Does Google review impact Local Ranking?
Google reviews have a great impact on the local rankings. Positive feedback and evaluations can undoubtedly increase the local ranking of a business. Positive Google Reviews help to boost search results and overall SEO efforts.
Online customer feedback can be a powerful signal to search engines that convey trust and strength. Online review planning can help you in differentiating your business and make your business standout of the crowd. Let us have some knowledge on the following points related to the Google Business Reviews and Local Ranking:
- Responding to Reviews Build Trust
- Why do Rankings Support Google Reviews?
- Importance of Google Reviews
- Best Practices to Boost the Rating Score
- How to Handle Positive Feedback
- How to Tackle Negative Feedback
- Strategy Development to Review Responses
1. Responding to Reviews Build Trust
It doesn’t matter whether you receive a positive or negative review. If you want to demonstrate your customer service commitment properly, you must respond to that review attentively. You have invested a lot of time and money in attracting customers, hence it is important to interact with them too. You can face the risk of increased customer turnover if you do not respond to feedback. Online reviews should not be regarded as static or one-way information flow anymore.
To create an open communication platform, brands must connect and communicate with consumers. You can generate positive results in response to negative reviews. Statistics prove that 33% were turned around and posted a positive review after a negative comment was made, while 34% deleted the original negative assessment.
2. Why Do Rankings Support Google Reviews?
Several local seo ranking factors help to decide where a business is locally searchable at Google. You can control some of these local seo ranking factors while some remain uncontrollable. Companies with a high ranking also took some time to refine their Google profile, which allows them to compete and improve their exposure for online searchers. Below are the principal variables Google checks for the rankings of local search.
- Relevance:
The primary goal of Google is to provide consumers with the most appropriate information or business based on search words. You want to make sure that all listings are up-to-date, and all keywords that continue to be used in your sector are included in the information and detail to ensure that your company is served during specific searches.
- Distance:
If someone searches, the local search plays a major role and cannot be controlled. Google needs to represent the most relevant companies in the direct proximity of the research individual.
- Prominence:
Well-known brands are more likely than less-known brands to rank higher. Most importantly, the amount of information Google knows about a web service, including links, posts, directory lists, and online reviews. Google tests the data, number, content, and some of your online reviews when assessing online reviews. This means companies with a high-performance rating, which receive a large number of reviews regularly, receive greater consideration than businesses.
3. Importance of GOOGLE Reviews:
Google Business review increases brand trust, online exposure and local search. It affects the entire experience of the customer. Here are the top 4 importance of Google Business reviews:
- Awareness:
Online reviews allow businesses to become more accessible to web search users by asking about how to find them. There is not just an online review where consumers are going to learn more about new products and businesses, but it is not just getting noticed and keeping up with them.
- Consideration:
When the online researchers locate your company, it will have a significant impact on whether or not you click on your listing to learn more about your star rating and the number of reviews. Higher-ranking firms are more attractive. It's that straightforward. The minimum star rating for a company the average customer still considers is 3.3 based on the research performed through Podium.
- Purchase:
Online reviews play a significant role in determining if your company is preferred by a customer. In reality, many consumers claim that online reviews impact their own decision to purchase. Many say they are convinced to purchase it by the content of a review.
- After purchasing:
After purchasing and reviewing the product, your reviews provide useful insights into its operation. Intelligent businesses use the quality of reviews to help them make real-time decisions to enhance customer service.
4. Best Practices to Boost the Rating Score:
You can easily boost up your rating score by following the below-mentioned points without facing any hurdle:
- Determine the appropriate time for the invitation to Google review.
- Set out review requirements.
- Importance of Google Reviews
- Remove the barriers to Google review.
- Study Google Invites through text.
- Using a feedback tool for online reviews.
5. How to Handle Positive Feedback
Handling positive feedback well can also affect your ranking. There are a lot of ways you can handle positive feedback. Some of them are mentioned here:
- Thanks to the customer – if someone in real life praises someone else. Present sincere gratitude for their work and the time they have spent in writing a review.
- Get specific – Generic comments are good, but focusing on something unique to your review gives customers more personal contact.
- Encourage them to come back – whether they are persuaded with a new product by the business or just want the customer to see them again. Just allow your friends to come.
6. How to Tackle Negative Feedback
Let us gain some knowledge over how to tackle any negative review on your page to make your customer satisfied
- Justify your feedback and thank them –Negative reviews assist in making improvements in their current business practice. I apologize to you for your unsatisfactory experience and thank you for your honest feedback.
- Respond immediately –Remember that the discussion is public. Do not blame or try to argue against the customer.
- Give an offline discussion –do not take a public review platform for a dissatisfied customer. Just ask them for more details so they won't be back and provide them with contact details so that they can contact customer support.
7. Strategy Development to Review Response
Building a review strategic plan and maintaining it is a good way for brands to improve their local SEO and increase their rankings. Google's announcement of the enhancement of the local search engine optimizations response means that businesses need the resources and plan to do so. Chatmeter has helped multi-location brands and agencies monitor and manage their assessments from a dashboard that is easy to use.
Thirumalesh Prasad C G (Thiru) is an entrepreneur, Founder, and CEO of Inboundsys. He has over 22 years of experience working for various multinational IT products and services companies in India and abroad. He was a significant member and worked as a user interface architect, designing the user interface for many web applications and products. In addition to running Inboundsys, he is an advisory board member in various other design studios and digital marketing agencies. He is a passionate blogger who loves writing on digital marketing, inbound marketing, lifestyle, philosophy, positive thinking, and motivation.