Exactly How Important Are Reviews for SEO?

Online reviews are important for the reputation of your business. That’s well known by most business owners these days. However, reviews for SEO are also important, which is something less well known. Although your website remains the single most important digital asset you own, how often people get there can be greatly affected by online reviews. These reviews often dictate whether or not viewers decide to land on your website.

Every business wants (and needs) happy customers. Their positive experiences fuel the success of your company. Yet for all their importance, many companies pay little actual attention to procuring and monitoring online reviews. That’s a dangerous practice. An addiction treatment center needs to keep track of its addiction treatment reviews. A dental practice must be aware of its dental practice reviews, and so on. Reviews for SEO should always be a part of any company’s marketing plan. 

Getting Reviews For SEO Requires Time & Effort

Some companies take a “hands off” approach to online reviews because they know staying on top of them requires a genuine commitment. For some smaller businesses, this can indeed be difficult. Just the day-to-day routine is hard to stay on top of. Monitoring online reviews could seem a bit too much to handle. 

For some businesses, it’s a smart idea to assign a staff member to monitor your reviews online. Unfortunately, that’s not always a realistic option. When that happens, it may be a good idea to partner with a digital marketing firm that can help with this and other marketing tasks you simply don’t have the time to accomplish. At that point, it’s time to do what every good business does: properly delegate responsibilities.

Why Review Sites Matter

Naturally, you want good reviews. However, you also want what big reviews sites offer you. Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor and others have enormous domain authority. When they create a link to your website, you’re obtaining backlinking power that’s unequalled. That’s why review sites matter. You want reviews for SEO value. It’s that simple.

People going to online reviews are often looking to educate themselves about a business. They want to know what the general opinion is concerning your company. They’re looking for something your content writing will never be able to provide: unvarnished opinions about you from real people, whether good or bad. Word-of-mouth advertising counts for many people, and online reviews is some of the best such advertising you could ever get. 

Are You Actually Asking for Reviews?

Sure, every business wants online reviews. However, are they willing to do what it takes to get them? In short, are they willing to ask for them? You may not want to automatically ask everyone. Asking satisfied customers, though, is perfectly appropriate. Don’t just expect them to automatically review you because they like you. Ask for that review. It helps them remember to do it.

Are You Responding to Both Positive & Negative Reviews?

Getting good reviews is a great feeling. However, don’t just read them. Send a response back, thanking people for good reviews. The reviewers will appreciate that. So will anyone reading those reviews.

Naturally, not every single review will ever be great. Sooner or later, someone won’t like something you’ve done (or that they think they’ve done). You can’t just ignore these. If, for example, they aren’t stating facts correctly, it’s on you to jump in and clarify things. 

Always respond politely and professionally, no matter how impolite the reviewer may be. Remember that there’s always some people that you can never make happy. If you did something wrong, take it on the chin and promise to address the situation. Readers will value your honesty and commitment. As you strive to obtain reviews for SEO value, patience is always a virtue.

How Important are Reviews For SEO? Enough That You Should Be Encouraging and Monitoring Them

Online reviews can represent powerful referral marketing. In fact, they can be one of the most effective tools in your marketing toolbox. Clearly, online reviews matter to your SEO. When there are a host of positive online reviews on a platform with strong backlinking power, yeah, it’s definitely a factor in your SEO.

Of course, when people read reviews and go to your website, they need to be impressed by what they find. Make sure that happens. Dreamscape Marketing can help you enhance your website’s design and content to attract the kind of web traffic you’re looking for. Call us today at 888.307.7304 and let’s talk about how to take your digital marketing to the next level of success.