Responding to reviews builds trust with your consumers and contributes to the search engine’s faith in your business.

Local SEO is a significant part of marketing a business, no matter the location. As a business, responding to every review is essential. Not only does responding to both good and bad reviews show that you care about your customers and their experience with your business, but it also has significant benefits for your local SEO efforts.

• You show potential customers that you care about your customers and their experience with your business by responding to reviews. 
• Responding to reviews increases your company’s visibility on Google maps and other search engines when someone searches for local businesses.

The SEO professionals at Algorithmic Global can’t stress enough the importance of receiving and responding to reviews for your business. For that reason, we put together the following blog post to discuss three ways responding to reviews helps with local SEO! So without further ado, let’s get started!

What does Google say about responding to reviews?

According to Google, “Respond to reviews that users leave about your business. When you reply to reviews, you demonstrate that you value your customers and their feedback. High-quality, positive reviews from your customers can improve your business visibility and increase the likelihood that a shopper will visit your location.” You can find more on this here. 

In other words, Google sees businesses that take the time to respond to their reviews as being more trustworthy and authoritative. As a result, these businesses are more likely to rank higher in local search results.

Locating your Google reviews

Knowing how to locate your reviews is the first step before responding to those brand-new Google reviews. Here are two different methods that you can use to find your business’s reviews on Google as a potential customer would see them:

Method 1:

1. Go to Google.com and search for your business name.

2. Click on the “Reviews” tab on the right-hand side of the screen.

3. From here, you will see all of the reviews for your business.

Method 2:

1. Open Google Maps and search for your business by name.

2. Beneath the map, you will see a section that says “Reviews.”

3. Click on this tab to view all of your business’s reviews.

Where to respond to Google reviews

Without using third-party software, there is only one way an individual can respond to reviews; you have to sign in to your Google Business Profile to get started. Once signed in, go to the reviews tab, where you will find all of the reviews left for your business.

Why responding to reviews matters

Now that you know how to find your Google reviews, it’s essential to understand why responding to them is necessary. Here are three reasons why responding to reviews helps with your local SEO efforts:

1. Builds trust while adding keywords

One of the essential benefits of responding to reviews is that it helps build trust with potential customers. In today’s world, online reviews are a significant factor in whether or not someone will do business with you. If you take the time to respond to every review, good or bad, you show potential customers that you care about your reputation and that you’re willing to put in the effort to make things right.

When you respond to new reviews, you will have the chance to include keywords in your response. Including keywords will help to improve your ranking on Google and other search engines. In addition, including keywords in your responses will help show potential customers that you are an authority on the subject matter.

2. Google algorithms view your business as more trustworthy and authoritative.

Another benefit of responding to reviews is that it allows the Google algorithms to view your business as more trustworthy and authoritative. When Google analyzes a local business, the first thing they’re going to see is the business name, address, and phone number. They’re also going to take the business star rating and how many reviews there are into consideration. So if you have a lot of reviews and a high star rating, that will help Google prioritize your business as a significant player in your area.

3. Increases position in local search results

One of the best things about responding to reviews is that it can help you gain a higher position in local search results. When you respond to reviews, not only does it show the algorithms that your business is trustworthy and authoritative, but it also shows potential customers that your business is engaged with past customers and that you care about their experience. Responding to reviews has proven to help boost your ranking in local search results, resulting in more traffic to your website and your physical location.

The importance of responding to both good and bad customer reviews

Whether the review that your business has received is good or bad, you should always take the time to respond. Responding to reviews of positive experiences is an excellent way to show potential customers that you’re grateful for their business and that you care about their experience. Responding to a bad review is an opportunity to turn a negative situation into a positive one. In addition, it shows potential customers that you’re willing to listen to feedback.

Responding to Positive Reviews

Responding to positive reviews should be done frequently and with a personal touch. Not only does it thank the customer for their business, but it also helps build a relationship with that customer. Responding to positive reviews is also a great way to show potential customers that you’re active on your review platforms and that you care about your customers’ experiences.

When responding to positive reviews, you should:

• Thank the customer for their business
• Mention something specific about their experience
• Invite them to contact you if they have any further questions or concerns

Responding to Negative Reviews

Staying calm and professional is essential when responding to negative reviews. Responding in a negative or hostile manner can only make the situation worse. Remember, the goal is to turn a negative review into a positive one.

When responding to negative reviews, you should:

• Acknowledge the customer’s concerns
• Apologize for their bad experience
• Invite them to contact you so you can make things right
• Thank them for their feedback
• Attempt to take the conversation offline if possible

Algorithmic Global local SEO package includes responding to reviews

Responding to reviews is an integral part of any local SEO strategy. Responding to good reviews can reinforce positive customer feelings and misconceptions. Conversely, responding to bad reviews offers customers who have had a bad experience with your business the chance to voice their opinion. Then, you have the opportunity to take action in changing this experience into a positive one!

We understand that responding to reviews signals that your website is interactive and current to Google’s search engine bots. Furthermore, the local SEO package offered by Algorithmic Global includes responding to customer reviews as part of our Google Business profile management activities that we perform for your business.
When you choose to partner with us, we will respond to your business reviews while showing potential customers that you care about your customers and their experience with your business. So if you’re not already responding to reviews or have a local SEO strategy, make sure to contact us today for a free Zoom consultation!