Google Reviews: Do They Matter For SEO?
It’s no secret that reviews are important for any business. They play a crucial role in the purchase process, as a whopping 95% of consumers say they read a review before they buy a product.
While reviews on your website and third-party review sites are also important (especially for in certain categories, like Yelp for restaurants), Google Reviews are crucial for everyone.
Why?
More than 81% of people say they check Google Reviews first, before going anywhere else.
In addition to helping you drive sales and conversions, these reviews can also boost your organic reach. Read on to find out why.
Do Google Reviews Matter For SEO?
Simply put, yes—Google Reviews can absolutely help your SEO efforts. They are even more impactful for local SEO efforts, as 46% of Google searches have a local intent.
It’s obvious that Google accounts for more than just what you’re doing on your own website in its algorithm. That’s why link building has been historically so important for SEO.
Reviews are similar in the sense that they help Google understand certain elements about a business. I’m referring to things like:
- Credibility
- Trust
- Customer Experience
Overall, the fact that real people are taking the time to say what you do and how you’re doing is a good sign for Google’s algorithm and impacts and your overall presence in the SERPs.
Most Important Factors in Google Reviews For SEO
All reviews aren’t created equally. But there are certain things that help Google understand your business better, which can help you climb the search rankings:
- How recent are your reviews? If the most recent review is 2 years old, it’s not helpful
- Total number of reviews (the more you get, the better it is)
- Overall review rating on a 5-point scale
- Are the reviews from legitimate customers or are they fake?
- Quality of the reviews
- Responses from the business
Google Reviews Are Only Getting Stronger
The reason that Google puts so much emphasis on reviews is that the search engines have made the determination that reviews (good or bad) from real men and women should be more important than anything you could ever say about yourself (through linking).
That makes total sense here.
So the question is, if you are running a great business, what are you doing to capture real reviews?
It’s important to go about review solicitation according to Google’s guidelines. Definitely read their documentation at support.google.com.
I personally believe it is okay to ask your customers to leave you a review, but it is not okay to ask them to leave you a positive review.
Here are three ways to get reviews:
- Give customers who come into your physical locations little cards asking them to review you.
- Send satisfied customers emails asking for a review.
- Use incentives on QR codes to build them.
Final Thoughts
In addition to the links that point to your site using your best keywords, you’d better have reviews about your products or services coming in from real people in very different locations and they’d better be honest.
Perhaps more than 90% of all online businesses never take the time to do this one thing that is now paramount in the eyes of the search engines. That is losing you more money than you know.
Keep in mind it is safer to get reviews a few at a time, rather than in large batches at the same time. This helps to avoid them being taken down.
Getting lots of great reviews can shoot your most competitive local keywords through the roof.
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