Want to rank higher in Google? Collect more reviews

Getting your business on the first page of Google may seem like the domain of big brands who have wads of cash to spend on their online marketing efforts. The truth is, any business – no matter the size – can win Google’s favour and make it onto the holy grail of SERPS (search engine results pages) page one. 

We’ve chatted previously about how making use of online reviews is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to boost your online presence and SEO. 

Today, we’ll explore how to manage your online reviews in a way that gets search engines to sit up and take notice of your business.

Make use of third-party sites

Google search engine looks to third-party sites that are trusted by consumers when deciding which businesses to display in SERPs, and importantly, where to display them.

Google looks for several qualities when assigning a ranking to online reviews

1. Frequency

Google analyses the regularity of a business’s online reviews. For example, if Business A generates two reviews a month, compared to Business B which generates two reviews a week, Google will rank Business B above Business A. 

The more frequently online reviews are created, the happier search engines are.

2. Recency

Search engines assign a higher ranking to content that’s been posted recently. The more recent the content, the more relevant it is. And as a result, Google assigns more value to it. 

Old, outdated content still counts in SEO rankings, but Google also wants to see fresh content to supplement it. In order to keep your ranking as high as possible, it’s important you continuously feed Google with new content. And one of the easiest ways to do this, is through user-generated content such as reviews.

3. Number of characters

When it comes to online reviews, shorter isn’t necessarily sweeter in the eyes of Google. Consider the following two reviews for a plumbing service:

1. .Good.
2. Fast and friendly service (they were at my home 30 minutes after calling) and cost effective prices. Will definitely use them again!

While the first review is positive, it’s also vague. The second review addresses several aspects of the business and provides readers (and of course, Google) with contextual, relevant information. 

The more information contained in the review, the more value Google places on it as it helps its users better by providing more clarity.

4. Rate of posting

Another factor search engines take into account, is the rate at which they’re posted. Reviews that are posted steadily are given preference over those that are posted all at once. 

A continuous stream of online reviews indicates people are naturally interacting with a business, whereas a sudden influx of online reviews can indicate that these may be spam, or posted by the business itself.

In short, both the quality and quantity of your online reviews matter. To ensure that your reviews are working as hard as they should be, make sure you’re using a credible, third-party platform that’s deemed credible by both Google and your consumers.

Reviews on Hellopeter have helped over one million consumers make better choices. Had an experience you’d like to tell us about? Leave us a review here.