Whether you’re a newcomer to the digital space or a long-time internet native, navigating SEO is likely a critical element of your brand’s marketing strategy—but do Google reviews help SEO?
Google reviews are an important component of SEO. Although numerous factors affect your website’s rankings, reviews can “tell” Google’s algorithm that your brand carries authority in the digital space.
If you’re investing in SEO efforts, you should equally invest in gathering quality customer reviews. And, if you’re looking for more information about the relationship between SEO and Google reviews, read on.
Table of Contents
Do reviews help Google ranking efforts? Absolutely. Let’s break down some key elements of SEO and explore how Google reviews fit into the SEO puzzle.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) describes efforts to make your brand rank as highly as possible in search results. When consumers Google something, you want your site or content to appear at the top of the pile (and not necessarily in the form of a paid ad).
Google chooses which content to display first (and last) using a proprietary algorithm that assesses a variety of factors, including:
The above list isn’t exhaustive, and each element deserves its own TED Talk. But, let’s focus specifically on the last point and narrow in on page authority.
Page authority describes the relevance of a certain page to a search engine query—high-authority links rank higher in search results. And authority is rewarded on Google via the Map Pack. The Map Pack is a list of three businesses at the top of the page, each of which meet the search criteria.
A place in the Map Pack is a coveted spot that increases your visibility in search results and can potentially increase your clickthrough rate (CRT).
Reviews should be a top focus if you’re trying to reach the Map Pack. Businesses that appear in this section have:
Why are all of the above so critical to appearing in the Map Pack (and ranking highly in more general searches)?
The results are clear—Google reviews help SEO and increase the likelihood that tire-kickers will become customers. Now what?
Our team wrote a full-length article about getting more Google reviews for your business, but here are some quick tips for acquiring reviews:
Perhaps you've done the work, gathered lots of quality reviews and responded to them. Whether or not these efforts have earned you a spot on the Map Pack, what’s next?
Google reviews are a critical consideration in the SEO algorithm—businesses with high-quality reviews (and lots of them) are rewarded with a high ranking.
If you’re looking for an easy way to collect customer reviews and interact with your clients, SMS marketing is the right tool for the job. And, with Textedly's Online Review Management Software, you can easily send SMS messages to your contact list using our simple, powerful platform.
You have something to say to your clients—why not send them a text?
Sources:
Search Engine Journal. How Google Reviews Impact map Pack & Organic Search Rankings. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-reviews-impact-rankings/429783/
Interaction Design Foundation. Search Engine Optimization. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/search-engine-optimization
Search Engine Journal. The Three Pillars of SEO: Authority, Relevance, and Experience. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-guide/search-authority/
Google. Business Profile. https://www.google.com/business/