Earlier this week, we kicked off Online Reviews Month, and so today I want to talk about how Online Reviews impact search rankings.
Local Search Ranking Factors
In 2023, Whitespark researched 149 factors that could impact local search rankings. According to the 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors report, 4 of the top 20 factors are related to online reviews:
- #6 High Numerical Google Ratings (e.g. 4-5)
- #8 Quantity of Native Google Reviews (w/text)
- #13 Sustained Influx of Reviews Over Time (rather than bursts)
- #20 Recency of Reviews
Note that when we talk about “local search rankings” we’re talking about results Google shows in the “local 3 pack” as shown below. (Often there are ads and organic (aka general) results shown above and below the local 3 pack, but we’re just going to focus on the local results here.)
A lot of local organizations, especially churches and nonprofits, balk at the idea of getting online reviews…
Is someone really going to visit my church or check out my nonprofit just because a bunch of people they’ve never met gave it high ratings and said nice things about us in a review?
Yes, actually they will. 90% of people say online reviews factor into their decision making.
But people won’t even have a chance to make a decision about your organization, if they can’t find it. And if you’ve got few or no online reviews, your search rankings will be lower, making it less likely people will find you when doing an online search.
Don’t Take My Word For It. Try This…
If you are a part of a local organization – a church, school, local nonprofit, or local business – go to Google and search for “[your type of organization] in [your city] [your state].” For example, “church in Clearwater, Florida” or “accountant in Ames, Iowa” or “preschool in Hoboken, New Jersey.”
Calculate the average number of reviews the 3 organizations in the “local 3 pack” have.
Then click the “More Places” link at the bottom of the local 3 pack. That will take you to Google Maps showing you the top 20 local results. Scroll down to the bottom, and calculate the average number of listings of the bottom 3 (these are the organizations that rank 18-20).
Do you see a dramatic difference?
Every Organization Can Get More Online Reviews
If your organization is in the local 3 pack, that’s awesome! Congratulations! If not, you’re probably thinking, “It’s not fair, the organizations that have all those reviews are way bigger than we are!”
That may be true, but look again at the organization that made the local 3 pack with the lowest number of reviews. I guarantee your church, school, ministry or business serves more people than that. You can get more online reviews than they have.
You just have to ask. And know how to ask.
We’ll talk more about how to do that in a future post.
For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from Whitespark’s Local Search Ranking Factors report.
A business that is continually getting reviews on a regular basis sends the right signals to Google that it is an alive and active business that the public still cares about.
OurChurch.Com provides an Online Reviews Service, specifically to help you gain a steady stream of online reviews and address any negative or disappearing reviews.
If you’d like some help online reviews or more broadly with your organic or local SEO, one of our experts at OCC would love to talk with you. Just complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call.
Discussion
- When you did the little experiment, what did you search, what were the average number of reviews in the local 3 package, and the average number of reviews for 18-20?
- What other questions do you have online reviews and local SEO?
