Do Third-Party Reviews Affect SEO?

Last week we uncovered why blogging is vital for your SEO, and today we’ll look at another hot topic, third-party reviews.

What’s a ‘third-party review’?

A third-party review is a review collected and presented anywhere other than your own website, with common examples being Google, Facebook, and Yelp. Third-party reviews are the gold standard for business credibility; they’re less able to be manipulated than reviews shown directly on a business’s own site.

What do they have to do with SEO?

While Google is often quiet on the inner workings of their search ranking algorithm, they aren’t shy on reviews: “Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking.”

Google aside, the world’s top local SEO experts every year or two partake in the renowned Moz’s Local Search Ranking Factors Survey. The results of this survey set the blueprint for local business SEO success.

In the most recent version (linked to above) third-party reviews (quantity, frequency), ranked in the top 5 (!) most important local SEO signals! This is a +21.5% increase from their place in the past study (2015), cementing their role as a critical element in any business’ local SEO plan.

Local Google searches (e.g. ‘RV dealer near me’) always return reviews, and it’s those reviews that help determine which dealers appear (and which dealer shoppers will choose!):

What do I do now?

Do you have an effective and efficient process for review acquisition, monitoring, response, and reporting? If not, what are you waiting for? Your Google local SEO presence depends on it! We’re here to help; contact your account manager to learn more.

If you’re already using our Customer Review Pro service, then no action is needed. You’ll continue to grow your reviews, reputation, organic presence, and traffic. 🙂