Does responding to Google reviews help SEO? User-generated content has been named one of the most credible and reliable content types for businesses to boost their online presence, accounting for 16% of local 3-pack ranking factors. But it doesn’t end there. Responding to customer reviews is a great way of increasing your business’s chance of ranking. This article will explain how responding to Google reviews helps SEO.
3 Ways To Respond to Reviews to Help SEO
While we’ve established that responding to Google reviews helps SEO, it’s important to note that it only works if you combine several techniques to influence local SEO and improve your visibility.
Once that’s done, here are some ways responding to Google reviews helps SEO.
Improve Details on Listing
When people look up businesses offering a product or service, Google Maps and Google Search usually reveal brands to them based on these three criteria:
- Relevance
- Distance
- Prominence
While there isn’t much you can do to influence distance and prominence, you can increase your business’s relevance by responding to reviews. Relevance means your business has matched well with a local search, and you have a detailed listing. The trick is that the more you respond to reviews and clarify issues in those responses, the more detailed your listing becomes.
Hit the Right Keywords
One key way to optimize local SEO is to use the right combination of words an adequate number of times on your page.
So, when a customer leaves a review, it’s an opportunity for you to input the right keywords associated with your business or what other potential customers may be searching.
With these keywords, your business may move a few spots up in ranking. However, you must be careful not to sound technical and pedantic, as an unoriginal attempt may have the opposite effect. Find the right balance between offering genuine assistance to your customers and avoiding tactics that could be perceived as deceitful.
Increase Review Velocity
The more reviews and responses you get on your business page, the better for your SEO. Google and other search engines consider user engagement in ranking businesses and pages. A steady inflow of reviews or conversations on your page shows the algorithm that your business is active and legitimate.
Therefore, responding to reviews counts as part of ongoing conversations, and the customer you responded to may respond again.
Even where they don’t, the good thing is that your response shows potential customers that you care about how your clients feel and take their opinions seriously.
Engage our Online Marketing Services!
If you are a small business owner, you are already busy with several things. This means you don’t have the time to attend to every review. But Digitac Media can do that for you.
So, if you are wondering, does responding to Google reviews help SEO? Digitac Media is here to help. We are a Dallas-based digital marketing agency that offers online reputation management services. Our products include responding to reviews. We find the best responses for both negative and positive reviews in a way that only benefits your business. Contact us here to get started with managing the online reputation of your business.