93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, so gaining plenty of excellent Google reviews is a must. Not only are they a free way of enhancing online brand awareness and attracting new customers, Google reviews are also essential to improving your search engine rankings.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Say, you’ve just moved house and are looking for a hairdresser in your new local area. Ideally, you want to choose somewhere that has been highly recommended, and Google is the first place you’re going to look. You aren’t going to choose a salon with a low rating, and you probably won’t go for somewhere that has no reviews at all either. The online consumer is always most likely to choose a business with a large number of positive reviews – we’re talking about quality and quantity.
Fantastic Google reviews are going to help you stand out from the competition and will drive potential customers to your website. Bad reviews or not having any reviews at all will do the opposite. Here are the top four reasons why Google reviews matter.
1. Google Reviews & Ranking for SEO
Google wants to show consumers the most reliable, accurate and authoritative website for their search query. This means that online reviews (Google reviews in particular of course!) play a huge part in Google’s search algorithm as they offer proof that your website is reliable. In order to enhance your SEO web design, we suggest that you keep tabs on the quality, quantity, frequency and recency of your online reviews.
2. Ranking for Local SEO
Google reviews are great for local SEO web design, as having a significant number of reviews allows your business to show up in the Google ‘Map Pack’. The ‘Map Pack’ shows businesses in your local area that are relevant to your search, and give details such as the address, phone number and your Google review rating, as well as a link to your website.
If you show up in a relevant local Google search alongside competitors, you want to be the company with the highest number of positive Google reviews. This will not only make you more likely to appear above your competitors on the search rankings, excellent reviews will also help to sway indecisive potential customers towards your website.
3. Customer Feedback
Online reviews provide an excellent insight into how your customers feel about your products/services as well as their overall experience with your company. Think about it like a sort of market research tool that can help you improve your offering and become more appealing to your target audience. The feedback will enable you to enhance the customer experience from start to finish, meaning you’ll generate more sales by making the process as seamless as possible.
As a side note, it’s really important that you respond to Google reviews, both positive and negative, as it shows customers that you listen to feedback and value their opinion. This enhances your online reputation and builds trust with consumers.
4. Social Proof
Online shoppers are looking for evidence that your business is trustworthy and your product or service is high quality. Only 13% of consumers say they would buy from a company that has 1-2 star reviews online, demonstrating that people really do listen to customer testimonials.
Google reviews provide potential customers with ‘social proof’ from an unbiased source that they can trust your business, with 72% consumers saying that they trust a local business more when it has positive reviews. Great Google reviews mean a higher click-through rate, as consumers are more likely to visit your website if they know that you are offering a high standard of service.
Google reviews can help you to improve your SEO and drive website traffic, as well as offering you valuable feedback from customers so that you can perfect the customer experience. Having a large amount of good reviews enhances your online brand presence and builds trust with potential customers. Next time you interact with a loyal customer, it won’t hurt to ask them to leave a review!
Google reviews are just one of many methods that can be used to enhance your SEO and generate new leads. If you would like to learn more about how to increase sales through digital marketing, get in touch!
