It is a well-observed fact that reviews affect your business’s rankings in local searches. But nobody has told you how or in what manner. And you may believe that the more reviews your business has, the higher its ranking gets. But is this actually the case?
In a recent study by SterlingSky on local ranking, we found that once a business or practitioner garners 10 reviews on listings, Google’s algorithms boost its ranking in local search results.
But that’s not all there is to it. After some time, the boost does not continue as you get more reviews. Reminds us of the law of diminishing returns, and in this case, it is there.
To help you understand, here is an example:
As you can see, when the reviews went from 3 to 16, there was a rating increase. But when the reviews increased to 31, it minimally affected the rating.
Many business owners stated that 10 could be a “magic number,” as they observed a sudden increase in the rating, but less of an increase after.
Rankings Are More Than Just Reviews
Reviews are just one piece of the puzzle. Getting a ton of them does not mean you are going to rank well. What’s important is that you need at least 10 reviews for a better listing. And having them also helps in building trust and getting conversions.
Recency Matters
While numbers tell their own story, the recency of reviews also matter. We found that when businesses got reviews from time to time, their rankings increased. But when there was a lull in reviews there was a decline. Therefore, by setting up a system that regularly updates your ratings, you can ideally rank on top for a longer time.
Length Can Make A Difference
The length and content of a review can make a difference in your ranking. Reviews that are specific, genuine and include photos will often perform better in search rankings. Develop a plan to request reviews from satisfied customers and encourage them to elaborate on your product or service. You’ve likely noticed that one-star reviews are longer because the customer is genuinely writing about something that they didn’t like. Persuade your satisfied customers to do the same for positive reviews!
Key Takeaway
The bottom line is that reviews can make or break your rankings. No matter how many or how long they are, reviews matter for your business to become a trusted brand, a company that people genuinely talk about, and a reflection of how well it is doing. Having a plan to request reviews from satisfied customers and actually asking them to leave a review will help ensure you have consistent postings to ideally boost your ranking!
For assistance with developing a plan to increase your Google reviews, contact the experts at Tried and True Digital Marketing!
It’s good news all around for those who’ve always wished to be able to crop the photos uploaded to their Google Business Profile posts!
Last month, a user spotted a cropping tool overlaid on the pictures she uploaded to her Google Business Profile and took to Twitter to inform the world about this latest development. It seems like the tool has been added to enable businesses to make their GBP posts and updates as effective and presentable as they wish.
Why This is Important
Images play a major role in promoting products and services to prospective customers and/or clients. Any tool that can help enhance these images to make them more appealing is always welcome!