Localogy Insider invites experts in a field relevant to our community to share practical advice on how to do the business of local better. In this ExpertTake, Boostability’s VP of Marketing Amanda Price discusses how online reviews impact SEO. Boostability offers SEO solutions to small-businesses worldwide.
Keeping up with SEO strategy against Google’s everchanging algorithm isn’t easy. The equation that determines organic rankings has more than 200 different parts. Some of the most important SEO elements include content, website architecture, and links. Google keeps adjusting its algorithm to better understand customer behavior and to focus on how consumers act. Therefore, online reviews now carry weight in SEO.
Online reviews have always been important to customers. According to a BrightLocal survey from December 2019
- The average person spends almost 15 minutes reading online reviews before making a decision.
- Almost half of consumers won’t use a business with less than four stars.
- 82% of consumers read online reviews; among those consumers, 97% read the business’s responses to the reviews.
Consumer reviews of your business help your customers make decisions about whether to use your business. Online reviews now impact SEO. Take a look at some of the ways your online reputation impacts search engine rankings and customer behavior.
Online Reviews Help Search Engines Understand Your Brand
When customers review your business, it’s free content that tells search engines about your services and products. Essentially, online reviews support your SEO efforts by providing more context about your business. Customers may think they’re helping other customers or your business, but the effects ripple through SEO. Every piece of online information about your business impacts your brand.
Google Trusts Consumers
Backlinks build authority because they give your website a vote of trust. Online reviews do the same thing. Customers who have positive interactions with your business help search engines rank your brand. On the other hand, bad reviews tell the search engines that your brand doesn’t match your claims. According to Google, responding to reviews builds trust with customers and search engines. Because of this, SEO and online reviews are closely tied together.
Review Sites Boost Your Brand
Modern customers trust other customers. Google and other search engines use information from review sites to provide search results, so you should encourage customers to leave online reviews. Here are a few places to start:
- Yelp
- Google My Business
- Foursquare.com
Your industry may have other sites that support online reviews. These review sites help funnel customers into your sales pipeline. The customers do the work, while you reap the benefits.
More Traffic Signals Google To Believe Your Claims
Think about how you use Google and online reviews. You probably click on businesses with a four-star or higher ranking rather than one with a two-star rank. When your business has a good online reputation, it increases traffic to your site. You have the ability to reach more customers when your business has a good rating. Reputation management used to fall under the umbrella of public relations. Today, it is part of SEO, too. More traffic to your site builds your brand’s authority, providing more visibility for your brand.
Product Reviews Reach Customers
Customers often take a long journey through the sales pipeline. Your business needs to reach people at every place along the way to get them to actually purchase the product. Customer reviews are one way to get in front of people when they have their credit card ready. A product review that shows up in search may reach a customer precisely at the point of purchase.
Increase Your Online Review Strategy
Include reputation management as part of your overall SEO strategy. You cannot afford to miss out on the benefits of customer reviews to build your brand and online presence. The first step is to claim your business pages on the main sites, Yelp, Google My Business, Facebook, and any industry-specific site that manages reviews. Make sure to claim pages for each location of your business.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about managing each site, don’t panic. Find a reputation management software platform that helps you track your online reviews. Look for a program that integrates with your CRM to make it easier to send review requests to customers and maintain control over your interactions. Having resources to manage online reviews keeps you one step ahead.
Make Reviewing Your Business Easy for Customers
Think about your own experience and how often you leave feedback for businesses. Most customers won’t leave a review unless it is very simple for them or if they’ve had a bad experience. Truthfully, ask yourself when the last time you even thought about leaving an online review. It takes effort to leave a review, whether it’s on Facebook or Yelp. Life gets busy, so here are things you can do to encourage your customers:
- Include a link to your business listing on emails.
- Ask customers for reviews at the right time in their sales journey. This depends on your industry, product, and service.
- Increase your customer service game to generate good reviews.
- Address negative reviews with a positive attitude. Even if you don’t change that customer, other consumers pay attention to your online interactions.
One thing to remember is to make sure to follow the terms and conditions of the platforms where you’re asking for online reviews. For example, Yelp prefers that you not ask directly. You can ask your customers to “check your business out on Yelp,” though.
Respond to Your Online Reviews
Customers who take the time to leave a review deserve a response. Positive reviewers may become a brand ambassador. Negative reviewers see that you take feedback seriously. The masses see that there are real people behind your brand. Search engines see that your business is real. Your reputation management strategy goes far beyond reaching one customer. How you handle a customer ripples through your brand.
Internally, use the online review to find ways to improve customer service and product listings. SEO and online reviews work together to build your online presence. Reviews help you meet customer’s needs more effectively. Leverage your online reviews to perform better online and in your physical store. Customer reviews also give you insight into how your team operates. Using this information constructively benefits your business.
