In a recent Harv Communications Blog post, we looked at some Google Algorithmic updates and their significance on overall website visibility. This touched on some of the numerous ranking factors that can contribute to how your website may appear across Search Engine Results Pages on Google and other primarily Search Engines. These can include both onsite & offsite factors that help these Search Engines determine both the quality of a website as well as the relevance to a specific short or longtail search query. One example of an offsite factor that can then be directly linked to the website is Reviews. For example, looking at the importance of Google Reviews and how they can help improve visibility and build trust, ultimately leading to conversions.
How to Write Google Reviews
When it comes to writing Google reviews, there is not necessarily a right or wrong way to do it. Reviews are the words someone wants to share of their own experience with a business, product, or even an employee. For the most part, you can always trust that if someone has taken the time to leave a review, it is real. Businesses are welcome to ask for reviews but there is a very fine line with incentivizing or rewarding someone for an experience that did not actually happen. Reviews should always be genuine and Google makes a point of saying that any incentivized or disinguine Reviews are prohibited. If you are not familiar with how to actually leave a Review for a business, the process itself is quite simple. Log into your Google account, use a Google Search or utilize Maps to find the business, and toggle to the Reviews area where a button will prompt you to leave a review which includes a star rating as well as an option to add any text. Once published, the manager of the listing will receive a notification.
When a potential customer or client is towards the bottom of the funnel and considering making a purchase, they may be searching for the nearest geographic option, contact information, or otherwise deciding which option to choose based on reviews. These reviews may be simple star ratings (think about your purchase decisions when shopping online) or a detailed description of someone else’s experience with that brand. A business that has a full collection of 4 or 5-star reviews may be the deciding factor for some people over a business that has no reviews or looks inferior by comparison.
How to Respond to Google Reviews
How a business responds to a review can be just as telling as the review itself. Regardless of whether it is a positive or negative review, a business that takes the time to respond to its community shows a distinct level of engagement. There are certainly best practices to consider when responding to reviews in general (especially for negative reviews) which I am always happy to shed some light on with my clients as part of consulting, however, these are fairly consistent across each industry and location. Respond to all reviews. Thank a person for taking the time and valuing his, her, or their words. People are entitled to their own opinions and there is no value in telling them they are wrong in a public format. Reviews are real experiences, from real people, and are worth their weight in gold. If you are comfortable with doing so, leaving a review for Harv Communications would really help me out and I would greatly appreciate it!
In terms of how reviews can correlate with search visibility, one of the easiest ways to look at it is from a click-through perspective. If a person is deciding on which website they want to look at, what business to purchase from, what restaurant they want to book a reservation with, or which practitioner they want to schedule an appointment with, reviews can often be the deciding factor. Reviews can also help build credibility, trust, and authority online much like well-written content does. Ensuring reviews are responded to, new reviews coming in, and otherwise utilizing your Google Business Listing with updates shows your small business is well taken care of and signals to Search Engines that the platform is populated with new content. Reviews are extremely valuable from an engagement, branding, conversion, and trust perspective.
