Beyond any doubt, the local reviews are becoming major ranking factors, considered to have already surpassed the importance of social media signals. The latter has been confirmed by the latest Moz’s survey and by Google. It is clear that online reviews are not just dabbling with other key factors such as relevance, distance, and prominence. Brands and businesses registered in the appropriate online review sites have an edge over those that lack that many submissions. So how to improve your local search ranking by using online reviews?
Initial Steps
Once you get your business on Google, by creating or claiming a listing, you are giving a fresh start to a climbing local search performance. Same applies for any other local business directory that emphasizes reviews and ratings. Yelp, Yell, TripAdvisor, even Facebook are good examples. They can add up to your business and yet they cannot replace the importance of your Google my Business account. As a rule of thumb, you must look for relevant reviews sites. Once you submit your business in the biggest places, make sure you also have presence on industry-specific sites. For instance, if you are focusing on car dealing, you’d definitely need to create a listing in Cars.com. (more…)
