Is there a relationship between Google reviews and search engine optimization (SEO)? If so, how big of an impact does it have on the rankings? Join us as we investigate the influence of Google Reviews!
Before technology changed the way people found businesses, a company’s success or failure was decided by word of mouth. A company’s performance would be severely harmed if too many individuals spoke bad things about it.
Let us fast forward to now, when word of mouth continues to have a significant influence on businesses. The main difference now is that brand reputation has been highly digital. Online reviews, particularly Google Reviews, have become a form of word-of-mouth.
Why Do Google Reviews Affect SEO Rankings?
The explanation is straightforward: Google believes in the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing. It evaluates the search position based on the number and quality of reviews. Customers utilize internet reviews to confirm their purchasing decisions, and search engines like Google follow suit.
This should come as no surprise, given that both users and search engines have the same goal. Google aims to sift through the enormous internet in order to offer you the most relevant information, service, or product in the shortest time possible, which is in line with our user goals! In reality, reviews function almost identically to crowd-sourced suggestions.
When you type a local search phrase into Google (such as “Thai restaurant”), the ranking of each site returned is influenced by three key factors:
- Relevance
- Distance
- Prominence
The first two ranking variables are self-explanatory; Google will try to show you Thai or Thai fusion restaurant alternatives in your nearby area. The category of significance includes reviews. If a Thai restaurant has hundreds of high-rated reviews, it may outrank a nearby rival who has fewer, lower-rated ones.
We’ll go through why reviews are so important to SEO success in the sections below.
How Much Influence Do Reviews Have on SEO?
Quite a bit. According to research, internet reviews are the sixth most important factor in determining a company’s ranking. The influence of Google reviews on SEO has risen by more than 20% year over year as of 2017. This proportion is only likely to grow as more buyers rely on internet reviews to make educated purchasing decisions.
Furthermore, Google Maps and Google Reviews are complementary. A well-optimized Google listing may help businesses acquire awareness, gain a competitive advantage, and improve their SERP ranks. The number, quality, frequency, and recency of internet reviews are all factors considered by Google.
This means that companies with a high number of high star ratings and reviews are more likely to be taken into account by the popular search engine. For example, a rating of 4.5 or above shows that people trust a certain brand, which Google acknowledges.
Role of User-Generated Content
Regular content production is critical for SEO. Fresh material is used by Google’s algorithms to determine if a website is active, which is why firms engage in content marketing. It’s not simple, though, to stick to the content plan.
This is where user-generated material comes into play. For search engine crawlers, user-created material such as images, videos, and Q&A pertaining to the items that are posted through social media platforms serve as authentic and fresh content.
Genuine consumers expressing their purchasing experiences, views, or recommendations without hard-selling shows Google that a firm has authority in the market. To put it another way, search engine crawlers are interested in what people have to say about a company, not simply what the firm has to say about itself.
The Volume of Google Reviews
A company with a lot of reviews and a good rating will likely rank higher in the SERPs. Many of these evaluations will contain relevant terms, especially long-tail phrases, that individuals use to convey their thoughts, which contributes to the association.
Many websites suffered as a result of Google’s removal of anonymous evaluations. This alone suggests that the number of online reviews has a direct impact on a website’s rating. Furthermore, it underlines that the algorithms value both the amount and quality of reviews.
Online Reputation Management
Reviews, both positive and negative, have an impact on a company’s reputation. The lifeblood of SEO is obtaining new reviews on authoritative networks like TrustPilot, Google My Business, and Yelp. That naturally begs the question: what about negative feedback?
Given the reasoning thus far, it would seem reasonable to assume that unfavorable Google reviews would result in a drop in ranks. That is not the case, though. Before taking such action, the search engine analyses the validity and diversity of the evaluations.
A single odd review does not result in a drop in rank. For example, a negative review posted in response to a late shipment or a random meeting with a nasty manager is unlikely to harm a company’s reputation or ranking on Google. However, genuine and persuasive complaints of financial wrongdoings will result in a very bad reputation and a drop in rating.
As a result, not only is the volume of reviews important for SEO, but so does the nature of the reviews.
Final Thoughts
The significance of Google reviews in terms of SEO ranking cannot be overstated. Customers rely on internet ratings and reviews to judge the brand reputation and quality of their product or service today more than ever. As a result, it’s fair to assume that a big number of favourable, yet genuine reviews will result in higher SERP ranks.
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