Tactics to Improve your local SEO efforts through online reviews
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Hello there!
Online reviews have become an integral part of local SEO efforts. With the right tactics, you can maximize their impact and improve your search engine rankings.
In this article, we’ll discuss 10 top tactics to help you do just that.
From leveraging positive reviews to optimizing content with keywords related to customer reviews, these strategies will help you boost your visibility in search results and make sure customers are finding the best information about your business online.
Let’s do this!
Key Takeaway: Online reviews can have an immense impact on local SEO efforts, and with the right strategies, you can maximize that impact.
- 1. Leverage Positive Reviews to Improve Local SEO Rankings
- 2. Monitor Your Online Reputation and Respond to Negative Reviews Quickly
- 3. Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews on Third-Party Sites
- 4. Use Structured Data Markup for Better Visibility of Your Ratings in Search Results
- 5. Optimize Your Website Content with Keywords Related to Customer Reviews
- 6. Make it Easy for Customers to Find and Leave a Review on your Site
- 7. Create Engaging Social Media Posts that Highlight Positive Feedback from Customers
- 8. Utilize User-Generated Content Tactics such as Hashtags, Contests, and Giveaways
- 9. Send Follow Up Emails After Purchase Asking For A Review From The Customer
- 10. Track the Performance of Your Tactics With Analytics Tools To See What’s Working Best
- SAAI Consulting improving social media presence through local SEO
1. Leverage Positive Reviews to Improve Local SEO Rankings
Are you looking for some tried-and-true tactics to improve your local SEO efforts?
Look no further than leveraging positive reviews! Reviews act as an endorsement that tells potential customers that they can trust your company.
A collection of positive reviews will have a major impact on your rankings, showing customers and search engines the highest quality companies.
Tactics to utilize this include getting active with review management, monitoring feedback and responding in a timely fashion, and incentivizing people to write great reviews about you.
One statistic about positive reviews to keep in mind:
84% of people trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations.
Action steps you can take right now to improve your review management:
-Create a plan for how you want to respond to reviews
–Set up review alerts so that you can be notified whenever someone posts a review
-Write thank you notes or send rewards to customers who leave positive reviews
Additional Resources specifically to improve your review management:
-Check out our guide on review management
-Review platforms that can help you monitor and manage reviews
2. Monitor Your Online Reputation and Respond to Negative Reviews Quickly
Online reviews are essential for any business trying to improve its local SEO efforts.
However, it is important to monitor them regularly and respond quickly to any negative comments or reviews that come in.
Ignoring a negative review can only make it worse while responding appropriately shows potential customers that the company takes customer satisfaction seriously.
Tactics such as following up with happy customers and asking them to post a review, addressing any complaints promptly, and thanking customers who take the time to leave positive reviews can all help to improve your online reputation and thus increase your local SEO rankings in turn.
One statistic about negative reviews to keep in mind:
95% of customers read a business’s response to negative reviews.
Action steps you can take right now to improve your reputation management:
-Create a strategy for how to respond to negative reviews
-Set up alerts so you can be notified of new reviews
-Encourage customers to leave reviews with incentives or rewards
Additional Resources specifically to improve your reputation management:
-Check out our guide on reputation management
–Reputation platforms that can help you monitor and manage reviews
3. Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews on Third-Party Sites
Customers leaving online reviews on third-party websites is a great way to improve your local SEO efforts.
Encouraging customers to do so can help boost search engine rankings for keywords related to your business and its services or products.
Tactics like offering a promo code for customers who leave a review on Yelp, using social media campaigns to promote user feedback, or incentivizing reviews are just some of the ways that you can get more online reviews.
Doing this can help draw more attention and customers to your business.
Plus, the reviews themselves give you insights into how customers perceive your product or service, so they’re well worth the investment.
One statistic about reviews to keep in mind:
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Action steps you can take right now to improve customer reviews:
-Offer incentives for customers to leave reviews
-Promote user feedback on social media
-Take time to respond to reviews and thank customers for their feedback
Additional Resources specifically to improve customer reviews:
-Check out our guide on customer reviews
-Reviews platforms that can help you manage and monitor reviews
4. Use Structured Data Markup for Better Visibility of Your Ratings in Search Results
If you want to improve your local SEO efforts with online reviews, one tactic you should consider is implementing structured data markup on your website.
Structured data markup, such as Schema.org, allows search engines to identify and organize the information present on a web page.
This can help ensure that more accurate ratings of your business show up in search results, which can ultimately increase visibility and attract potential customers.
Such simple formatting not only makes it easier for potential customers to find and select from among the ratings available – it also provides an overall better experience for those who do visit your page.
One statistic about structured data to keep in mind:
75% of customers look for reviews before making a purchase.
Action steps you can take right now to improve search engine visibility of your ratings:
-Learn more about structured data and how it can help
-Implement structured data markup on your website
-Test changes to make sure they’re working properly
Additional Resources specifically to improve search engine visibility of ratings:
-Check out our guide on structured data markup
–Schema.org and other websites that can help you understand the markup language
5. Optimize Your Website Content with Keywords Related to Customer Reviews
If you’re looking to have your website noticed and make it to the top of search engine results, one must-have tactic is optimizing your content with keywords from customer reviews.
Besides contributing to a more authentic user experience, incorporating these keywords into your website content helps with SEO on a local level.
It not only alerts Google to the presence of relevant keywords related to these reviews, but it also tells search engines where they should be directing customers to locate current and reliable information about your products or services.
All in all, using this strategy allows you to gain greater visibility among local customers.
One statistic about a website content to keep in mind:
70% of customers believe that the quality of a company’s website is indicative of the quality of its products.
Action steps you can take right now to optimize website content with keywords from customer reviews:
-Research relevant keywords related to customer reviews
-Integrate these keywords into website content, such as blog posts, product descriptions, and more
-Update existing content with these keywords
Additional Resources specifically to optimize website content with customer review keywords:
-Check out our guide on SEO optimization for local businesses
-Keyword research tools to help identify relevant terms
6. Make it Easy for Customers to Find and Leave a Review on your Site
Keeping your local SEO efforts busy means making sure your customers know how to easily find a review button on your website.
Tactics such as adding a review widget, link, or form on the front page of your site can do wonders for its visibility and benefit from improved organic rankings.
Asking customers directly for reviews via email is another great way to go, as it lets you create a more personal experience with them.
For feedback even faster, placing a call-to-action button directly in their post-purchase emails can be extremely effective – make it simple along with a few words of appreciation and they are almost sure to click.
One statistic about customer review forms:
60% of customers who leave reviews on a business’s website are more likely to make repeat purchases.
Action steps you can take right now to make it easier for customers to find and leave a review on your site:
-Add a review widget, link, or form on the front page of your site
-Send out emails to customers asking them for reviews
-Include a call-to-action button in post-purchase emails
Additional Resources specifically to make it easier for customers to find and leave reviews:
-Check out our guide on improving customer experience through reviews
–Review widgets and other tools to help you build engagement with customers.
7. Create Engaging Social Media Posts that Highlight Positive Feedback from Customers
Proving that your business is trustworthy and credible, and delivering the value that customers seek can be especially challenging when you don’t have a physical store and rely on online reviews to build a good reputation.
Tactics like creating engaging social media posts with positive feedback from customers can be very helpful in improving your Local SEO efforts and getting more people searching for your business.
Such tactics are also great ways of showing potential customers why they should choose you over any other competitors in the market.
One statistic about social media:
90% of marketers say that their social media efforts have increased exposure for their business.
Action steps you can take right now to create engaging social media posts with customer reviews:
-Find positive reviews from customers and post them on your social media accounts
-Make sure to include hashtags related to your business and the customer’s reviews
-Be active on social media – respond to comments and engage with your followers
Additional Resources specifically to create engaging social media posts:
-Check out our guide on creating customer engagement on social media.
–Social media automation tools to help you schedule and automate posts.
8. Utilize User-Generated Content Tactics such as Hashtags, Contests, and Giveaways
If you’re looking to level up your local SEO efforts, user-generated content tactics like hashtags, contests, and giveaways can be incredibly effective.
Hashtags help create an association between a specific topic and your business, and social media giveaways could be used to boost engagement across platforms.
Contests are a great way to get people talking about your brand and incentivize customers to provide reviews.
Meanwhile, giveaways encourage people to spread the word about your business and attract more customers.
One statistic about user-generated content:
62% of customers are more likely to purchase from a company whose social media accounts feature UGC.
Action steps you can take right now to utilize user-generated content tactics:
-Create hashtags related to your business
-Run contests, giveaways, and promotions on social media to encourage people to share their experiences with your business
-Encourage customers to post reviews as part of a contest or giveaway
Additional Resources specifically to utilize user-generated content tactics:
-Check out our guide on leveraging UGC for business
–Tools to help you manage self-service campaigns and user-generated content.
9. Send Follow Up Emails After Purchase Asking For A Review From The Customer
Sending a follow-up email after a purchase made by your customers is an excellent way to get the word-of-mouth marketing you need to improve your local SEO efforts.
Asking customers for reviews gives them an avenue to voice their opinion and can be used as a powerful tool to boost your online profile.
You’d be surprised at how quickly even small businesses can make a big impact on their local SEO through this process of asking customers for feedback.
It’s no secret that having customer reviews makes prospective customers more likely to make a purchase, so why not jumpstart this process with follow-up emails?
One statistic about follow-up emails after purchase:
66% of customers are more likely to purchase if they receive a follow-up email.
Action steps you can take right now to send follow-up emails asking for a review from customers:
–Create an automated email sequence triggered after the purchase
-Craft custom emails that include a link to the online review site or survey form
-Ask customers to leave feedback and offer incentives for doing so
Additional Resources specifically to send follow-up emails:
–Tools to help you create automated emails and track customer responses.
10. Track the Performance of Your Tactics With Analytics Tools To See What’s Working Best
Are you trying to increase your local SEO efforts through online reviews? Tracking the performance of your tactics can help you determine which methods are more successful and what adjustments should be made.
Utilizing analytics tools to measure successes (or lack thereof) will give you valuable insight into what’s working best for you.
You’ll even discover hidden improvements that you wouldn’t have known about until after months of work with less-than-ideal results.
Not only can tracking metrics save you time, but it will increase efficiency and ensure that your local SEO efforts are giving you the maximum return on investment.
SAAI Consulting improving social media presence through local SEO
SAAI Consulting is a leading digital marketing agency committed to helping businesses maximize their local SEO efforts through online reviews.
With our team of experienced professionals, we are dedicated to delivering tangible results and ensuring that your social media presence is effective and successful.
Till next time,
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