How Online Reviews Help Local SEO - WEBITMD

Creating a strong SEO presence is an imperative part of doing business in the age of the internet, and positive reviews and referrals by your customers are an important way to authenticate the value of your service or product. As a powerful way to influence search engine rankings and the purchasing choices of your potential customers, online reviews are an essential part of your business’s local SEO and marketing plan.

Understanding the Way Consumers Look for Products and Services

Reading customer reviews is often a final part of the decision-making process for prospective customers. The average consumer may start by deciding on a service or product and then narrow his or her choices for the local area. The next step is to look for subtle reasons why one business may provide a superior service or product to other local competitors, so the power of your customers’ positive or negative experiences is a motivator that can quickly gain or lose a potential customer. Statistics and the experiences of your digital marketing agency point to reviews influencing nearly 90 percent of all consumers.

Most top Google partner SEO agencies know that the influence of these simple feedback statements about your business cannot be overstated. Business reviews can lead to quick decisions on the part of your prospective customers, and presenting a positive online presence will ensure that your business listing is noticed. These strategies are essential to your business success; when consumers find your online reviews to be trustworthy and genuine, you’ll enjoy the benefit of earning their business. Furthermore, when the reviews appear in the SERPs and reflect exactly what the customer is looking for, your domain authority will go up because the page sessions, number of page visits, and achieved goals will go up while your bounce rate will go down.

Mobile SEO: Meeting Customer Needs

Reviews are an essential part of your local SEO results for mobile users in your area. Positive reviews lend credibility to your business and translate into higher SEO rankings by influencing customers to visit your site with content that engages them and leads to higher conversion. Your SEO agency will tell you that review signals should include both quality and diversity, along with an appropriate frequency that reflects your business volume. Accurate information about the type of experience a consumer can expect when working with your company gives potential customers the confidence to choose your products or services.

Mobile users receive results based on their current geographical location, and this allows you to reach a customer base beyond your immediate neighborhood. When a customer needs a local service that is reliable and convenient, he or she may focus on two simple factors that can be immediately identified with a quick smartphone search, including a nearby location and the presence of positive customer reviews.

Beware of Websites That Manipulate Reviews: Yelp

Yelp is useful for its organic ranking of businesses based on reviews and location; however, it may be possible for businesses to pay to improve their visible reviews and rankings. This has resulted in a loss of trust from both businesses and consumers when it comes to the reviews listed on Yelp. Although Yelp denies that payment changes the way businesses are listed, there is evidence that paying big bucks allows businesses to enjoy a spot on a featured page, and their reviews can be filtered to appear to be more positive to create a higher rating.

Because the reviews are potentially manipulated, Yelp is a review site that you may wish to avoid as a part of your marketing plan for local SEO. Phone calls from Yelp offering to sell you additional services can be a clue that your rankings are being manipulated. If a potential customer perceives that your reviews are not authentic or are a result of a paid service, you may lose the opportunity to win that customer’s business.

Online Reviews Help Local SEO

Building a successful business is about forming a relationship with your customers that is trusting and authentic. The loyalty that you will enjoy from these positive relationships and excellent reviews will help you build an online presence that includes genuine feedback that will influence SEO-friendly consumer behavior on your website. A vibrant, trustworthy reputation gained through excellent reviews in the SERPs paired with thoughtful attention to SEO will attract new customers to help your business thrive.