in. Note that it’s marked Off in our example. If you’ve already activated this feature, icons will display the devices that can display log-in prompts for you
A brief explanation will appear. Click the Set it up button to continue and log in again with your password if prompted.
You’ll then be asked which of your devices you wish to use to sign in. To be eligible, your phone must have a screen lock enabled. If you have multiple phones or tablets associated with your Google account, a pull-down next to the picture of the suggested device lets you select one of the others. Check your selection and click Next.
The next screen invites you to Use your phone to sign it. Check that the correct account is displayed – your email address will be shown. Click Next and you’ll be prompted to unlock your phone.
You phone should now notify you of an unlock request. Unlock it and tap Yes to confirm that it’s you.
If everything works as it should, you’ll be invited to turn on phone sign-ins. Tap the blue Turn On button to do so. You’ll always be able to use your password instead if you don’t have your phone to hand.
You’ll now prompted to sign in on your phone every time you log into Google using a new browser [or one with freshly wiped cookies]. It’s important to deny any login request unless you’ve actively making it yourself
For added security, you can also use this feature as a second authentication factor alongside your password – I strongly recommend using two-factor authentication wherever possible. Despite the requirement that your phone have an internet connection – not required by standard TOTP code based 2FA – it’s a convenient and accessible approach.
It’s difficult to beat the convenience of viewing a company’s location, hours, phone number, and reviews all in one place. That’s likely why Google reviews are one of the most popular and reliable forms of customer feedback. We’re all familiar with the process, because likely we go through the steps weekly, if not daily: search Google, scroll through listings, look at star ratings, and read the top reviews, all before making even as small of a decision as what ice cream place to visit. If they don’t have great reviews, you’re more likely to move on and try to find something better. That’s the power of Google reviews.
Now apply that same process to your own business and your own customers. Getting positive reviews signals credibility to your customers. As many as 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from family or friends. More than just adding credibility, positive reviews help you outrank competitors in Google search and Google Maps so more customers can find you and turn into new happy customers.
How to leave a Google Review, Step-by-step
Here’s the process for how to leave a Google Review:
- Open your internet browser
- Search Google for a local business
- Click Write a Review, found by scrolling down on a business’s listing or by clicking on their reviews in Google Maps
- A sign-in box will appear if you’re not signed in; you will need to sign into your Google account to leave a review
- After signing in, you will be given the option to select a certain number of stars for the company and write out details of your experience[s]
- Click Post after selecting a star rating [leaving a description is optional].
If you own a business, you know that while it’s not hard to leave a Google review, it’s not very convenient for your customers to take those steps. Those who do go out of their way to leave a review are often among the small minority who may have had a negative experience, meaning your Google reviews don’t reflect how the huge majority of your happy satisfied customers feel. Luckily there are ways to shorten that process and make it so easy for your customers to leave a review, they can do it in seconds.
How to Leave a Google Review on Mobile
Of course, most of us are on our phones at any given time of the day. To leave a Google review on a mobile device through Google’s search engine, follow these eight steps:
- Sign in to your Google account
- Search for the business you want to review
- When the business information box appears at the top of the page, click on the Reviews tab
- Below the Google review summary, you’ll see “Rate and review”
- Click the number of stars you want to award the business. One star means you received terrible service and would never return to that place of business. Five stars mean you absolutely loved what the business had to offer and would highly recommend them to your friends
- Share details of your own experience with the business
- Add relevant photos to your post, if you have any
- Click Post
Here’s how to leave a Google review on mobile through Google Maps:
- Sign in to your Google account
- Open the Google Maps app
- Search for the business you want to review
- Scroll down to see the full screen result
- Click on the REVIEWS tab
- Click the number of stars you want to give the business
- Share details of your own experience with the business. They could be positive remarks, negative ones, or both.
- Add photos if you wish
- Click Post
Since most people are carrying around a device with them all the time, knowing how to leave a Google review on a mobile device is more important than ever. It also means that leaving a review is quicker and more accessible than ever. And, because everyone has a mobile device and it’s so easy to leave reviews, It is much easier to get more quality reviews for your business than ever before. This is a win-win situation for both the companies being rated and reviewed, as well as for their potential customers.
How to Leave a Review Without a Google Account
To leave a Google review without a Google account, simply follow these nine steps:
- Download the Google Maps app on your mobile device, or open maps.google.com in your internet browser
- Inside the Maps app, search for the business you want to review
- Click the business name that shows up on the map
- Click the reviews tab, or scroll down until you find the starred reviews section
- Under “Rate & review,” click the number of stars you want to leave the business. One star = terrible; 5 stars = fantastic.
- A notice that you are posting publicly will appear
- Add photos [optional] that are relevant to your review
- Leave an explanation of why you gave the business their star rating, whether positive, negative, or both
- Click Post
Whether you’re an Android user or simply don’t have a Google account, this is an easy way to leave Google reviews for any business. Now that you know how to leave a Google review without a Google account, you can review any business you have experience with. This helps businesses know how they can improve their services and/or products. It also helps potential customers know which businesses are worth seeking out.
How can you get more customer feedback?
Knowing the reasons that motivate customers to leave a Google review is a great start, but most people are still unlikely to do it on their own. If you really want to get more customer feedback, you may have to step outside your comfort zone. But really, all you have to do is ask. With a tool like Podium Reviews, you can just send a review invite over text. That takes the first three steps out of the process—all they have to do is tap the link you sent, then share their experience. It’s so easy, they can post a new five-star review while they’re still in your store—and so convenient, they can do it from anywhere on their own schedule.
How do you measure the impact of customer feedback?
Customer feedback comes in many forms, but you can typically sort it into the qualitative [the sentiment of the words of the review] and quantitative [the amount and star rating of reviews]. Both types of feedback are beneficial to improving your overall rating and ranking on online review sites. More advanced customer feedback tools such as those giving you a Net Promoter Score [NPS] may use a 0-10 scale to give you a clear look at how your customer base sees you. They can give you insight into the stages of the customer journey that need help as well as aggregate net promoter scores over time.
The information your customers can provide to your business is invaluable. Boosting your reputation by keeping your reviews current can make all the difference. Don’t believe us? Just Google it.