When you have launched your website with a dozen pages & a bunch of helpful articles, you start to think about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), & what you can do to send positive signals to the algorithm to display your content in search results?
One important method is to encourage reviews on the popular platforms for your niche.
“Reviews are an expression of the good & bad sentiment customers feel about your products & services.”
Moz conducted several studies to analyse the factors that influence search engine rankings over a number of years, & they believe Reviews play a key role, especially in Local search rankings.
They also found “There is no single answer to which factors carry most weight because Google handles results differently across their products, & for different markets, industries, platforms, & devices.”
Along with writing more problem-solving articles to attract ideal clients – you can build profiles on the main review platforms for your niche, then reach out to your associates & customers asking for reviews.
Associates might be people you’ve assisted while volunteering your services or others you have helped while working in professional development or on community projects.
Moz believes Google uses three types of reviews – Google-based reviews from Google Business Profile, Third-party reviews, e.g. like LinkedIn, Airtasker, or Yelp, & First-party reviews which a business publishes on their website.
It’s always good to vet the review platform you’re considering, as not all review sites are trusted, some remove truthful negative reviews after requests, causing credibility issues.
You might ask, “How can I build reviews quickly from zero as a new entrepreneur?”
Smart entrepreneurs will develop multiple structured ways for customers to leave reviews integrated into their business & marketing systems to expedite the growth of reviews.
They promote their preferred review platform/s & request reviews on their website home page, & in other areas where customers visit, e.g. the contact page.
They add a request to “leave a review” on their order confirmation page with a CTA link, plus on their invoice, & on the invoice email with CTA link (multiple x encouragement).
They create an automated email sequence, e.g. “leave a review” shortly after their service is completed or product is delivered, with a post-purchase survey.
The ACCC has guidance on how to ensure your review practices are legal in AU. For example, if you offer incentives, they must be applied regardless if the review is positive or negative, & clearly disclose it was incentivised.
Tip: Examine where your competitors get their reviews for your industry niche, then build a system to grow reviews on the platform.
Some credible review platforms are:
- Google Business Profile (GBP): Primarily for local search performance, GBP can significantly impact your visibility on Google searches & Google Maps;
- LinkedIn: Request reviews for your services or company, send 20 review invitations & mark projects complete. Premium subs. display their latest 4 or 5-Star review;
- G2: Specialises in software & SaaS product reviews, making it perfect for these types of businesses with subscriptions & introductory offers;
- Capterra: A resource for software developers, WordPress users, & IT services, providing professional in-depth reviews & ratings;
- Lazada/Shopee/Amazon: If you’re selling products or services, third-party reviews can improve your reputation by providing good signals to search engines;
- Angi (formerly Angie’s List): Is a good tool for trades & service-based businesses, particularly in the home services industry who want to build third-party reviews;
- Airtasker: For businesses offering services on the platform, customers post jobs, business are ranked & provide quotes/services, & customers leave reviews;
- Yelp: Popular in the restaurant & hospitality industries, Yelp can help you connect with local customers near your business location;
- Better Business Bureau (USA & Canada): Builds trust by letting businesses demonstrate their credibility and reliability;
- TripAdvisor: Ideal for travel-related businesses in accommodation, & including restaurants, & attractions.
Tip: Aim to set-up all three types of reviews that Google pays attention to – Google-based (GBP), third-party (LinkedIn), & first-party system (Your-website).
Customer reviews on these platforms can play a significant role in improving SEO & business performance for several reasons:
1. Reviews Help Consumers
If you’re like me and you purchase goods online from Lazada, Shopee, or Amazon, then you know that good reviews impact who you buy from.
Research conducted by The Bazaar Voice on 30,000+ global shoppers found 88% use reviews to discover & evaluate products.
Another finding was consumers use a combination of user generated content (UGC), e.g. high-quality testimonials, followed by star-ratings, & number of reviews or products sold, as signals influencing their buying decisions.
When in the Philippines I buy my Subaru parts online, as there’s limited supply locally, I try to buy from sellers with over 4.7/5.0 stars.
Plus, I like to read the reviews of happy customers with the same car as mine before buying, & I prefer to buy from sellers who sold the most items to boost deliverability.
I’m also a fan of leaving reviews for deserving sellers who provide high-quality products & for faulty product warnings.
2. Reviews Help Businesses
For an online business positive reviews & high star ratings impact everything from conversion rates, to sales, SEO performance, & being displayed higher in search results.
TBV’s Shopper Experience Index survey, found 59-65% of people in AU, USA, & UK rely on user generated content (UGC) in their buying decisions.
They also found 82% of shoppers search online before going in-store to retail outlets.
I’m known to compare online shopping prices with in-store prices on my iPhone, when I’m shopping in-store, & whoever has the best price usually wins my business.
Good reviews also help me to verify the quality of what I’m buying, & they trigger algorithms to display the best rated sellers first, helping the sellers visibility.
3. Boost Search Engine Rankings
Positive reviews on Google Business Profile, will improve a business ranking in local search results, as Google’s algorithm considers reviews from their own product to be a high-quality signal when evaluating search rankings.
They also use third-party review data from platforms like LinkedIn, Airtasker, & Yelp to assist search results & determine what are the best results to be displayed.
And they combine first-party data in their evaluation, like new customer reviews & testimonials that are published on your website.
Tip: If you want to improve your rankings, follow my lead & build systems to capture reviews across Google-based, third-party, & first-party systems.
4. Increases Website Traffic
When your business accumulates positive reviews on credible platforms, potential customers are more likely to visit your website from organic search results, & as referrals from the review platforms – this is a win-win for you & customers.
Then as your visitor traffic grows, the higher traffic can further enhance your SEO performance, by providing a high-traffic signal to Google & other search engines – generating more listings.
Tip: In addition to asking for reviews on LinkedIn, try posting your blog article excerpts on the platform to start the traffic flowing to your website from LinkedIn & SERPs.
5. Builds Trust & Credibility
Reviews act as credible social proof from people who have engaged with your business.
I know myself when I’m a prospective customer for a business, I’m more inclined to trust a business with numerous positive reviews & 4 to 5-Star ratings.
I also like to read both the positive & negative reviews for my evaluations on product sellers & service providers, before deciding to proceed.
The trust gained from reviews will increase user engagement, click-through rates, & conversion rates on your website, which are beneficial to the business owner.
6. Creates User Generated Content
Every review or testimonial from a customer is fresh user-generated content (UGC), sending a positive signal to Google & other search engines.
Search engines favour new, user-generated content because it indicates the business is active and currently engaged with its customers.
Ask yourself, “Who can I reach out to securing a review each day?” Then look back in 3-months & BOOM your reviews are growing.
7. Provides High-Quality Backlinks
It’s known that high-quality backlinks from authoritative third-party sites signal to Google that your website is credible & trustworthy.
When you have a business profile on sites like LinkedIn, G2, & Airtasker, or your local chamber of commerce, this will help you build authoritative backlinks.
This is like priming the search engines to understand that you’re a professional business, you’re active & currently operating in your industry niche.
8. Enhances Click-Through Rates
Businesses with positive reviews (UGC), higher star-ratings & more reviews are likely to receive a higher volume of clicks from SERPs, as these are indicators to Google that you’re worthy of a top listing in their results pages.
A higher CTR signals to search engines that your result is relevant to the user’s query, which can positively influence SEO performance in receiving organic listings & traffic.
9. Provides Customer Keywords
Customers can significantly enhance your SEO performance when using keywords related to your business & services in their reviews.
This is because search engines consider customer reviews as very credible UGC which boosts the relevance of your website.
The natural & varied language customers use in their reviews can help improve your search visibility for those terms, potentially adding new search queries.
10. Contributes To Schema Markup
Another reason why reviews boost SEO performance is from their contribution to schema markup, & particularly rich snippets.
Search engines evaluate the data from rich snippets, e.g. star-ratings, volume of reviews, reviewer name, & review dates, in considering to display a result page for a business.
In some results, the rich snippet data is displayed with your listing. For example, if you search for SpaceX Headquarters on Google Maps, you see a star-rating & customer/user review, which comes from their Google Business Profile.
I agree with industry leaders who believe reviews is one of the best SEO growth strategies for new entrepreneurs, as search engines consider reviews to be a key evaluation criteria for determining results pages.
5-Star customer reviews provide credibility & trust for a business, & some give high-quality backlinks – so it makes sense for search engines to rewarded those business with high-ranked search listings.
Let me know how reviews work for your business, & what’s your favourite review platform in the comments below?
