As we know, online reviews are very important for local SEO. Moz found that ‘review signals’ make up about 13% of the ranking factors for the local pack, and there are a number of factors that contribute to this:
While all of these factors are important, the diversity of reviews can often be overlooked. It is easy to focus all your attention on gaining reviews on one main platform, such as Social Media or Google. However, Google takes into account the reviews you gain across the web, so having reviews on multiple platforms is a more effective strategy.
Not only does Google prefer this, but so do your potential patients! By having reviews on multiple platforms, you are increasing online visibility and the number of platforms where you can attract new patients.
Google also pulls through your third party reviews through to your Google business listing, alongside the posts and questions and answer section. This not only improves your online reputation but also backs up your Google reviews. If you’ve been reviewed positively on more than one site, potential patients are more likely to trust the reviews they are seeing, and studies show (for example Brightlocal), positive reviews improve click-through rates.
Of course, Google reviews remain very important as they are likely to be the first potential patients see. But make sure you are targeting a few different review sites when reaching out for reviews.
It’s also a good idea to add links to these review pages your website. This will show off your reviews to website visitors and also offers a quick way to direct happy patients to leave you a review. Some review sites also offer widgets or banners that can be added to your website, which really grab visitors attention.
If you need any advice about gaining reviews please give us a call on 01202 677 277 and we’ll be happy to help!