3 Huge Reasons Why Negative Reviews Help SEO
6 min readThis put up was sponsored by ReviewInc, opinions expressed in this post are the sponsor’s own.
You get that notification of a new review in your inbox.
Upcoming, you maintain your breath and recite a limited prayer prior to opening the email.
You’re bracing by yourself for a adverse review.
Business owners like you consistently experience this dread you know a photo can say a thousand terms – so can a overview (even with a character restrict).
We know shoppers depend closely on reviews for their company decisions.
As a result, your 1st believed may perhaps be to place your most effective foot ahead and avoid any negativity like the plague.
Nonetheless, in some cases undesirable is fantastic.
Ought to I Take away Detrimental Opinions?
You may perhaps be surprised, but no, do not delete detrimental assessments.
It appears counterintuitive, but have confidence in us – unfavorable reviews have a very favourable impression on your manufacturer, profits, and research engine result page (SERP) visibility.
Enable us reveal.
Can Poor Testimonials Be Fantastic?
Yes! Bad evaluations can be very good, primarily when we’re chatting about online assessments.
Why Is Some Negativity Very good When It Will come To Online Reviews?
Unbelievably, acquiring also a lot of beneficial assessments can be a red flag to shoppers.
Much more individuals will rely on a 4.7 score than a fantastic 5-star rating, in accordance to a review by ReviewInc.
This is simply because some enterprises “game,” falsify, or offer payment and exchanges for favourable opinions – and shoppers know this.
Buyers know when anything feels much too great to be correct, and when this transpires, they normally make your mind up to take their company somewhere else.
Also, the FTC has a great deal to say about bribing prospects for great evaluations and gaming the program (and what they have to say is not what you want to hear).
That being claimed, a very good rating that incorporates negative opinions is a sturdy indicator of authenticity, regardless of the platform.
We know what you are wondering subsequent.
How Usually Do Folks Depart Terrible Testimonials?
The great news is terrible reviews are not as prevalent as you would think.
In 2022, ReviewInc done a study and found that 65% of men and women do not depart bad reviews when they have a destructive encounter.
That is wonderful information!
It is also interesting to be aware there was no measurable change in the gender all genders described an equal amount of preventing writing detrimental opinions.
In other terms, the likelihood of having a good evaluation is much greater than getting a damaging critique.
Dependent on ReviewInc’s general measurements, 92% of opinions are favourable (and 96% of the constructive evaluations are 5-star ratings).
Considerably less than 5% of evaluations 1-star critiques.
Results from ReviewInc Google Study, January 2022
So, what are the precise causes why destructive opinions are fantastic for your business enterprise?
Let’s dive into how poor assessments can basically raise your brand name.
How Negative Reviews Help SEO & Online Reputation Management
By keeping your bad reviews in place and managing those reviews with online review management tools, your star ratings can:
- Help improve your overall SEO & visibility in search.
- Increase trust, loyalty, and customer base.
- Give insights into how you can improve your business for future growth.
1. Negative Reviews Provide Authentic SEO
Reviews and ratings on sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp factor in Google search engine optimization rankings.
Google describes how reviews play a role in prominence in SEO rankings. Specifically, “High-quality, positive reviews from your customers can improve your business visibility and increase the likelihood that a shopper will visit your location.”
Encouraging all reviews and responding to them is a good practice that will enhance your local SEO and your online reputation.
When it comes to negative reviews, they tend to provide a necessary balance, as an abundance of fake “positive” reviews or biased reviews can result in all the reviews being suspended from a key review site which will heavily impact SEO.
Regardless, don’t fear a negative review, there is good news.
2. Negative Reviews Build Brand Trust & Loyalty
“The average review score on Yelp is 3.65, which is the lowest out of these platforms. The average reviews on the other major platforms are 4.42 on Facebook, 4.3 on Google, and 4.25 on TripAdvisor.” (Neil Patel)
While those numbers, especially on Yelp, can seem scary, the truth is that reviews are trust-building mechanisms that help customers know what they are getting into before purchasing.
In short, bad reviews are a necessary ingredient of authenticity, which ultimately can lead to more sales.
The trick is to use a sympathetic response, which will:
- Help future customers understand the context of a bad review.
- Show future customers that you understand their needs and will work to accommodate them.
- Show reviewers that you are there for them.
With this technique, a previously bad reviewer may actually update their review to a higher star rating.
According to Google’s guidelines, “When you reply to reviews, you post publicly as your business. Replies may not appear across Google immediately. However, reviewers will get a notification when you reply to their review. After they have a chance to read your reply, they can update their review.”
How Do I Respond To Negative Reviews?
We know that bad reviews often feel like bad news, but a well-crafted reply can neutralize the effect.
Responding appropriately to a negative review can also be seen by other customers.
How you handle the situation will matter more than the negative review. (Here are some tips on replying to a negative review).
Responding to reviews shows that a business cares about its service and reputation.
The response alone engenders higher confidence in a company.
3. Negative Reviews Help Improve Business Operations & Profits
So, what about that 1-star review?
There is a genuine benefit from negative reviews and what their intent should be.
Negative reviews tell a business what it needs to fix and improve.
This is especially important in today’s competitive environment.
Sometimes criticism can make us better as people and businesses.
If a customer has a frustrating experience and writes a review, it will draw your attention to an issue you may not have noticed:
- Is there a faulty product?
- Does a team member need guidance?
Not all bad reviews need to end a business – they can be an opportunity to improve and strengthen customer service.
How To Manage All Your Reviews
The high importance of online reviews and star ratings makes it necessary to have an online reputation management strategy.
It is vital to monitor your reviews, campaign for more reviews, and have a strategy to respond to all reviews.
After all, your response might influence a negative review to change into a positive one.
This strategy will enhance both a business reputation as well as its SEO.
With reputation management software, businesses can have a team overseeing their online reputation and all reviews left.
A good service will also have tools that help you compose responses and manage them.
The software allows your business team to respond quickly and appropriately, so you do not have to handle the stress of negative reviews.
Image Credits
Featured Image: : Phoenixns/Shutterstock
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