Google recognizes the importance of reviews in search engine optimization. The presence of keywords in reviews increases their visibility in SERPs.
In addition, prospective buyers check reviews before buying a product. In sum, positive reviews increase the chances of potential buyers trusting a brand and expanding its customer base. Conversely, the absence of reviews reduces the probability of purchasing a product.
This article will discuss why and how positive online reviews boost your company’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Review velocity
The number of reviews on a website can be a crucial component of your overall search engine optimization (SEO) performance. Unfortunately, a recent BrightLocal survey found that 73% of consumers consider reviews older than three months no longer relevant.
Google’s “review expiration date” is even longer, especially for industries that don’t generate many reviews.
So, how can you increase your review velocity? Here are some ways.
You must understand your Amazon account’s review velocity and affect your ranking in the SERPs. Depending on your listing, this might be an astronomical number. Amazon has a monthly velocity limit; when it automatically evaluates your account. You can use SellerEngine’s account rescue services if you’re worried about exceeding it. Account rescue will help you save your budget and boost your SEO performance.
The quantity and diversity of reviews also matter. Google sees a higher review velocity as a sign of credibility, which will lead to increased conversions and sales. In addition, the more positive reviews a website receives, the better it performs in local search.
Also, Google will show your star rating due to an examination. Positive reviews also influence local listings and other consumers’ decision-making processes. As a result, they are essential to your SEO performance.
Freshness
Google has recently introduced a new update that will affect your website’s SEO performance and rankings. Significant changes, such as adding new images or a video, indicate freshness, while date/time tags add no freshness. Freshness can be increased by frequently creating new pages and acquiring highly fresh links from sites.
Freshness is a significant component of Google’s ranking algorithm. It relates to the frequency of recurring events, such as a new product review or a new model year.
While Google has never officially acknowledged a measurable freshness score, some marketers have started spreading the idea. However, if you’re trying to rank your site, understand your SEO before making any drastic changes.
One way to improve SEO performance is to acquire as many fresh reviews as possible. Google is particularly fond of new reviews, and businesses with plenty of them are more likely to rank well. Fresh reviews also contain relevant keywords.
Unfortunately, according to a report from ReviewTrackers, the shelf life of online reviews is considerably shorter than one might imagine. A recent survey found that 69 percent of consumers view reviews older than three months as irrelevant and only reviews from the past two weeks are relevant.
Google’s freshness algorithm stems from the idea that the “freshness of content” is essential for the searcher. In other words, fresh content is relevant for a particular query, whereas old reviews are not.
If you’re unsure whether or not a keyword is trending, try to look at the top 10 or 20 results and see what they’re saying about it. If the top 10 results are consistently ranked higher, it is probably an accurate indicator of the freshness of content on your page.
Number of reviews
In addition to link building, increasing the number of positive online reviews can boost your SEO performance. This is because Google’s local algorithm considers online reviews as ranking factors.
The reviews are crucial to Google’s ranking algorithm because they indicate that a business offers a high-quality user experience and provides the right content to visitors. Also, the more reviews you have on your site, the more likely Google is to list you on the search results page.
A recent Search Engine Land report reveals that businesses with more than average reviews bring in 54% more revenue than those with fewer reviews.
So while quality reviews are still critical, review quantity ties more closely to revenue performance than average ratings. However, many consumers don’t realize this.
The more customer reviews that you have on Google, the better. This is because the more positive reviews you have, the higher your search engine ranking will be.
It’s crucial to encourage customers to write reviews. Try not to antagonize them – offer them incentives to help you get more reviews. It’s also important to keep bad reviews in check.
Another significant benefit of online customer reviews is that they help attract customers’ attention and help build brand trust. For example, consumers who trust online reviews are 31% more likely to spend money than customers who trust negative reviews.
These benefits of positive online reviews go beyond just influencing customer purchases – they can also increase the cost-efficiency of a website. This is a win-win situation for both businesses and consumers. I cannot overstate the benefits of an online review program.
Impact on local search rankings
A recent report shows that online reviews significantly affect local organic search rankings. According to Moz, these signals make up 7 percent of organic search results. They rank ahead of social signals but behind more traditional search factors.
Businesses that manage online reviews and remain engaged with their customers will have a higher ranking in search. Below is a look at the five ways that positive online reviews impact local SEO. Of course, the more positive reviews your business has, the better.
First of all, high-quality site reviews help your local search ranking. This is because potential customers will click on businesses with high-quality reviews.
Moreover, Google has reduced the number of reviews required to display a star rating. This will help businesses with multiple locations show up in local search results. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to these reviews. However, not all reviews are created equal.
The most effective strategy to boost your local SEO is giving incentives for positive reviews. People love to help local businesses, and they are more likely to leave a review if they see a Facebook post asking for reviews.
Even though many people don’t like to leave a review, it helps your local search rankings. As an aside, it’s natural for a business to have some bad reviews. But by offering incentives to get more positive reviews, you’ll be able to shift your local search rankings dramatically.
Besides free advertising, positive reviews also help in boosting the brand’s credibility. For example, the Local SEO Guide says that the quality and quantity of Google reviews strongly correlate with the local SEO ranking.
Moreover, Google recognizes that “review gating” or selectively soliciting positive reviews could lead to bad reviews and affect a business’s local search position. Thus, you should take appropriate steps to ensure positive reviews.
Influence on customer experience
According to studies, positive reviews are beneficial for SEO because they provide a consistent flow of positive content for search engines. This content is deemed valuable by the search engine and translates into higher rankings and greater exposure for a business.
Furthermore, positive reviews can help build trust and credibility in a brand and increase conversions. Recent research has revealed the power of reviews in building a brand’s online identity. Now, we’ll look at some of how these reviews affect search results.
The first step in implementing a positive review strategy is to understand the type of customer you’re encountering. You can use canned responses that apply to all kinds of reviews, but you can also tailor them for different types of customers.
For example, if you’re selling a book, you should tailor your response to the specific needs of a reviewer. Don’t just send the same message to everyone; customize the answer, so it matches the reviewer’s writing style and voice.
Increased SERP surface area
A study by Sistrix found that the layout of the SERP was a significant factor in determining CTR. Therefore, positive online reviews significantly increase your SERP’s surface area and boost your website’s search engine ranking.
However, it is essential to note that not all positive reviews are created equal. In addition, the layout of SERPs may vary for different businesses and industries.
It is common for businesses to receive a few negative reviews, but most consumers trust reviews as much as advertisements. Even if a company has a few negative reviews, these are still excellent opportunities to demonstrate your customer service skills and improve your product or service.
Furthermore, transparency about negative reviews can endear a business to consumers. Again, a personal touch adds to the trust factor of consumers.
Increased SERP trust
The presence of positive reviews on your website is essential for your SEO ranking. Consumers look to online reviews to determine the legitimacy of a business. Consequently, the more positive reviews a business has, the higher it will rank on the SERPs. This is good news for companies that want to grow their online presence. Moreover, reviews can help your company improve its service and attract new customers.
According to a BrightLocal survey, 79% of Internet users rely on online reviews to determine a business’s reliability. If a review is negative, you can use it to your advantage by replying to the review and letting your customer know what you can do to improve your services.
The most crucial benefit of positive reviews for SEO is the close match between the words consumers and clients use to describe your products and services. This close match makes it easier for search engines to relate the review to the consumer’s query.
Impressive reviews boost conversion rates and lead generation. In addition, these reviews prove that customers love your products and have confidence in your brand. Therefore, businesses need to respond positively to online reviews.
Customer reviews are extremely important for your SEO. They can boost your ranking on Google by adding relevant keywords that users type in the search bar. In addition, because reviews are content, Google automatically crawls and indexes them.
Hence, they can provide valuable information to their users. The more reviews your website has, the higher it will rank on the SERPs. If your reviews are positive, you can increase your business’s profits!
Increased SERP eye-catching factor
A new study suggests that the layout of a SERP is one of the principal determinants of click-through rate. This study analyzed the structure of a search engine result page (SERP) to see if it affected CTR.
Positive reviews are eye-catching because they increase the surface area of the SERP. These reviews are also beneficial for local SEO. They grow the SERP eye-catching factor and boost local rankings.
Increased social sharing
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, have been proven to have greater social sharing power when a product or service receives a high-quality review.
While most consumers would be happy to share a positive online review with their friends, they are far less likely to do so when a brand has received a poor review.
More than three-quarters of consumers would stop using a business if the customer service was poor, and nearly half have stopped using a brand because of negative reviews.
Online reviews are a vital part of any social media strategy. Sharing positive reviews from happy customers will drive higher engagement; the most comfortable customers can even become brand advocates for your business.
Studies have shown that sharing positive customer reviews increases sales by 18%. And since consumers conduct local searches daily, a positive review will help your brand cut through the clutter. In addition, taking the time to read your customers’ reviews will help you stand out from the crowd and garner more social sharing.
Increased customer engagement
The number of online reviews you receive each day should be one of the key metrics to measure customer engagement. You can expect a higher customer engagement rate when your customers post a positive reviews. You may even see high customer engagement if your brand doesn’t always provide a great experience.
However, don’t let this be your only metric. Below are some tips to help you measure your engagement rates more effectively.
The first step in customer engagement is understanding customer reviews’ motivations. According to a recent BrightLocal survey, 73% of consumers trust local businesses more after reading a positive review than when reading a personal recommendation. Online reviews are already a well-established method for customer engagement.
Negative reviews, on the other hand, may dramatically impact your business. Here are some tips for generating positive reviews:
Encourage customers to leave reviews. If you receive a high customer engagement rate, you should try to keep your customers happy. By rewarding them for their positive reviews, you can encourage them to become loyal to your business.
An excellent example of a positive online review is an online coupon code or a gift card. You can also send a personalized email to these customers, congratulating them on leaving a review. These simple tips should help you increase customer engagement.
Respond to negative reviews proactively.
Respond to negative reviews with a sincere, professional response. It’s important to note that the average response time to negative reviews is only 2 percent.
While interacting with online reviews is essential, it is also important to remember that you shouldn’t publicly blame customers. Instead, you should always try to respond to any comments politely and professionally.
Another way to improve customer engagement is to respond to questions and comments, typically the first interactions you have with customers. If done correctly, these interactions can result in actual improvements in product quality.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why positive online reviews can benefit your business. For example, they increase the surface area of the SERP, create a trustworthy brand, and increase social sharing. These benefits are not limited to your reputation, but many of them. Hence, you must give online reviews the attention that they deserve.
Author Bio: Brian Lett is a full-time blogger on BrianLett.com, where he routinely shares his advice on different business software platforms that he has used in the past.
