Google’s algorithm uses customer reviews as one factor to help determine where a website should rank in search results. While it is not the only factor, reviews can influence your site’s position on Google as well as build trust, boost sales, target local customers, and increase click-through rate. In this blog, we will explore strategies you can use to optimize your Google Reviews to help your search rankings.
Encourage Customers To Leave Reviews
The most important part of reviews is to have plenty of them to impact your SEO. Encouraging customers or clients to leave reviews for your business directly is one of the best ways to increase your number of reviews. This could be in an email after they used your service or product, including a link to your Google Business Profile page on your social media accounts, or in person with a QR code to scan. Make it easy for customers to find where they can leave a review.
Respond to Positive & Negative Reviews
Google says it rewards businesses that respond to all reviews. For improved SEO results, it is important to be timely and respond typically within two days. This shows that you are engaging with customers and its community. Even if you get a negative review, it is still good for SEO to respond to the review. Although negative reviews are frustrating, knowing how to respond to negative reviews is important. Be polite and professional, and let the customer know you value their feedback. The plus side to responding is that Google is less likely to use the negative reviews as a ranking factor.
Add Reviews to Website
Adding a testimonial page to your website is a great way to showcase your positive reviews while also gaining trust and credibility for new customers. This also boosts your SEO when they are added to your website. Reviews add more keywords to your site, increasing your chances of appearing on the search engine results page.
Add Review Schema Markup
Schema markup is an important part of SEO, where code helps search engines better understand the content and overall website page. You can use Google’s structured Data Markup to add the schema to your website. The reviews schema displays the star rating along with your business in search results. This helps customers understand a business’s authority and credibility.
Contact Boston Web Marketing
If you have any additional questions about Google reviews or are looking to improve your business’s SEO, please contact our team at Boston Web Marketing today! Our SEO specialists help businesses in every industry achieve higher search results! Reach out to us at (857) 526-0096 or fill out the contact form on our website!