The Google Review Gameplan
Are you giving your business’s Google reviews the attention it deserves? Anything less than a firm “yes” won’t quite cut it. Business owners often underestimate the value reviews can bring. From improving your online reputation to supporting local SEO efforts, Google reviews hold great potential!
Wait, what are Google reviews?
When someone searches for a business online, they stumble onto a nifty card generated by Google that helps searchers easily find the details of the business in question. This includes information like their contact details, trading hours, location and services, and a gold mine for local SEO: Google Reviews!
These reviews are rated on a 1-to-5-star scale, 1 signalling poor and 5 for great, and are a strong indicator of whether that search could produce a potential customer for your business. You should now be able to understand why collecting reviews is a must.
The (not so) hidden benefits:
Improve brand trust
As consumers grow to value the accessibility of information, we find that the level of transparency your business embraces is incredibly important. Since most individuals do their research behind the scenes, the image your business portrays is crucial in pulling your potential consumers for sale conversions – which includes Google reviews. Your positive reviews and how you respond to negative ones can be the difference in what makes a consumer decide to trust your brand.
Boost local SEO
Understanding Google algorithms is an impossible feat, but there is one thing we know for sure: Google reviews impact local search results. Google has focused on the quantity, velocity and diversity of reviews to help determine where your business should be placed on local search results. While local SEO shouldn’t halt or overshadow your other SEO strategies, it should be a significant part of your efforts.
Unique consumer research
One of the most notable benefits of Google reviews is the potential customer intelligence you can gather. Each review should help you highlight three core factors to identify consumer satisfaction. This includes whether or not the review is positive, whether the reviewer was impressed with your service delivery and feedback on the particular product or service they experienced. Negative reviews, although unwanted on the surface, can be crucial in determining where your business is going wrong and how to fix it.
Support core SEO efforts
The primary goal of SEO is to have searchers click through to your website. The good news is that Google reviews can assist you in doing just that! Positive feedback on your business gives your website a higher likelihood of landing a click, as potential consumers are more likely to research your brand further.
Increase conversions
Getting the click-through to your website means one thing: You’ve almost reached your end goal! Consumers who have intentionally visited your website are more likely to use your products or services, though the trick is to entice them to do so. Google reviews can often be enough to fulfil your conversion, though it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Ensure your website’s design is up to standard to give your potential client the best experience possible.
Got reviews? Flaunt ‘em!
Depending on the industry, most businesses have gathered an assortment of Google reviews without actively seeking them, but for others, a little work is required! Using existing marketing efforts to encourage customers to leave a review is usually the most efficient way to go, outside of asking new customers to do so. Taking this authentic approach is also the best way to do it. Don’t be tempted by fake reviews – they will not only hurt your SEO but also your potential conversions.
Let’s support your Google review strategy
If you aren’t already using Google reviews to your advantage, there is no better time than the present! At Cape Business Online, we ensure that local SEO efforts form part of all our client’s strategies. For more information about how we can strengthen your online presence, please get in touch.
