Reviews - bright local Flashcards
Are reviews a weighted factor in Google’s local algorithm?
yes. Google’s local algorithm is entity based and reviews are basically crowd sources entity data.
Why are reviews important?
If a business has bad reviews then its less likely to show up on search results. The number of reviews and sentiment matter. If certain keywords appear in those reviews then you’re more likely to show up in searches for those keywords.
What else does Google consider?
Review Velocity.
If you get a few reviews here and there, that’s a natural pattern but if you get a ton on one day then its an unnatural pattern and google may start to look closely at that.
Review Score matters how much?
one or 2 bad reviews makes you look more real. but consistent bad reviews that mention the same problem are bad for business. 4.2-4.6 is a sweet spot for the review score.
potential customers will seek out your bad reviews.
What review sites should you aim to get reviews on?
google reviews are the most prominent but you need reviews on other sites as well.
sites like facebook, industry review sites or yelp and apple maps.
In the USA, Yelp feeds reviews into apple maps. Reviews on apple maps come from the businesses yelp profile and not from Google.
What should be the review process?
ASK every customer for a review. Verbally or have a sign with a link or QR code on a thank you note to make it easy for the customer to navigate to the review site.
Monitor all your review sites and respond to all reviews good and bad. People are looking at how you respond to bad reviews to get an idea of your customer service. The response isn’t for the upset customer. It’s for the people watching you.
Don’t fake reviews, this can result in getting your listing taken down or suspended by Google.
