You may wonder what this has to do with reviews, but research has shown that there are a lot of ways reviews come into play for local SEO. They help to ensure ranking and visibility and equally contribute to a client’s decision to buy from you.
Search engines like Google are constantly seeking consistency. They want to know if your business provides value and if it always satisfies consumers. There are several ways this can be determined and they include traffic, clicks, and more. Business owners often work to improve their rankings on Google by providing quality content or relying on SEO experts, but reviews have become one of the most important ways.
To benefit from the impact of reviews on local SEO, you must know how it works.
Review Diversity
Your reviews must come from different sources. Search engines recognize the diversity in reviews, such as when they are found on several review websites. Don’t streamline your reviews to just Google or Facebook. Make use of various platforms, especially those specific to your industry.
Review Regularity
For reviews to become relevant, they have to be regular and recent. If you have many reviews from the previous year, that is a great start. However, while this sort of regularity is sufficient for good ranking, it may not be convincing for clients. According to a survey, 85% of customers believe that reviews as old as three months ago are no longer relevant.
Quantity of reviews
There is no such thing as too many reviews or enough reviews. The more reviews a business has, the better, especially highly positive ones. It goes to show how impressed clients are with your service.
Quality of reviews
Four to five stars are quality reviews. They are what make your business look good and professional. If you rank with lower stars or poor quality reviews, it will not convince potential clients. Rather, they will move on to consider your competitors.
Understanding the impact of reviews on local SEO is vital, but the next step is to work on making it benefit your business. Start by developing a strategic way to ask for reviews. Add a customer review feed to your business page or website to encourage new customers to leave their reviews and to show that your business is reliable. Seeing recent quality reviews on your business online pages or website can go a long way to convert clients. Claiming your Google My Business profile is also essential. Finally, you must track all reviews regarding your business and respond appropriately. Manage your online reputation to ensure that search engines can recognize the value you bring.
