Word of mouth has long been the most coveted form of marketing. Even in the current digital age, what happy customers have to say is no less important than it was before social media and cellphones. In fact, it might be even more important today.
To small business owners throughout the greater San Diego area, customer reviews do far more than build consumer trust. So whether you operate a dental practice in La Jolla or an auto repair shop in Kearny Mesa, online feedback is critical to your company’s success.
4 Review Signals Google Cares About
Dominating local SEO in San Diego requires a keen understanding of how Google treats local search. The most effective model for displaying local search results in a way that accommodates the consumer’s natural tendency to skim is with the Local 3-Pack algorithm. You are familiar with it if you have seen the Google Map – and the top three listings underneath it – following a local search.
Deciding which businesses show up in the 3-pack is a matter of looking at proximity, relevance, and prominence. Proximity is a measure of the distance between a customer and a service provider. Relevance is the relationship between the customer’s needs and the provider’s products or services. Prominence is a combination of factors and the trickiest aspect of all of this.
Reviews play a key role in prominence. The more positive reviews a company has over a sustained period of time, the better it will rank in local searches. Google looks at four specific review signals when determining prominence:
1. Review Velocity
Review velocity measures the speed and consistency with which a business receives feedback. A sudden burst of a hundred reviews followed by a year of silence is a red flag to Google’s search algorithms. Google prefers a steady, natural stream of incoming feedback.
2. Review Recency
Review recency is a measurement of freshness. New reviews always mean something to Google. So a consistent stream of recent reviews carries a lot of weight.
3. Star Ratings
Consumers appreciate star ratings because they are easy to understand. And because people like them, Google prefers them as well. Google pays attention to star ratings and includes the metric in its rankings.
4. Keyword and Location Context
Web crawlers are very adept at identifying keywords and locations within the context of a customer’s feedback. When these indicators show up, they give algorithms a stronger sense of a company’s local reach. If a customer leaves feedback for Pixsan saying they are one of the best local SEO providers in San Diego, for example, Google’s algorithms make note of that.
How San Diego Companies Can Take Advantage of Feedback
Speaking of Pixsan, they are a San Diego company specializing in local SEO, digital marketing, and web development. They encourage their clients to take full advantage of feedback to improve local search rankings. Doing so isn’t hard per se, but it does require some time and effort. Companies should:
- Automate post-service feedback requests
- Respond to every review (even the negative ones)
- Showcase the best feedback on their websites
The need to respond to every review can’t be understated. Even when reviews are negative, responding gives a company the opportunity to make things right. Doing so can turn negative feedback into a glowing review.
Customer reviews can drive local SEO in San Diego, but for that to happen, business owners need to understand how Google treats reviews. By providing what Google’s algorithms are looking for, local businesses can vault their pages to the very top of 3-pack searches. That is what drives visibility in local markets.
