How To Build A Strong Google Review Strategy For Local SEO?

Google reviews can be easily influenced and impact your local search rankings. Google reviews in local SEO matter more than what you think. Building a strong review strategy is crucial as part of your SEO efforts that you may be ignoring. You must use time and effort to gain new reviews and retain existing ones. Ensuring a modest number of reviews is essential in the market today.

The type of Google reviews you want

Any review that a business gets is useful though some Google review are critically important in Local SEO rankings. You always want to ensure that the customers leave behind a lot of reviews with text where they discuss the services they received along with their experience.

They should mention the specifics of the service like:

• The problem they are facing
• The experience they had with your team during communication
• Photos of the job

Google my business review policy advocates that keywords are not a factor in rankings.

Reviews with images stay on top for a prolonged period

Incorporating images and videos with Google review can amplify their impact significantly. The use of visual content enhances the authenticity and reliability of the reviews. The widespread consensus is that reviews with photographs tend to last considerably longer than evaluations without photos. According to Google my business review policy if you are trying to get reviews opt for one with images.

But what do we mean by staying at the top? Google tends to review images as relevant and stays on top of this view longer in comparison to other reviews.

Check out the negative reviews in the top 3 on GBP

In some cases, Google will highlight a negative review in the top 3 that appear on GBP listings on mobile and desktop. This will have a negative impact on local SEO rankings. People may hesitate to get in touch with you in such cases.

You may be looking at ways to eradicate the negative review that is highlighted in the listings. The only way you can do this is to bombard the listing with legitimate positive lengthy reviews from your customers that include photos. In due course of time, one of them will push the negative ones out. It is also a great opportunity of responding to negative reviews.

Ensuring a steady flow of Google reviews with less effort

Obtaining regular reviews is critical to keeping a presence on Google Maps, and increasing visibility reveals areas for improvement. Being business owners many of them rely on top-notch service that provides positive reviews. People need a gentle prod to leave favorable feedback. Google does not permit businesses to compensate customers for positive evaluations.

Incentivizing employees

Employees in business can and should be encouraged to ask clients for positive feedback during interactions. It is better that they ask for photos during the review process. If an employee gets mentioned anywhere during the review reward them with some form of incentives.

Suppose the business has a lot of reviews then plan out a monthly drawing and reward the winner. Ensure it is fun and rewarding since everyone is the winner here.

Automate email templates

Provide customers with a link to review your business on Google. It is important that you streamline the process for them. Obtaining the link is right and it is right on the GBP dashboard and asks for reviews.

The trick is to obtain positive reviews with the least effort. Hence it is better if you go on to create an automated email template where using this link customers can post reviews. It is possible to personalize these emails but the entire objective is to obtain review from the customer.

Reviews missing

A lot of the businesses had issues with Google review in SEO rankings at an earlier juncture. New reviews are not being posted and, in some cases, the reviews that had been live for 5 years were seen missing from numerous profiles. 

This problem was so widespread in nature that Google my business policy review had to come into the picture. They have gone on to fix the bugging causing reviews and the algorithm that they employed filters out suspicious and inauthentic reviews in place. The intention behind this system is to ensure integrity.

Fake reviews

Fake reviews can be frustrating and, in some cases, your listing may be bombarded with forged negative reviews. Google is adept at catching these reviews and removing them from the system. Though sometimes fake reviews are published, Google my business will remove them as per the policy.

The temptation may be to get in touch with Google and try to remove them and hurt their rankings. But you need to be aware that all the effort that you take to report the reviews is not worth it in the long run at all. The general feeling is that businesses should be focussing more and more on positive reviews and not worry about what the competition is doing.

Negative reviews

Negative reviews are a good thing. The general view is that perfection is not always a good sign in the eyes of the customers. Though aiming for outstanding service is crucial, once in a while negative Google review will not be a bad move at all.

Authenticity is important and customers appreciate business that showcases a human touch. Any form of human error is indispensable and when a user sees a rating of 4.8 or 4.7 on Google they trust it more

Do not be afraid of negative reviews. Consider them as a chance to showcase your human side. People are going to like it if you make things funny.

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