Can Online Reviews Help My Website’s Search Ranking?
Richard Horvath
Accelerate Your Success with Our Creative Web Design and Effective Digital Marketing Solutions
The concept of reviews for products and services is not new. You’ve most likely read or even left reviews for a good or service in the past.
Now more than ever, reviews are an integral part of your company’s online presence. Failing to deliver on the promise you made to your customers can be a death sentence for your business. Too many bad reviews and potential customers will take their money and shop elsewhere.
Positive reviews are what you need to stay competitive.
The Importance of Online Reviews
Today’s consumer will do their own research about you and your business before making a purchasing decision. Often, this research leads to reviews.
A Majority of Consumers Read Reviews Before Making a Purchase
Did you know that almost 90% of consumers will read a review before moving forward with a business? Additionally, over 70% of consumers will only make a purchase after reading a positive review.
Knowing these statistics ?should be encouraging for you and the quality services and products you provide.
Search Result Rankings and Reviews
A wide range of elements add to a website’s search engine rankings. Google has more than 200 positioning elements that make up its calculation … audits are incorporated. While there is certifiably not a particular rundown of how positioning variables are weighted, we do realize they give a significant effect. So don't ignore this pivotal component of your image advertising.
Make sure you focus your efforts and improve:
Stay Positive!
It’s no secret that you should strive to receive lots of positive reviews from your clients and customers. But, the real challenge is getting them to take the time and submit a review.
Overcoming the Challenge
What is the best way to receive positive reviews? Simply asking your customers!
Allow me to share from past experience: At one point, I worked for a multi-family lodging organization (an extravagant expression for a high rise). Notwithstanding our every day errands, we were relied upon to get reviews from our resident. These went from upkeep administration demand fruitions to rent reestablishments to generally speaking fulfillment of the local area.
I'll be straightforward, we battled getting reviews. Not that we battled getting positive audits, but rather that nobody truly needed to take an interest in the overviews. Our sister properties were getting reviews and study consummations like it was everything you can eat night at the fish buffet. Individuals were leaving audits left and right.
This created a dilemma, as part of our performance was based on the number of reviews we received – and we were losing face. Finally, my team reached out to the manager of the top property in our region to find out what their secret was to all the reviews.
The answer was simple:?just ask for it.
So, with that new bit of information, our team began the process of asking every resident to leave us a positive review on the survey. Within weeks, we were on track with our numbers, and we saw vast improvement in the quality of our review scores.
What Does All This Mean?
Basically, everything reduced to the residents not feeling like they expected to finish the survey. When we verbally mentioned the survey, and clarified the significance, our occupants were readily ready to leave reviews for us. They simply didn't have a motivator previously.
Presently, that doesn't imply that we gave them anything above extraordinary assistance, yet the inhabitant felt associated with us by and by and needed to assist us with succeeding. Presently, had the occupants been angry with our administration, the outcomes probably won't have been so fantastic.
Always follow up with your customer by sending an email a short time after you have completed your business transaction with them. This will help build a good customer relationship that should both help you repeat business and receive more positive reviews.
How You Can Take Advantage of Positive Online Reviews
Keep a list of satisfied customers who you think will leave a positive review. While you can never be too sure of their actual review response, you shouldn’t actively seek reviews from unhappy customers.
Have your customers leave you reviews on multiple review sites like Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, or any others that are pertinent to your industry. Send out an email to your customers with a quick message about the service or good that you provided and then link to the review site you wish them to use.
It’s as simple as that.
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Remember that the more positive reviews you get, the more it will improve your website’s visibility. Don’t be satisfied with getting a few good reviews and a star rating. Try to get as many as you can without becoming pushy.
What Can I Do If No One Wants to Leave a Review?
Give them a reason!
Make a giveaway or another motivation for leaving surveys. Set up your principles so that leaving a review is the qualifier for the challenge. There are inventive ways of getting your customers to draw in with you. Simply tailor your way to deal with your crowd and the outcomes will come.
Overcoming the Negative
You’ve probably read many bad reviews. This is because people LOVE to tell their horror stories and “get back” at those who they feel have wronged them.
Think about the last time you had poor service somewhere. Likely, you told your friends how bad the experience was.
Now, can you remember the last time you raved about someone’s great service? Probably not. That’s because great service is expected. That is one of the main difficulties with overcoming negative reviews – data has shown that people are far more likely to leave a complaint than they are to leave praise.
The best way to overcome negative reviews is to first, give great customer service and complete the job you are tasked with to perfection. Don’t leave room for negative critique.
Again, I will share an example from a previous employer. When I was in my early 20’s, I worked as an installer for a custom counter-top and cabinet company. In this particular example, I was part of a crew tasked with installing granite counters and a bar in a home. We had to tear out the old counter and re-install the new granite. The original counters had crown molding attached underneath the bar, which had to be removed before installing the new top. We pulled off the molding and set the wood pieces on the table next to where we were working and then completed the job.
Now, the point is that once we got back to the shop, our owner came to speak with my team and stated that the homeowner was displeased with his install. We all were confused and wanted to find out why.
Can you guess?
It was because we left the crown molding on the table. The client called our boss and stated that his table was damaged and that our company was responsible. No mention of how great the new granite counters looked or that everything else was great. The focus was on what we did wrong, as minor as it was. That was a valuable lesson learned.
If you leave any room for someone to complain, then chances are, you will get that complaint.
Don’t Get Taken Down by Negative Reviews
Unfortunately, there aren’t many options to help here. Google will not remove reviews from your business listing unless you submit the review to their quality assurance department. Only if they deem the review was malicious will they flag it and potentially remove it. Your only real option is to try and bury the bad review with positive ones. Basically it boils down to showing that this one bad review is exactly that, an anomaly.
Respond to Your Reviews
Regardless of your reviews being positive or negative, it is a good idea to respond to each one. Be careful with your emotions, as you don’t want or need to get into a text sparring match via your review element.
Suggestions for Responding to Negative Reviews
It is a good idea to thank them for their review, make a statement about how you are sorry that their experience was not up to their expectation. If you want to go further to remedy the problem, ask them to contact you to speak about the issue further. If you are able to come to a positive resolution, then the client may even be willing to update their negative review with a favorable one.
If not, then you have tried and any potential client that comes across the negative reivew will recognize the effort on your part.
Responding to a Positive Online Review
This is an easy one! Thank your client, make sure you let them know you value their business and are hoping they are enjoying what you provided (don’t go into detail here for privacy reasons), and remind them to touch base with your company should they again need a service or good that you provide.
Do you need help Improving the Reviews for your Website?
Now you should have a better understanding of why your business needs online reviews and how it can help improve your overall search engine ranking. Remember that the opinions of your customers and website visitors provide value to Google and other search engines. Take advantage of these valuable resources and see how it helps the improvement of your website ranking.
If you are in need of?reputation management , TheeDigital can provide that solution. Contact the?internet marketing ?professionals at TheeDigital in Raleigh, NC at?919-635-5564 ?or?schedule a consultation ?to find out how your business can benefit from strategic social media marketing.