It is a well-observed fact that reviews affect your business’s rankings in local searches. But nobody has told you how or in what manner. And you may believe that the more reviews your business has, the higher its ranking gets. But is it actually the case? Well, Google has cooked up some algorithms for it, and we have uncovered everything for you!
In a recent study by Sterling Sky on local ranking, we found that once a business or practitioner garners 10 reviews on listings, Google’s algorithms boost its ranking in local search results. But that’s not all there is to it. After some time, the boost does not continue as you get or pump in more reviews. Reminds us of the law of diminishing returns, and in this case, it is there. To help you with an example, here’s an image for you.
As you can see in the image above, when the reviews went from 3 to 16, there was a ranking increase. But when the reviews increased to 31, not much happened.
Many business founders stated that 10 could be a “ magic number,” as they observed a sudden increase in ranking but not much later.
Rankings Are More Than Just Reviews:
Reviews are just one piece of the puzzle. Getting a ton of them does not mean you are going to rank well. What’s important is that you have to have at least 10 reviews for a better listing. And having them also helps in building trust and getting conversions.
Recency Matters:
While numbers tell their own story, the recency of reviews also matters. We found that when businesses got reviews from time to time, their rankings surged. But as the stagnancy settled, there was a decline. Therefore, by setting up a system that regularly updates your ratings, you can enjoy being on top for a longer time.
Length Can Make All The Difference
The above-mentioned scenarios lead us to the third one – length matters! The more genuine, longer, and wordier reviews your business gets, the better it will perform in search rankings. So encourage your customers to express their opinions freely. Haven’t you noticed that one-star reviews are longer because the customer is genuinely writing about something that he didn’t like? Persuade your customers to do the same for positive reviews.
Key Takeaway
The bottom line here is that reviews can make or break your rankings. No matter how many or how long they are, reviews matter for your business – to become a trusted brand, a company that people genuinely talk about and a reflection of how well it is doing. Businesses that listen to their customers will always stay among them. And you can do so by asking your customers to express themselves!