The 3rd of Google's Ranking Algorithm: Why Online Reviews are Important in SEO

Intro

Online reviews are increasingly important for businesses, not just for helping potential customers make informed decisions but also for improving your search engine optimization.

Even though a customer review might not seem like much, it can have a significant impact on how the online community perceives a specific company. Reviews have been shown to increase a company's visibility and even propel a company to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).

Links, content, and reviews are the main components of Google's algorithm. In this article, we will discuss how reviews, the third most important ranking factor, can improve your SEO.

Testimonials and Target Keywords

Keywords play a big role in how easily consumers can find your content on the internet.

That's right - the words and phrases you use throughout your website and marketing materials can make a big difference in how visible your content is online.

If you're looking to target more keywords and improve your SEO, written testimonials can be a great help. By featuring positive reviews and testimonials on your website, you can show potential customers that your product or service is high quality and worth their investment. This, in turn, can lead to more traffic and better search engine visibility.

To get the most benefit from testimonials, be sure to feature long-tail keywords. These are three-to-four word searches or phrases that visitors type into their search bar to find what they want or need to buy. Long tail keywords target customers who are further along in the purchasing process and know exactly what they want.

And this is not difficult. Reviewers are more likely to mention some of your long-tail keywords in their reviews if they have previously made a purchase from you or had a positive experience with your business.

One important note about testimonials. Don't forget to ask the customer/s permission before featuring them on your site. Not only is this good manners, but it's also required by law in some jurisdictions.

Reviews = Content

One of the best ways to improve your SEO is by regularly publishing fresh, original content. Fresh content is critical for SEO

Maybe you're always coming up with fresh blog posts, lead magnets, or web pages that have relevant content and good keywords, but what happens when you run out of new ideas? That's where reviews come in.

Reviews can be a great source of updated content for your website or blog. By monitoring what people are saying about your business, you can quickly adapt and create new content that meets the needs of your audience.

As previously mentioned, fresh content is critical for SEO. The algorithms tend to favor websites that are constantly publishing new content. Customer reviews will help get this done for you in addition to your own work. When someone writes content about you and for you, it'll boost your rankings and online review ratings.

Online Reviews are Great for Local SEO

Online reviews are highly favored by search engines because they want to provide users with exactly what they are looking for. Search engine users can find more accurate and useful information thanks to online reviews, which act as social proof and authorities.

Businesses with a Google My Business listing typically receive higher rankings from Google. You can enhance your business listing in local search results using Google My Business. This means that when people Google your company, they will find the most current and accurate details about your location, business hours, images, and other details.

B2C businesses aren’t the only ones who benefit from online reviews. B2B buyers are relying on online reviews throughout the buyer’s journey. This is why having reviews on reputable third-party sites are so important. The more online reviews you have, the more organic traffic you’ll have. As a B2B company, using online reviews in your B2B SEO strategy is crucial to generate new, high-quality leads.

When determining how to rank your business in Google local search results, Google takes into account several review-related factors, including quantity, quality, velocity, and diversity.

The rate at which reviews build up is referred to as review velocity. A steady flow of reviews is always better as opposed to having a big chunk of reviews come in at the same time. A steady flow of reviews signals the search engine that the reviews are authentic. Review quantity, quality, and diversity are easy to comprehend.

The Impact of Positive Reviews

One of the most important things you can do to earn Google's trust is to get more positive reviews. Reviews signal to Google that your business is reputable and trustworthy. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely you are to rank highly in search results.

Another thing about positive reviews is that they can lower your bounce rate. Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on your page but leave right away, or bounce, as opposed to clicking around. Visitors will stay on your website longer and look at more of your products if they read favorable reviews. The bounce rate will go down as a result.

Search will send users to websites that are useful and offer reliable information. They'll think your website is useless if you have a high bounce rate. Therefore, reducing your bounce rate is crucial for raising your SEO.

Of course, getting positive reviews is easier said than done. The best way to get them is to provide great service and products that customers will want to write about.

How to Get Online Reviews

So, as you can see, there are plenty of good reasons to focus on getting more online reviews. Online reviews can mean the difference between ranking higher than a local competitor in SERPs. In other words, the more and better reviews you receive, the more likely you are to advance in local search engine rankings.

But how do you actually go about getting reviews?

There are a few ways you can go about getting reviews. The easiest way is to simply ask for feedback and a review after a customer have made a purchase or used your service. You can also include a call-to-action (CTA) on your website or in your email signature asking customers to leave a review.

Another way to get reviews is to offer an incentive in exchange for a review. This could be a discount, a free product, or anything else that would motivate customers to leave a review.

Finally, you can use automated review software to help you get more reviews. These tools can automate the entire process, from sending out review requests to publishing reviews on your website.

Here are a few extra tips to get this done easier:

1. Make it easy for customers to leave reviews. The easier you make it for customers to leave reviews, the more likely they'll be to do so. Add links to review sites on your website and make it easy for customers to find your business on those sites.
2. Encourage customers to leave reviews. A gentle reminder can go a long way in getting more reviews. You can send an email to customers after they've made a purchase, asking them to leave a review. Or, you can include a call-to-action on your receipts or packaging.
3. Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. Responding to all reviews shows that you care about what your customers think. It also gives you an opportunity to address any concerns that customers may have.
4. Monitor your online reputation. Set up Google Alerts or another type of monitoring tool to keep track of what's being said about your business online. This will help you catch negative reviews before they hurt your SEO.

When it comes to Reviews, quality is more important than quantity. So focus on getting high-quality, unbiased Reviews from your customers. By following these tips, you can start to see an increase in the number of online reviews you receive, which will in turn impact your SEO positively.

Last Word

Reviews contribute to the overall quality of your website and are especially important for improving your SEO. In this article, we discussed its positive impact on SEO, such as how they aid in the creation of new content and how positive reviews signal to Google that your business is reputable and trustworthy.

Search engines use algorithms to try to surface the best, most relevant results to users. Those algorithms are constantly changing, and they're getting better at understanding what users want. So it's important to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. But if there’s one thing you can count on, online reviews will continue to be an important factor in SEO. Make sure you're doing everything you can to get more reviews, and you'll see your search engine ranking improve.