Opinions are important, especially for small business. Customer reviews drive growth. Not only are reviews important for businesses to learn from or to know what they’re doing right, they’re also great for customers who want to voice their opinions. This might be the reason why there are so many review sites these days. However, Google reviews might be more important to your business than the rest.
Google Reviews Could Impact Your SEO
Replying to customer reviews is good for your business, not just from a customer service point of view, but because even your SEO could be impacted. With so many review sites out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything customers are saying about you. However, it is critical to pay to attention to these reviews, as they can have a big impact on your reputation. There are studies that show that close to 90% of consumers consider online reviews as highly relevant when making a decision as to whether to purchase products or services from a certain business. Even the lack of reviews speaks louder than bad reviews, in some cases.
Beyond that, bad Google reviews could affect your ability to be found in search engine results. This is why Google reviews are quite possibly the most important of all. In fact, Google encourages people to respond to their business reviews as a way to improve SEO. This is because taking the time to respond implies that the business values their customers and their opinions and you know that Google is all about satisfying their users.
The Local Search Ranking Factors Survey for 2017 shows an increase in the importance of review signals for SEO. This increase is the most notable change in the survey, especially when compared to the results of 2015.
The Local Search Ranking Factors Survey is the most influential and thought moving survey in the local SEO industry. Conducted annually, it attempts to determine and score the most influential factors for how Google establishes its local rankings.
Source: Chatmeter
The thing is, reviews are used not only by customers but by Google also, to determine if a business is popular, trustworthy and demonstrates high-quality. Think about it. When you look for a local business online, the next thing you do is check out their reviews and this directly impacts your decision of doing business with them, right? Well, Google knows this, which is possibly why the review signals ranked so much higher in 2017, as they want to make sure the recommendations they provide are of value to their users.
Neglecting Google Reviews is Not Good for Your Business
At the end of the day, your customers want to be sure that you care about their opinions, and so does Google. As a business owner, we understand you want nothing more than the benefit of your business, which is why at Impressions Agency, we encourage you to respond to your Google reviews, whether they’re positive or negative. After all your efforts to attract customers, doing this could help you retain them.
