Did you know online reputation management can boost local SEO ranking? In this write-up, we look at the importance of reputation management and how it can improve your local SEO score.
We live in a world where most people turn to the Internet as their first and most trusted source of information. You have a competitive advantage when your business features high on the Search Engine Results Pages or SERP. Naturally, businesses across the board are investing in digital marketing strategies to improve their position on searches.
Talking of search engine rankings and most small businesses, local SEO is all that matters. It is the biggest driving force behind the success of small businesses. As a small business working on its digital marketing strategy, you need to focus on Local SEO to boost your rankings. The higher your rank, the better your prospects of attracting new customers.
How Google Uses Reviews To Determine Local SEO Rankings?
Have you ever wondered how Google ranks businesses on local search among dozens offering the same services? There are dozens of signals Google uses to rank businesses on search engines, including content, website, and mobile-friendliness, to name a few. Apart from it, one factor many tend to overlook is user-generated content. User-generated content has become a significant ranking factor for Google. Here are four parameters Google uses to determine local SEO rankings.
1 – Number of Reviews
Reviews are the first and foremost factor Google uses for local SEO rankings. The bigger the volume, the more chance your business to rank high on search results. Google uses volume as an essential ranking factor. For instance, a business with 200 reviews would rank higher than one that has 20 reviews when other factors, such as ratings, are the same for both businesses. The volume of reviews is a fair metric for ranking as it prevents businesses from misguiding Google’s algorithms with a handful reviews. When building a review management strategy, the number of reviews is the most critical metric your online reputation management company would target.
2 – Frequency of Reviews
As part of online reputation management, your business must regularly be reviewed by your clients. Along with the number of reviews, the frequency of the reviews is another important ranking factor. You are bound to see a drop in your local SEO rankings if your reviews are old, and new reviews haven’t come your way for a while. A local business needs to have an active review management strategy. They must be proactive and encourage customers to write reviews. A reputation management company can help in this as they create strategies that encourage customers to leave reviews on Google and other review platforms.
3 – Quality of Comments
It is a no-brainer that the quality of comments or reviews is key to success in online rankings. In the tech-savvy world, these reviews are often the final deciding factor for customers. The purpose of these review platforms is to help customers separate between the best and ordinary businesses. Google’s ranking algorithms take the quality of the reviews seriously. If a business is highly rated by its customers, it will feature on top of the search results, and the same is true for businesses with poor ratings. You must encourage happy customers to write reviews, as people unhappy with your business are self-motivated. Gathering positive reviews outweigh the threats from negative reviews.
4 – Response To Reviews
When users write reviews about your business, they expect a response from the business. According to recent studies, most users expect a response to their review within a day. Google also sees these responses as a good initiative and uses them as a ranking factor. The search engine giant considers businesses customer-friendly when they respond to reviews and rewards them with a higher ranking. Online reputation management companies have been quick to capitalize on this factor. Responding to reviews is part of their review management strategy. They ensure every review receives a response on time, thus helping their client improve their local SEO score.
4 Tips To Boost Local SEO Ranking with ORM
So far, we have discussed the importance of online reputation management and how Google ranks businesses in the local search results. It brings us to the most important part of this piece – how to boost local SEO ranking with reputation management. An online reputation management company can devise custom strategies to help your business. Here are some of the steps you can take to boost your rankings –
Set Up A Google Profile
Setting up a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the first step to success. It is the prime real estate property on the Internet that can propel your business to a higher local SEO. Creating one is easy, and it is free! You won’t need a business website to create a Google Business Profile, and the lack of a website won’t limit your ranking. The process is easy: you mention your business name, address, and phone number and write a few lines describing your business.
Use Potent Keywords
What are the keywords prospects would use to find your business? You already know the importance of keywords in search engine optimization. For instance, if you own a nail salon in Cook County, Illinois, a keyword such as Nail Salon Cook County is likely to be used by your potential customers. There would be other keywords your potential customers are likely to use when looking for businesses similar to yours. Make a list of these keywords and try using them in your Google profile description and website content. Use tools such as WordStream, Google Keyword Planner, and SEMrush, as they help you choose the best keywords for local SEO.
Focus on Local Content Marketing
Take control of your reputation management with an active content marketing strategy. Google ranks businesses high on local search results that add value to the users. Once you have unearthed the most potent keywords, you must use them to create locally relevant content. If you are promoting your nail salon, creating content that covers the latest trends in nail art or nail care would be helpful for the audience. Your potential customers shall search for such content, and you can increase your visibility with this strategy.
Engage With Customers
The above tips serve as good preparation for your review management strategy, but its success depends on your customers. To leverage the growing trend of user-generated content, you must be proactive and request customer reviews. Whether you run an online business or operate from a physical store, request all customers to leave reviews. Share links to platforms where they can write reviews.
Let’s Boost Local SEO with Reputation Management
Local SEO results have become a deciding factor in recent years. Ranking high on search results can bring new customers and increase your revenue. You need to focus on reputation management to take advantage of Google’s latest search algorithms. Engaging with customers on review platforms and encouraging them to write reviews is a great way to increase your brand’s visibility on search engines. It is a tedious task that requires a hands-on approach with constant monitoring and fine-tuning reputation management strategy. If you lack time and resources, consider hiring an online reputation management company.
If you are looking for a partner to help you with local SEO and put you in command over your online reputation, Cyrusson Inc. shall fit your bill perfectly. We are an experienced online reputation management company and empower businesses with our 360-degree approach to digital marketing. We add to your brand equity and help you generate fresh leads and more sales. Call us today (415-228-9969) to boost your local SEO ranking with reputation management and implement steadfast reputation management strategies.