In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we have the second part of our series on reputation management. This time we discuss reputation management and the impact on local SEO.
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Problem
Ever since we were kids we always wanted to be first. From line leader days in pre-k or kindergarten to winning a high school or college championship game, coming in first was what we have always aimed to achieve. So it’s no wonder that we are all trying to get our company or product or service to rank higher in search engines than our competitors. I guess you could say that we want to be the line leader of SEO results. It’s no doubt that your SEO team is using white hat SEO tactics such as link building, evergreen content, schema tags and so much more in the vein of attaining the coveted top 3 spots in search results. While all that is great, and super important, did you ever consider how your online reputation plays into your search results? I am sure you’ve seen the stars that show up next to a company in Google search results but did you ever wonder how or why the stars were there? Stick with me as we explore how reputation tracking can lead to improved local SEO.
Solution
Most SEO strategists find a strong correlation between reviews and organic search result rankings, particularly in Google. It is widely believed in the industry that the importance of reviews as they relate to search result rankings will only increase over time because, as we mentioned in the last podcast, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So being able to display your stars will show Google that your customers trust you, that they are happy with what you provide and that you’re a credible solution. Here are some things we know about reviews and how they impact local SEO:
* it’s generally believed that 10 reviews left at Google provides a little bit of a ranking boost
* Google may be trying to incorporate review sentiment into its ranking algorithms so it would be who of you to get ahead of that and start managing your sentiment today so that when this does happen you’re not playing catch up.
* On-page SEO remains the top factor that Google considers when ranking local business, but studies show that reviews are rapidly growing in importance.
* Finally, Google knows a fake review when it sees one and can penalize you for such tactics. In order to rank and to rank with stars, be sure that your reviews legitimate.
I know we shared the Benjamin Franklin quote with you in the last podcast but it bears reaping again today. He once said “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it”. Boy was he right!
Well that’s it for today. I hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn. Let us know what you think and what you’d like to hear about next. And if you like our podcasts, please share with your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing. Join us for a future podcast as we talk about Local Targeting with FB Paid Advertising.
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