Google reviews are the second biggest ranking factor in local SEO. In my blog post I explain how Google reviews affect your SEO, where you can see them and how best to deal with them.
What Google reviews are about
Before we delve deeper into why Google reviews are important to your business, let’s first clarify what we’re talking about. There are many types of reviews on the Internet:
- Customer reviews on their own website
- Rating platforms such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, Kununu, Jameda or Trustpilot
- and reviews on Google directly.
Throughout this article, I’m referring to reviews from Google Business Profiles, aka Google My Business . As soon as a company has been created as a profile, you will find the entries on Google Maps and in the organic search. In addition to the star rating, the so-called rating, the entries also contain information on the address, contact details and opening times as well as pictures, a brief description of the company and – particularly relevant for this article – reviews, the formulated reviews.
Google’s “in-house” review platform is still known as Google My Business, but was rebranded to Google Business Profiles in late 2021. What initially appears to be a practical service for searchers is much more than that: it is one of the largest rating platforms and influences your business. Since the company profiles are closely linked to Google’s algorithm, your ratings also affect SEO – at least when it comes to local reference .
The regional assignment is the most important criterion for Google as a rating platform, because Google is industry-independent. Doctors, restaurants, service providers and public institutions can all be rated here. Most other review platforms, on the other hand, offer industry-specific reviews and can go more in-depth this way. Accordingly, Google ratings and other rating platforms complement each other.
How important are Google reviews for SEO?
Google reviews are so important for a local business that it acts as the second factor in local SEO ranking. So if you don’t have enough then you have to buy google reviews to boost your local business.
Both online and offline, the experiences of other customers are decisive for their own purchasing decisions. If given a choice between two donut shops, I’d pick the five star rather than the three. Maybe even if the five-star store is further away.
Since Google’s goal is to answer user searches as accurately and satisfactorily as possible, i.e. to suggest not only the closest but also the best donut shop to me, Google uses the ratings in local search queries to help me make my decision.
What does local search mean?
Search queries that are navigation-driven are referred to as local searches. Behind this is the search intention for a shop, service provider, company or other facility in the vicinity. The search queries are answered by Google with the Local Pack and organic SERPs. You can see the difference in the graphic below.
You want to learn more about local search and if, why and how you can invest in your local SEO? Then I recommend the article about Local SEO by Anika.
Google reviews as a ranking factor in local search
The weighting of different ranking factors changes over time. While some factors lose relevance, others gain. Whitespark conducts an annual survey of local SEO experts and collects statistics on which ranking factors they consider to be important . The development of the last few years shows that the relevance of Google ratings is constantly growing.
According to Whitespark’s 2021 survey, customer reviews account for 17 percent of Local Pack rankings . For the local organic search, the experts assume at least five percent . Although Whitespark also includes ratings from other rating platforms, it can be assumed that Google ratings have a significant influence on the ranking.
According to this, ratings are currently the second most important ranking factor in local SEO after the general signals from the Google company profile. However, it is not just about the top mark in the star rating. Rather, the ranking factor is made up of various criteria. Exactly what these are cannot be determined. Experts, including from the Moz Group , which also conducts studies on local ranking factors, list the following aspects :
Google reviews as a ranking factor include:
The number of reviews
How many ratings, reviews and ratings have been posted for your business? The more Google reviews there are, the more representative the image is, which has a positive effect on your local SEO ranking.
Are the reviews mostly positive or negative? Higher ratings also lead to better rankings as long as they are authentic and genuine.
The distribution of reviews
Where else but on Google are there reviews of your business? If your company is also mentioned and rated on other (industry-specific or local) rating platforms, this also has a positive effect on your local SEO ranking.
The review speed
How long has your business received Google reviews? Too many reviews at once looks like spam. Therefore, slowly but steadily growing review numbers are more authentic.
The timeliness of the reviews
How long has it been since the last Google review? Current reviews show that your company is active and sends positive signals.
The response rate
Does your business respond to Google reviews? Appreciative and solution-oriented answers to reviews show that a company offers good service and values its customers.
Google ratings as a communication channel
Don’t take Google reviews seriously just for ranking. If your brand is searched for, your Google company profile will appear on the right-hand side in the SERPs, together with the star rating, the number of reviews and the most important customer testimonials.
Why is this important? Customer reviews tell something about a company, its strengths and weaknesses and what makes it more or less attractive as a service provider for potential new customers. Reviews can create trust or undermine it in the first place, thereby influencing the purchasing decision.
Therefore, permanent reviews provide the basis for valuable conversions! So if you want to boost your local business you have to collect customer positive reviews.
