By Reviews are 15% of your Google Grade
If you want to grow your business, you need to be one of the first results on Google.
So let’s go back to highschool for a second. Remember how the teacher would tell you that your final exam equals 15% of your final grade? I’m starting to sweat just thinking about it.
Google gives your website a grade. It’s how it determines which websites rank on the first page of search results.
One of the factors Google uses to determine your SEO score is Google reviews. Your Google reviews make up about 15% of your ranking factor.
“No worries. I have over a hundred Google reviews,” you say.
Not so fast.
Google, like your highschool teacher, wants to make sure you’re not cheating to get reviews. So it looks at things like…
- How recent are your reviews?
- How frequently does your business get reviews?
- Do you get reviews on multiple platforms (Google, Facebook, Yelp, etc.)?
- Do your reviews have text or just a star rating?
The best way to improve your SEO grade when it comes to Google reviews is to make sure they come from real customers and that you receive them regularly.
Reviews don’t just improve SEO. They make you money.
We’ve learned that reviews improve your SEO score and help your business climb the ranks on Google. But that’s not all they’re good for.
Getting reviews also helps you win more customers.
In fact, 98% of consumers read google reviews for local businesses before deciding whether or not they want to make a purchase. Shoppers want to know how your customers feel about your business.
People trust online reviews as much as a recommendation from a friend. Not only do reviews encourage people to buy, but they encourage customers to buy more. Customers spend 31% more money when a business has great reviews.
The number of reviews you have is important, so encourage your customers to leave reviews when they can. According to Psychological Science, when customers are choosing between two products with similar ratings, they are more likely to purchase the product with more reviews.
4 Tips To Get More Reviews & Use Them To Earn Your Customers’ Trust
- Ask customers for reviews regularly Research from Brightlocal showed that 65% of consumers left reviews in response to requests from a business.
- Never “buy” reviews Customers recognize fake reviews and have reported that buying reviews makes them trust your business less. Not only that, but when Google realizes that you have purchased reviews, you are risking your rankings declining quickly because that is not a true reflection of your business.
- Respond to every review Customers want to see responses to reviews within 24 hours. When you are writing your response, show genuine appreciation for positive reviews and thank them for taking the time to write a review. Try to make your response as personal as you can. When responding to negative reviews, be respectful and professional.
- Don’t sweat negative reviews Always be understanding, willing to apologize, and ready to make it right if a mistake was made. Losing your cool online isn’t worth losing future customers who will read your response. Remember that the manner in which you respond to negative reviews matters.
Get More Reviews. Grow Your Busuiness.
By taking just an extra minute or two with each client asking happy customers to leave a review, you will watch your business grow fast. There are also a variety of online tools that help automate the process for you.
If you need help managing reviews or improving your websites Google Rankings, reach out to the website and SEO experts at experts at GroupM7 today today.
Lindsay Hanks
