Customer reviews are more than a ranking factor for local SEO; they help new potential customers choose businesses with confidence. If your target audience has multiple local companies to choose between, customer reviews are one of the biggest influences on which one they do business with. This article explains why customer reviews are important for local SEO and how to get more of them.
According to the latest insights from BrightLocal, 75% of consumers “always” or “regularly” read online reviews when searching for local businesses.
81% of consumers say they use Google to find local business reviews – by far the most-used platform for accessing customer reviews for local businesses. Facebook (45%) and Yelp (44%) are the second and third most-used platforms, but Google is clearly the most important place for local businesses to build their profile of customer reviews.
Something that initially surprises a lot of businesses is that you do not need perfect review scores. In fact, the same BrightLocal survey finds that customers are more likely to trust 4-star average ratings.
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In most cases, an average rating of 3.8 stars or higher puts you in the sweet spot. So, instead of worrying about 5-star ratings, concentrate on getting as many customer reviews as you can. Volume and recency are important with Google reviews. Consumers are far more likely to trust an average rating calculated from 50-100 reviews than they are from 5-10.
In the same survey, 31% said they want to see a minimum of 20-49 reviews on a company’s profile while another 28% said a minimum of 50-99 reviews. Which brings us to the point of this article: how can you get more Google reviews?
To get more Google reviews, implement these seven steps into your local SEO strategy.
First of all, make sure your Google Business Profile is in order. This is the hub of your local SEO strategy, giving you visibility in Google Search, Maps and other local placements. It also gives you the platform to showcase your Google reviews and average rating.
Make sure your profile is 100% complete, up to date and always accurate. If you need any help with this, take a look at the articles below or get in touch with our local SEO team if you run into any problems.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get – and the same applies to customer reviews. Leaving reviews takes time and effort so customers need motivation. Negative experiences are good motivators but it often takes very positive experiences to feel motivated enough to leave a review.
So, you need to add a little extra motivation where you can and simply asking customers to leave feedback can give them the little push they need. Especially if you’re asking off the back of an already positive experience.
Any online action is a tussle between motivation and friction. The more motivated a user is, the more friction they’re willing to overcome. At the same time, reducing the friction involved in completing an action can also lower the level of motivation required.
The Fogg Behavior Model (FBM) helps describe the relationship between motivation and friction in completing actions.
In other words, making it easier for customers to leave reviews results in more of them doing so. For example, if customers spend time in your stores, you can create QR codes for them to scan and quickly leave reviews.
Aside from reducing friction, you can also increase motivation with incentive tactics. To be clear, Google says “business owners shouldn’t offer incentives to customers to leave reviews,” in terms of financial incentives or rewards.
However, emotional incentives can be just as effective. For example, add a message like “Running a small business is tough, but you can help us by leaving a review” to your QR cards. Or, you could get staff members to suggest to customers that they can mention them specifically in reviews if they’re happy with the service they received.
Many people avoid leaving reviews because they don’t know what to say. Make it easier for people by asking them to leave feedback for specific criteria. For example, tell them you’re reviewing the customer service element of your business and ask them for honest feedback. By pointing customers in the right direction, you can make it easier for them to leave reviews and stand a better chance of getting the kind of feedback you’re looking for.
Send emails to customers, asking them to leave reviews. Add links to your emails so they simply need to click and leave their feedback – nice and easy. Also, make sure you have an automation workflow that only sends emails to customers who haven’t yet left a review. Don’t bug happy customers by sending unnecessary review requests.
Responding to reviews shows customers they’re not leaving feedback for no reason. This is a two-sided relationship and people are far more likely to leave feedback if they know you pay attention and listen to their opinions.
Show customers – old and new – that you respond to all reviews and address any issues they raise. Again, potential customers don’t expect perfect review scores but they do pay attention to how you handle unhappy customers.
If you need help getting more Google reviews from customers, our local SEO team is ready. Call us on 02392 830 281 or send us your details and we’ll call you back.
Kerry has been working in digital marketing almost since the beginning of the World Wide Web, designing her first website in 1995 and moving fully into the industry in 1996 to work for one of the very first web design companies. After a successful four years, Kerry moved to an in-house position for a sailing company, running the digital presence of their yacht races including SEO, PPC and email marketing as the primary channels. A stint then followed at another in-house role as online marketing manager. Kerry moved to Vertical Leap in 2007, making her one of the company’s longest-serving employees. As a T-shaped marketer – able to advise on digital strategy outside her main specialism – she rose through the ranks and in 2012 became the head of the Small and Medium Business (SMB) SEO team. In 2022 she became Vertical Leap's Automation and Process Manager. Kerry lives in the historic town of Bishops Waltham with her husband and daughter. When she’s not at work she enjoys cooking proper food, curling up with a good book and being a leader for Brownie and Rainbow Guides.
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Categories: SEO