Many businesses are constantly asking customers to review their services, building, or customer service. While reviews can be helpful for other customers who may want to work with the business, they also have an influence on SEO rankings. Simple Google reviews may not be enough to help impact your search rankings, but what elements of a review are essential to help Google trust your business? This blog will look at how quality reviews can help your website, bookings, and overall business quality.
How Google Uses Reviews As Trust Signals
When a user writes a review on Google, they will only be able to connect it to your business if you have it listed with the platform. Having a Google Business Profile is the best way to continue to gather reviews, while also having your business rank higher for local searches. If a customer adds a review to your business listing, this shows Google that your business can be trusted, is legit, and provides service to real people. Strong ratings will also build confidence in future customers, as well as build trust with online search engines.
Fresh Reviews Matter Most
Timely reviews also matter if you want to have quality rankings. New reviews show that your business continues to serve people well and is still operational. Users are more likely to trust a recent review over one that was written years ago. If you want to continue to improve your rankings and get real-life customers, continue to encourage current customers to write reviews. Any answers that can help reduce confusion for a new client are worthwhile for a business.
Ranking For Local Searches
While ranking on the first page of Google search results is an optimal goal for many businesses, smaller businesses should be focusing on ranking for local searches. When someone searches for a service “near me” or “in a specific city,” you will want your business listing and reviews to be present at the top of search results. Reviews have the greatest impact on local results, providing higher engagement than other SEO tactics. A wide range of reviews on Google is proving to help local businesses reach more local customers.
Having your business listed on Google and gathering multiple reviews will help your business appear in the local map pack results at the top of a local search. Google will create this map pack based on the user’s distance, the business’s prominence, and the business’s relevance to the user’s search term. Having reviews about different services and products for your business can help you reach a wider range of search terms.
How Many Google Reviews Do I Need To Rank?
The number of reviews is not absolute, but your business is competing with your competitors in your local area. For example, if another local dentist has 60 reviews and you have 70, you may be sitting in a better position for local results; however, a larger company that serves multiple areas may have 250 reviews, which means your 70 doesn’t even scratch the surface. There is no magic number of reviews you need to rank on Google, but doing a little research on your competitors can help you find the sweet spot.
Diversify Across Platforms
While this blog is about Google reviews, spreading your reviews across multiple platforms can actually help boost your rankings. Showing Google or other search engines that you have a consistent brand presence helps build stronger trust across the web. Multiple platforms that hold reviews for your business will help you reach different audiences and show consistency in your services or products. Users often only focus on one platform when they are looking at reviews, so having quality written reviews on Google, Yelp, or an industry-specific platform will build a broader review strategy.
Work With PDM To Improve Rankings
While reviews are an important part of SEO, they are not the only tactic that matters. Our team at Performance Driven Marketing specializes in a variety of different services that help you rank on Google, find new customers, and help improve your bottom line.
Since 2008, PDM has been helping businesses grow through industry-leading tactics. From paid ads, human-written content, and mobile-optimized websites, we can help you get more clients that stick around for years to come. Handling your business affairs and SEO on your own can get overwhelming. Let our experts help you achieve optimal results and take some of the stress off your shoulders. Reach out to us to get a free consultation.