Do Reviews Impact Local SEO Ranking?

Customer reviews are an integral part of the consumer buying process. If their impact on a consumer's purchasing decision is now known to everyone, what about their influence on the local SEO? Do reviews influence local SEO ranking? Can they help you gain visibility locally?

But before talking about visibility and local SEO, let's talk about your presence on search engines. We will only discuss elements relating to Google because it is quite simply the undisputed leader of search engines worldwide!

Natural Referencing is Essential to Gain Visibility

Do you know natural referencing? Did you know that customer reviews can help you improve it? Yes, Google likes to receive fresh and new content frequently. Collecting a maximum of customers' opinions regularly sends very good signals to Google, allowing you to improve your natural referencing. And this improvement will help you obtain more customers thanks to the visibility offered on Google. And if you manage to position yourself on the first page of the results, bingo!

This is not the only interest of customer reviews for your natural referencing: do you know the long tail keywords? These are quite long queries where there is very little concurrency. Despite a low search volume, they remain very interesting because the Internet user making this request will have a much more targeted need than a shorter request.

For example, when searching for "family campsite," the results provided by Google will be many and varied. Conversely, if the Internet user searches for "family campsite with swimming pool in Edmond," the results will be much more targeted. And to find the best long-tail keywords for your website, use your customer reviews!

By analyzing and identifying the phrases that stand out the most from your customer reviews, you will be able to identify the long tail keywords for your business.

Boost Your Local SEO, Thanks to Your Customer Reviews!

In order for Internet users to see how much you deserve their attention, get your customers talking! It's not about manipulating search engine results. On the contrary, the local SEO actions you will put in place simply help give a faithful vision of your business.

The Essential Preliminary Step: Google My Business

If you do not yet have a file on Google my Business for your establishment, you are strongly advised to create one as a matter of urgency. Google My Business is a free service from Google to reference your establishment and can help you improve your local SEO.

A set of current information is requested: your activity sector, address, etc., but you can go further! By entering your opening hours and the means of contacting you, you make your listing much more practical. It can also be animated with photographs or with a virtual tour of your establishment.

The Impact of Customer Reviews on Your Local SEO

The average score calculated according to the different opinions of Internet users has great importance in your local SEO ranking. It may even be the only factor that you can directly influence. How? Simply encourage your customers to recommend you on the Web! Installing a tablet within your company, for example, is a widespread practice. Satisfied customers will gladly seize this opportunity.

Unfortunately, dissatisfied people are the most likely to post a recommendation online. By approaching your other customers, who are indeed very satisfied with your services, you allow them to express themselves!

Some Tips to Improve Your Local SEO

To ensure your local referencing, ensure you have correctly filled in all the information that allows you to be found: name, contact details, sector of activity, etc. This is the minimum to do on your site and the platforms that reference you.

To acquire additional positive reviews, we advise you to bet on your customers! A display in your establishment or sending a satisfaction questionnaire makes it possible to collect sincere reviews effectively.

Make your employees aware of the challenges of customer reviews and the impact on local SEO! For a company, it is essential to work on its natural referencing.

If you want to boost your ranking on search engines to increase your traffic and gain qualified leads, contact RadVine Marketing for their Search Engine Optimization services. The expert team will formulate an SEO roadmap personalized to your unique business needs, and in a few months, you will achieve the top ranking on Google. Call 405.212.9432 or visit the website for more information!