Reviews For Local SEO
The first step to get better results is to talk to one of our representatives!
While the focus on reviews in SEO tends to be on how reviews affect rankings, we want to focus on how positive reviews influence consumer behavior.
Do Reviews Really Matter?
Yes! Your reviews are directly related to your business’s reputation. Simply ask yourself if you have ever made a buying decision based on the reputation of a business, good or bad. The overall consensus is simply that reviews matter, a lot.
Let’s Break it Down.
Getting reviews is easy right? Yes and No
Here are some top tips on how to secure reviews for local SEO.
Just Ask For the Review
There are more nuances to this statement than you would expect. Here is what our experience has shown us at ZipLocal.
The “Guaranteed Positive Review”
- Existing Clients
- Existing Customers
- Colleagues
- Business partners
- Personal contacts, Family members etc. (depending on the context).
These are great reviews to have in the mix but are platform specific. For example, Google does not allow reviews from non-customers where Facebook does not have this same limitation.
As a rule, NEVER ask anyone to lie in a review. Not only is this unethical it can lead to penalties and bigger problems.
The Ask
If you’re going to call customers to ask for a review, we recommend thanking them for their business, asking for their feedback about the service you provided, and then asking if they would leave a review based on their answer. Keep in mind you are asking them to do you a favor.
The “Digital” Ask
The “Digital Ask” is more of a numbers game but is a good way to pick up additional positive reviews.
The “Passive” Ask
Be creative with your messaging to encourage participation from your customers while you have them in your business location..
ZipLocal’s Top Review Request Tips
Our experience shows that offering to work to resolve the issue in a direct response shows your potential customers that you care about your existing customers and are paying attention.
Provide instructions if needed. Your customer base may not be tech-savvy. You would be surprised how many reviews are attempted but not completed because the process simply overwhelmed your customer. ZipLocal has a Review Management Tool that helps with this. Learn More
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