The #1 Reason Online Reviews Matter to Your Local SEO Strategy

You are spending part of your company’s marketing budget on local SEO services. You expect your provider to do everything within its power to maximize your online exposure. With that in mind, here is a question: does your service provider take advantage of online reviews? If not, it is time for a change.
Online reviews matter tremendously to local SEO. If you don’t know why, you are about to learn the #1 reason. Once you find out, you will have a new appreciation for the power of online reviews to influence potential customers. I suspect you might want to start utilizing online reviews right away.
Customers Respond to Them
You have made it past the introduction to this post, so no more beating around the bush. Here is the #1 reason online reviews matter to your local SEO strategy: customers respond to them in a big way. How big? Let’s check out some surveyed data for the answer to that question.
A recently published survey taken among 1,000 consumers demonstrates that online reviews matter. Here are some data points proving it:
- 99% report reading reviews prior to making a purchase.
- 97% say that reviews influence purchase decisions.
- 96% believe companies can manipulate online reviews.
- 54% say that reviews mentioning specific pros and cons are the most helpful.
The survey goes on to reveal that consumers read an average of 6-10 reviews prior to making a purchase decision about a particular product. The most trusted reviews are those submitted by verified purchasers, along with personal reviews from family members and friends. The least trusted reviews are those submitted by influencers, celebrities, and professional marketers.
Tying It in With Local SEO
It is clear that online reviews matter to consumers. But what does all of this have to do with local SEO services? For the answer to that question, imagine a Salt Lake City plumber looking to increase his market share by driving more traffic to his website and converting that traffic into paying customers. The plumber calls on Webtek Digital Marketing for their local SEO services.
There must be dozens of plumbers in the Salt Lake City region. In all likelihood, their rates are similar. They all service the entire county as well. Most of them offer after-our services supported by a 24-hour live answering service.
If someone doing a local search is left to make a choice only by browsing websites, how are they to know which plumber to go with? As the survey data proves, this consumer is going to look for online reviews. They will look for reviews posted on the plumber’s website, online forums, and directories. Webtek pros will know and take advantage of that.
Getting the Consumer’s Attention
When you boil local SEO services down to their most fundamental components, you discover that it is all about getting the consumer’s attention. That Salt Lake City plumber wants to make such an impression on potential customers that they call him for service. Positive online reviews can be a tremendous help.
The word ‘positive’ is key here. Negative reviews can damage the plumber’s reputation as much as positive reviews can enhance it. So while the plumber relies on his SEO company to generate online reviews, his responsibility is to make sure that customers are always satisfied. Satisfied customers leave positive reviews.
Local SEO services are non-negotiable for companies that derive the majority of their business from a local customer base. For most types of companies, online reviews can boost local SEO considerably. The reason is simple: consumers read and trust online reviews.