Before You Dive In...
When it comes to getting your local business found online, customer reviews are just one piece of the puzzle. After optimizing your site with the necessities for local ranking, reviews become an essential tool for differentiating your business from the rest of the other local businesses in your industry.
Looking at the image above, you see three businesses. You know which one you are not going to choose, all because of the reviews. This is an example of the power of reviews.
How do you get reviews? Obviously, give them an awesome experience to remember and write about.
OR... Ask them!
At your location, physically (kindly) ask them for a review on Google. If you know you’re providing a great experience, but they aren’t reviewing, there’s an alternative.
You can digitally ask them to review your site. Tread very carefully, though, and keep it as genuine as possible.
Google even provides you with instructions on how to create a single link that your users can simply click on and be brought straight to your Google review page. It’s very simple.
While Google is an obvious platform to have positive reviews, don’t neglect the rest of those listing and review sites, as they affect local SEO too.
Don’t forget to do this for Yelp too! That’s what Apple Maps uses, so you don’t want to miss out on all those iPhone users who refuse to download Google Maps. Just don’t leave a digital footprint for Yelp, they discourage businesses from asking their customers for reviews.
There are tons of other review sites (TripAdvisor, Foursquare, even Facebook) that show up in the search engine listing when you search for your business. These stars show up under the listing as opposed to the Google map region.
Here’s an excellent example of what your local business can look like on Google if you get reviews from multiple sites. Lots of stars!
Conclusion
SEO now stands for HEO—Human Experience Optimization. Create an easy to understand, fluid experience in your digital corner of the world and Google will reward you. The better the interactions you get on your site and other relevant channels, the better you will rank.
Hearing about growth-driven design for the first time? Learn more about the three pillars of GDD and how this methodology can help you solve your greatest marketing challenges.
Designzillas
As a leading digital marketing agency in Orlando, Designzillas’ purpose is to create ferocious online presences for every client and to build strong client-partner relationships.
