Do Google Reviews help SEO? The short answer is yes that Google reviews, so long as they are positive, do assist with SEO by helping to improve search engine rankings. Positive reviews indicate to search engines that the recipient of the reviews is trustworthy and authoritative. In an era in which competition on the Internet has gotten harder and harder, especially for smaller companies, overseeing online reviews helps to differentiate a business and improve its visibility in search engine results. Authority and trustworthiness are rewarded by search engines through improved search results. Your response as a business owner is key on helping keywords trigger to Google Bot to see you are relevant for X service or product.
Why Positive Google Reviews Matter
SEO requires examination of extensive search details, including content creation, link building and reviews generally don’t get much SEO attention. However, they certainly should, and especially for local businesses. The Local SEO Guide confirms the value of positive customer reviews for local businesses. For larger national businesses, the value is also indisputable. In fact, 88% of customers believe in online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. Shoppers nearly always check online reviews before visiting any business, and 95% of shoppers say that reviews affect buying decisions. Google itself has confirmed this. In a recent survey of Google ranking factors, it was found that the importance of reviews has increased substantially over the last several years. Reviews now rank at 15.44% in search engine importance and #13 among 50 top ranking factors. The value and importance of positive reviews in SEO are clear.
Reviews Allow Customers to Learn About Products
Customers use online reviews to learn about products. When a product is new, there is a very good chance the customer will do a Google search to learn more. Positive reviews are likely to lead a customer to choose a provider of the product, and even to become a buyer.
What is the Best Way to Manage Reviews?
So long as a business is successful, review management should not be too difficult. Make sure that positive reviews are collected and reported online, and positive results will follow. Always display positive reviews on a website. There are various website development tools that can be used for this. Communicating with customers, encouraging reviewing, and collecting reviews makes good sense and will lead to receipt of positive reviews. Attempt to gather an email address at the time of a sale and then send a request for a review. Unfortunately, not all reviews will be positive, but even negative reviews are useful and should be collected. Communicate with negative reviewers from a customer service perspective in an effort to resolve complaints, and with resolution of complaints, a negative review may very well become a positive review. Allow us help you manage your Google My Business and reviews online, we can help you grow your entire digital marketing strategies.
