SEO: Online Review Tips That Will Help You Rank Higher & Get More Sales
The following online review and SEO tips we share with you below will help your website convert more traffic into sales.
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Now with studies showing that 82% of customers read online reviews for local businesses, it’s always shocking when we come across business owners who operate without an online reviews strategy.
And it’s true: Online reviews can make or break your business; they can determine whether new customers either buy from you or buy from your competitors.
If you don’t know where to start, keep reading. Below we share a few helpful insights and online reviews tips that’ll help your business improve its overall online image while boosting conversion rates.
Why Are Google Reviews Important?
The majority of your customers are social creatures who need validation from their peer group and the general public.
When they don’t know what to buy, they go online and look for social proof from an online community.
Online reviews are essential for many reasons:
Search Engines Love Online Reviews
It’s simple: The more customer reviews your business publishes; the more search engines love you.
Search engines want to show users what is most relevant to them.
If your company is receiving a lot of online reviews online, that tells search engines that your business is attracting customer feedback; meaning customers have put trust in your brand.
But this doesn’t mean that your domain will earn the top spot. Your overall reviews rating will determine whether or not you’re viewed as a trusted source online.
Online Reviews Serves Fresh Content
One of Google’s many algorithms is fresh content. It often ranks websites by how relevant and up-to-date they are.
Google reviews also show that your business is still in business and is, therefore, fresh and up-to-date.
Alongside encouraging people to review your business, you can also keep producing regular blog content on your website.
Online Reviews Gets You On The Local Pack
The Google Local Pack is the map section of the Google search results which is usually above the organic results.
Google will generally show the top 3 local businesses for each query; featuring contact information and their 1-5-star ratings. Generally, the sorting of listings starts at 4.0 and higher.
For example, if you searched for an SEO agency in NYC, the top 3 SEO agencies with Google My Business accounts nearest to you will appear in the local pack first.
Online Reviews Make You Trustworthy
Because people now have more options than ever before, they tend to do their homework before giving their business to a specific company.
When you have online reviews from real customers, it shows prospective purchasers that your business is legitimate, has been validated by previous customers, and is trusted.
Online Review Tips
Sign Up For A Google My Business Account
The first thing you want to do to increase your business reviews is to first make sure you can receive online reviews in the first place.
For Google Reviews to be possible, your business needs to create a Google My Business account.
The process is simple. Google even provides a guide to make sure any business owner – tech-savvy or not – can manage it.
Once your business account is verified, any customer that is looking for your business will find all the information they need. Like the following:
What you offer
Service options
The address
Opening hours
Menu
Website
Phone number
Reviews
It’s also worth noting that the number of online reviews and your current star rating is shown directly under your business name in the search results, which gives users an immediate first impression. A user will most likely click on a 5-star company over a 2-star company.
Encourage Customer Reviews