Google is, inarguably, the most powerful influencer in the tech world, being the sole provider of more than 3.5 billion searches per day and offering dozens of products that align themselves with various digital needs of users everywhere. With all this power, Google is attempting to shape digital user experiences that give us the greatest satisfaction, and connect us in simpler ways to the information and services we need.
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How Google Shapes Online Reviews
One of the most powerful forces in the online world, at least when it comes to purchasing decisions, has to be online reviews.
Over two-thirds of consumers are influenced by reviews when making a purchasing decision. Even more impressive, 88 percent of consumers take reviews as seriously as they would a personal recommendation.
As you can see, how reviews are handled and displayed could have a massive effect on businesses everywhere. A blip in review displays could provide negative reviews and cripple your marketing campaign, or skew them positively and give you an influx of new buyers.
Google holds much power over this process, and it may have big things in store for how it’s handled in the future.
Types of Online Reviews
The term “online review” in itself is vague, as there are many types of reviews that could be written. For starters, customer feedback can be for a product, for a service, or for a company overall. They could also be hosted on branded sites, or on external sources.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common types, and how Google currently takes them into consideration.
- Branded product reviews. First are branded product reviews. Typically left by users who have purchased the product before, these are featured on individual product pages of a website. eCommerce sites are the most popular for this, but they also may be featured on sites with a single digital good or intangible services. Typically, users will rate the product and leave a descriptive review containing their opinions. This text can be indexed by Google, which may help you rank for more relevant keywords. You can also use microformatting to properly categorize the review and possibly get your product’s average rating (or a review itself) featured as an entry in the SERPs.
- Branded testimonials and company reviews. These work similarly to product reviews, but are applied to an entire company. These are often featured on dedicated testimonials or “success stories” pages, but are held at lower value than product reviews because companies often have more control over what gets posted here.
- Company reviews on third-party sources. Third-party sources, such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, are seen as much more authoritative and reliable in Google’s eyes. These sources have verified methods of collecting and processing reviews, and are popular enough to collect many reviews for any listed business. The quantity and quality of reviews comes into heavy play when factoring the local rank for local businesses.
- Google reviews. Google review are also taken into heavy consideration for local rank, and the weighted average of Google reviews will often appear directly in SERPs for local results:
These reviews are especially important because they could easily form a user’s first impression; they’re usually the first line of reviews a user will get to see. However, Google review don’t currently boast the same popularity as platforms like Yelp, which is frustrating the process.
Recent Changes
Over the course of the past few years, Google has implemented some massive changes in how it views, weighs, and considers these different types of reviews for a business on its Google business profile.
The biggest change came back in 2014 with the so-called Pigeon update, which changed how Google’s local search algorithm functioned. After the search update, features and entries in third-party directories began to factor in more heavily to Google’s evaluative process; now, third-party reviews, both negative and positive, are extremely important in calculating a business’s local rank, and directory pages (such as a business’s Yelp page) are more likely to show up in Google search results as standalone entries.
More recently, Google announced that Google review can now be left through the Google Maps app. Reviews can’t be left anonymously, which addresses a major concern for review abusers, but this is a move to make it easier for users to leave a Google review through a Google review link shortcut. A higher quantity of reviews, whether they are negative or positive, is beneficial for brands, consumers, and Google itself. It means you’ll get a wider diversity and a “truer” picture of the companies and products in question, and hopefully, it will lead to better differentiation in search results. So, it’s important to encourage customers to leave Google business reviews to improve your online presence and reputation.
Negative reviews can be an important part of this mix, offering valuable insights and an opportunity for businesses to address concerns. It all contributes to the overall quality and credibility of your Google business profile and can enhance your visibility in Google search results.
Goals for the Future
Based on what we currently know about the online review world and some of the recent moves Google has made, it’s reasonable to predict a handful of ways Google may hope to change the interplay of Google review in the future:
- More, more, more. More reviews means better results for everyone involved, and Google is working hard to encourage more users to leave reliable reviews.
- Better integrations of reviews in SERPs. Expect to see reviews integrated in more visible, interactive ways in SERPs.
- Faster consumer decisions. If Google had its way, consumers would never have to leave SERPs. Customer reviews are just one outlet to encourage faster consumer decisions.
A Holistic Ecosystem for Reviews
Google has brought a major change in the online review world with the Google reviews page. They have created an all-encompassing system for more Google reviews that’s really user-friendly. By blending these Google reviews into search results and Google Maps, users can easily find, read, or even leave their own feedback about products or services using a Google review link. With Google review integrated so seamlessly into the local business scene, this means more people are likely to share their opinions, including negative reviews, leading to more truthful and precise ratings. This emphasis on more Google reviews ensures that potential customers have a well-rounded view of businesses and services.
When negative reviews are also readily available alongside positive ones on a business online, it empowers consumers to make more informed decisions, ultimately benefiting both customers and businesses. The accessibility and transparency of Google reviews create a win-win situation in the world of digital reviews. Google’s commitment to allowing customers to leave reviews on a business profile, even if not anonymously, and collect reviews makes it easier for customers to share their experiences and helps businesses gather valuable feedback.
Verified Reviews for Enhanced Trust
Trust in reviews can be tricky. With fake feedback floating around, it’s hard to know who to trust! But Google has stepped up with a solution – a verified review system. These come from real users who’ve had genuine interactions with the businesses they’re reviewing. It gives us an extra layer of confidence that other review sites might not have yet caught onto. This could really change things and make our online review reading much more trustworthy.
Positive reviews on Google are becoming a trusted source for authentic feedback. More Google reviews come from real users who’ve had genuine interactions with the businesses they’re reviewing. It gives us an extra layer of confidence that other review sites might not have yet caught onto. This could really change things and make our online review reading much more trustworthy.
Google customer reviews stand out as a reliable choice for gathering insights. Positive reviews on Google are a testament to genuine interactions from real users who’ve had experiences with the businesses they’re reviewing. It gives us an extra layer of confidence that other review sites might not have yet caught onto. This could really change things and make our online review reading much more informative.
Satisfied customers are increasingly using the Google review call-to-action (CTA) to share their experiences on the business listings. This generates valuable feedback that contributes to a business’s online reputation. These Google review opportunities offer insights that benefit not only businesses but also other customers seeking information through Local SEO and Google searches. Managing reviews, from the review summary to soliciting and responding to feedback, is essential for maintaining trust and transparency in the digital world.
Proactive Review Prompts
Google’s got a clever new feature – they’re now nudging folks to write reviews right after they’ve checked out a business or place on Google Maps. Why? It lets them share their experience while it’s still fresh in mind. This way, Google gathers more feedback and keeps the info up-to-date for others who might be stopping by later on. Cool idea, huh? Plus side: this means tons of useful insights about places around town are just one click away.
With these future developments in mind, it becomes obvious that reviews are about to get even more important. Optimize your link building strategy now to attract the best possible reviews for your business and products, and stay one step ahead of the competition.
Tim has spent more than two decades in organic online marketing, working with some of the most well-recognized online brands in scaling their content marketing campaigns.
Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
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