Local SEO is an essential strategy for businesses looking to boost their online visibility and attract customers in their local area.
If you’re not new to the GrowTraffic blog, you may have noticed that we are producing a lot of content surrounding Local SEO and how to optimise certain attributes of your digital marketing strategy for Local SEO. The reason for this is Local SEO is becoming more and more important for businesses to navigate the competitive landscape of local businesses.
One specific powerful aspect of local SEO is optimising customer reviews. The power of positive reviews and other trust signals is no secret, for both improving search rankings as well as building a business’s reputation. In this GrowTraffic blog, I will delve into the strategies you can implement to optimise reviews for local SEO and drive more traffic to your website.
Ways To Optimise Reviews For Local SEO
There are numerous ways in which you can optimise reviews for local SEO. Let’s explore them!
Optimising Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is a cornerstone of local SEO. For those who may have spoken to a member of the GrowTraffic team before about local SEO, the first thing we are likely to mention is the importance of a well optimised GMB card. Ensuring your business is listed on GMB with accurate and up-to-date information, including customer reviews. Claiming and verifying your listing not only hosts benefits for your off site SEO strategy, but also allows you to manage and respond to customer reviews, further improving that all important relationship with your customers.
A GMB profile is brilliant for connecting with your customers but it also acts as a huge trust signal, something that is vital when it comes to local SEO. When other people in your local area, see people appreciating your product or service, they are more likely to invest.
Encourage Genuine Customer Reviews
Getting testimonials without bugging clients can be tough. With that being said though, positive reviews from genuine customers can massively impact the social proofing of your business and lead to more sales, so it is really important that we get those testimonials!
Authenticity hugely matters when it comes to reviews. Potential customers tend to notice reviews from bots from a mile away. Especially when it comes to local SEO, your target audience wants to know how you have benefited other people in their area. Encouraging your satisfied customers to leave genuine feedback about their experience with your business is the first step. You need to get reviews before you can optimise them for local SEO!
Genuine is the keyword here. Avoid fake reviews or incentives, as they can have the opposite effect on your local SEO and damage your reputation.
Engage and Respond
Responding to online reviews can help your business. Engagement, in many areas of your digital marketing strategy, including with reviews, is key to building a strong online presence and in turn, positively impacting your relationship with existing and new customers. I encourage businesses to respond to all customer reviews, even the negative ones! Addressing negative feedback professionally demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction. A customer is in fact more likely to play attention to how you handle your negative feedback than the review itself. Engaging with positive reviews shows appreciation and encourages repeat business.
Showcase Your Reviews
Making sure your reviews are visible on your website is brilliant for so many reasons. The key ones are that not only does it massively enhance credibility and further provide those all-important trust signals to your visitors but also provides new and relevant content for search engines to index. Whether you create a dedicated page for customer reviews, or embed it throughout your website’s pages, adding testimonials to your site and showcasing other people’s thoughts on your product or service is a great way of getting the most out of reviews for local SEO.
Diversify Review Platforms
Sure, making sure your reviews are accessible on your GMB is a really great place to start, with Google being a primary review platform, but make sure you don’t limit yourself. Encouraging your customers to review your business on other relevant platforms like social media channels, TripAdvisor, or industry-specific directories is a great way of covering all bases making sure, no matter where the customers are coming from, they are presented with these trust signals. A diverse presence signals credibility and widens your reach.
Leverage Social Media
Speaking of diversifying your review portfolio brings us on nicely to discuss the importance of social media when it comes to optimising reviews for local SEO. Encouraging customers to leave reviews on your social media pages and then promoting those reviews on your feed is a brilliant way of optimising testimonials for local SEO. Sharing customer feedback, and responding to comments (both good and bad), are social signals that can indirectly influence your local SEO performance.
Top Tip: Try #FeedbackFriday, sharing a review once a week to keep your visitors engaged on socials!
Optimise Reviews For Local SEO With GrowTraffic
At GrowTraffic, we have so many tips and tricks when it comes to improving your local SEO strategy, one of the key ones being optimising reviews for local SEO!
Optimising reviews for local SEO is an ongoing process that requires dedication and strategy, but it can host huge benefits for your business. If you are interested in effectively leveraging customer feedback to enhance your online reputation, attract more local customers, and ultimately improve your search engine rankings, but need a hand, get in touch with a member of our team today!
Call us on 0161 706 0012 or email info@growtraffic.co.uk
