Google Reviews are Good for a Business's Google Ranking

There is no question that there are eyes on a business’s Google reviews before a one decides to or not to become a customer of that entity. What is filled in of those five stars that stand next to a business’s name holds more weight than a lot of business owners realize.

The sheer volume of Google reviews partnered with the positive sentiment throughout is what makes a business outshine their competition. This is not the only reason that a business should place a lot of concern into their Google reviews. Google reviews play a giant role in local search ranking.

As a review company we, Get More Reviews, often get asked if we also “do SEO”. A major common misconception about search engine optimization is that it is one specific thing. Yes, we “do SEO” because we help businesses generate more Google reviews. For example, there is no one specific thing a human can do to get healthy, right? One needs to eat vegetables, get a enough sleep, workout, drink water, and the list goes on, this is similar to SEO. There is a lot that goes into having a “healthy” local search ranking. Here is a quick breakdown or cheat sheet that is a good guide for a small business.

Looking at this pie graph, one can see that reviews are 13% of what affects a business’s ranking. Like consumers, Google likes to see a positive reputation of businesses as well has a high volume of Google reviews. Reviews are social proof a business does good work. Simply put, consumers have too many options bother with the gamble of choosing a business with no reviews.

The more interactions people have with a brand or a business online the better it will be ranked. Google reviews are the best way to get people talking about a business. This goes hand in hand with responding to reviews as well. A brand or business should strive for high engagement with its customers online.

Here is everything you need to know about using Google to get more reviews for your business.

Here's what it REALLY means for your business:

• Google is partnering with local home service providers to recommend their services to people searching online.

• A business must be hand selected by Google because they’re only accepting trusted/credible businesses in the each market.

• Google is vetting businesses based on their reputation, and as a result Google will be looking at a businesses online reviews.

Typed out testimonials on a business’s website only holds so much weight in the eyes of a consumer. Testimonials also quickly become outdated. A business should stream the Google reviews directly onto their website.

Why?

• More than 80% of consumers trust Google reviews over word of mouth

• Consumers may get sucked into reading a business’ Google reviews directly from their website. The more time a consumer spends on a website, the better.

• Repurposing reviews for an ad campaign is a good way to get a consumer to click over to the website to read reviews

• Display only the 4 and 5 stars

• Reviews are fresh content. It’s no secret that the key to an engaging website is fresh relevant content.

• Keywords: the language that customers use in reviews is similar to the one of a business’ target audience. Google reviews will help a business pull in more website traffic through keywords appearing in reviews.

Reviews are the largest influencer of a consumer's buying decision so it comes as no surprise that Google has made them such a prominent player when it comes to local search rank.

Businesses should be aware of the findings below. The majority of consumers read reviews. If 88% of people admit they are judging a business on reviews, 100% of businesses should be managing their business’ reputation.

Here is how.

Key Findings:

• 88% have read reviews to determine the quality of a local business (vs. 85% in 2013)

• 39% read reviews on a regular basis (vs. 32% in 2013)

• Only 12% do not read reviews (vs. 15% in 2013)

Google reviews are and will continue to be a key factor in decision making for consumers.