When a client wants to partner with us, one of their first questions is: “Do online reviews help me rank higher on Google?” Well, the answer is Yes!
For someone who’s been working in the digital marketing world and helping out businesses strategise their growth through SEO, it is a known fact, plus some concrete back-up data, that having online reviews to your name can help boost your rank. 83% of people think a business with a user-generated review on their landing page is trustworthy.
Not only that, having good reviews can win you more clients and get you more sales. If you’re ready to know more about how it works, brace yourself and get ready to learn - and possibly become an expert, too!
1. Reviews show customers authentic experiences
We admit that prior to making purchases, we always look at the online reviews. It is a well-known practice to always read through customer feedback and when we are satisfied with what we are seeing, we then proceed to buying that product. Remember that even with a fancy website and logo, it all goes down the drain with less recommendations from satisfied customers.
According to Forbes, about 90% of customers read reviews before visiting a business and Bright Local determined that 93% of customers will read reviews of local businesses to determine its quality.
2. Google prioritise businesses with many good reviews
Online consumers trust customer feedback more than marketing messages or whatever it is that you put in your landing page. Most customers start their first impression of your business based on the reviews and use this basis when comparing your business to others. Therefore, always have an option for customers to leave and submit reviews on your page. In fact, according to GatherUp, about 75% of customers are willing to answer anywhere from one to five survey questions. With this in mind, it will not only boost your ranking, but it will also help improve your service and the quality of your products.
3. Actively responding to reviews
Responding to reviews is important to every business. When you take time to thank your customers for their purchases and cater to their concerns whenever they experience problems, it shows that you have a dedicated customer service.
Aside from that, responding to reviews will help grow your customer recommendation rate, especially if you have dealt with a negative review and resolved it properly. It also helps with your Local SEO, which gives you a higher chance of showing up in the local pack results.
4. Google loves you when people love you!
Most business websites have a review section. So if you have a high total rating score, this will actually help you boost your rank online. Online reviews have a 10.3% influence on the global Google search results rankings. How? This is because Google’s algorithm recognises that the higher your rating is, it is a proof of good, quality service.
5. Google looks beyond your site and searches for reviews in other sites
Reputation makes up over 25% of a brand’s market value. This means that Google not only looks into the reviews on your landing page but in third-party websites as well, like the popular online retailers where you also sell your products. How this works is: Google checks the review on your site and sees a high rating - complete 5 stars; however, on Amazon, you only received 2 out of 5 stars. This will make Google suspicious and will eventually give you a low rank for a lack of trust. Therefore, as a business, you must ensure that your product reviews across all the sites where you’re selling them are getting high scores.
Conclusion:
A satisfied customer is more convincing than any advertising or marketing strategy. Just keep in mind to optimise the review process to make customers leave positive feedback on your site. If you also want to learn more about boosting your website’s online ranking with a proven and efficient SEO company in Melbourne, Australia, don’t hesitate to chat or email us and we are happy to help you out with your queries.
Suggested Read: Learn How Local Ranking Can Really Help Small Businesses
