4 Ways Online Reviews Build Trust and How to Boost Your Digital Presence
Small businesses are constantly fighting to be seen online without being swallowed up by larger competitors. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a cornerstone of online visibility, and the factors influencing it are continually changing. One of the often-overlooked elements that can significantly impact your website's SEO is online reviews.
The trust factor in SEO
When it comes to SEO, trust plays a pivotal role. Search engines like Google prioritize trustworthy and authoritative content. They want to ensure that the results they display to users are not only relevant but also reliable.
Online reviews are like digital word-of-mouth recommendations. They provide potential customers with insights into the quality and credibility of your business. Here's how they help build trust and boost SEO:
1. Credibility
Positive reviews from real customers act as social proof, assuring visitors that your business is legitimate and dependable.
2. Relevance
Reviews often contain keywords and phrases related to your industry and services. These user-generated keywords can improve the relevance of your website in search results.
3. Fresh Content
Regularly updated reviews keep your website's content fresh, indicating to search engines that your site is active and current. We’ve learned that regular, fresh additions to a website can have a powerful effect on the visibility of a small business in search.
4. Enhanced Click-Through Rates
With star ratings displayed in search results, click-through rates increase. Users are more likely to click on a listing due to the trust established through reviews, which in turn, tells the search engine algorithm that the site is legitimate and valuable content, boosting SEO.
Real success: gaining trust through Google Business Profiles
Here’s an example from one of our clients. This local nonprofit organization was struggling to improve their website's visibility in order to be found more easily by the population they serve. After a thorough analysis, one of our recommendations was that they launch a Google Business Profile and actively encourage customers to leave reviews. After implementing this strategy, they experienced:
Increased trust with search engines: As the number of positive reviews grew, our client's business gained credibility with the algorithm.
Increased trust with clients: The glowing reviews also increased trust with users visiting the site and made them more likely to engage.
Improved local rankings: Reviews with location-specific keywords improved their local SEO rankings, which increased their visibility in search results.
Digital tools
We used a similar strategy with a for-profit client as their business launched. For this client, using digital tools to manage their reviews was key. We wanted to garner as many reviews as possible from customers who had visited the business, in order to boost their visibility right from the beginning.
Because their online booking system didn’t have integrated reputation management, it meant using data management tools to export and import lists of email subscribers, enabling us to reach out and ask for reviews efficiently. Responding to each review quickly with professional, personal responses gave this client a huge boost in their digital presence.
Unlock the power of online reviews with our marketplace products
Ready to harness the potential of online reviews for your business?
Streamline your review management process and build trust with ease. By prioritizing the gathering of genuine reviews and effectively managing them, you can not only improve your SEO but also build a loyal customer base.
We offer two excellent digital products in our digital marketplace designed to help businesses manage their online reviews effectively, from soliciting feedback to responding promptly as reviews roll in.
You can choose to manage your reviews in-house (as our nonprofit client did after initial setup), or we can assist by handling the process for you, as was the case for the new business mentioned above. We’re happy to provide flexibility based on the unique needs of your business!
Explore our Reputation Management Pro and Customer Voice Pro products (navigate to the Reputation tab in our digital marketplace store) today and start leveraging the power of online reviews for your business' success. Trust us; the results will be worth it!
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can help your business thrive in the digital landscape, don't hesitate to [contact us]. We're here to support your marketing journey every step of the way.