4.9
4.9/5

Do Google Reviews Help SEO Actually? [FULL GUIDE]

Daniel Flynn

Daniel Flynn

When visiting a business for the first time, what do you do? 

If you’re like most people, your research begins with a Google search for businesses near you. 

Before contacting the business, making a reservation, or placing an address in your map, you comb through review ratings and Google reviews to make sure you’re making the right decision. 

This has become the way that customers find businesses that can feed their hunger, entertainment, service & retail therapy needs. As a result, reviews on Google, Yelp & other local directories have become extremely important.

In fact, 90% of people check online reviews before making a purchase. Meaning if you don’t have reviews then you’re less likely to be chosen by customers looking for your service.

But that doesn’t necessarily answer the million-dollar question: “Do Google reviews help SEO?”.

It’s a question we get a lot from business owners who know reviews are important but want to see if they can also boost their rankings. 

The rest of this article will answer that question.

Do Google Reviews Help Google Ranking?

Google doesn’t physically visit the businesses that are listed in its local business directory. Therefore, Google needs a way to determine the quality of a business. Customer reviews, good and bad, offer first-hand evidence of a business’s quality. 

And since Google’s mission is to provide its users with the best search results, businesses with high ratings will generally have higher SEO rankings on Google than ones with low ratings. 

Nevertheless, the words that customers leave about your business help potential customers in their decision-making process. For this reason, over 40% of Google’s local pack ranking factors are review-related.

Maint point: The number of reviews your business has and your average star rating have a big impact on your local search rankings. Therefore, reputation management should definitely be a part of your SEO strategy.

Make The Decision An Easy One

When typing “italian restaurant near me” in your search bar, you’ll be presented with 10+ local business listings, but it’s only the ones with a rating above 3.5 that’ll hold your attention.

You may even filter by star ratings, which means you won’t even see the businesses that are outside the parameters of your filter, placing even more importance on the number of star ratings you have.  

All in all, it doesn’t matter which restaurant has the best marinara sauce, you’re going to visit the restaurant with better reviews.

More Stars = More Clicks = Higher SEO

The benefit of reviews to SEO is exponential. Meaning as you increase search ranking, you become more visible to users, which generally results in more engagement with your listing or clicks to your website.

And guess what? 

Google sees engagement as an indication of positive customer experience, which will lead to even better rankings and authority for your listings and/or webpage.    

Not to mention a higher star rating makes you more attractive to customers who are searching for your business type.

Responding To Reviews Is Just As Important

Although a lot of your efforts may be geared towards generating reviews, responding to new reviews in a timely manner is just as important. 

In fact, Google sees a cordial review response to both positive and negative reviews as an indicator of prompt customer service, which offers an ode to the high standard of quality you hold to your products and services.

Customers Don’t Go Out Of The Way To Leave Positive Reviews

Face it, people rarely go out of their way to say something nice, but they will often go far beyond what’s convenient to leave a negative review. As a result, it’s important for business owners like yourself to proactively reach out to customers for feedback. 

By doing so, you’ll surely get better responses than if you let disgruntled customers be the only people to go to your Google My Business page to leave reviews.

To help out, our automated review screening system asks customers how their experience was before directing them to review sites – preventing negative reviews from being left online & ensuring your happy customers have the opportunity to leave positive reviews on Google.

How We Can Help

TAPLocal offers an all-in-one solution for reputation management. Send automated review requests to your customers post-visit, prevent negative reviews before they happen & set up automated review responses so you never leave customer feedback unanswered.

If you’re interested in growing your business, then getting more reviews is the perfect place to start. Pair in our local SEO technology that enriches your business info in over 60 local directories and you have everything you need to get found online. 

Want to learn more about how TAPLocal can help you get more customers?  Visit our site to find out more.

For more articles like this one, visit our blog.

Next Step?

The worst action is inaction! Our team is ready to find your next big move. Over 20 years of experience means we have the tools to get it done in your local market.

Share This Article!

Our Partner Network

  • 123local
  • 2findlocal
  • 8coupons
  • ABLocal
  • AllergyEats
  • AllMenus
  • AmericanTowns
  • AroundMe
  • Baidu
  • Banks.com
  • Brownbook.net
  • Central Index
  • ChamberofCommerce.com
  • CitySquares
  • CK Maps
  • Cylex
  • DexKnows
  • DoorDash
  • Dun & Bradstreet
  • eLocal
  • EZlocal
  • Find Open
  • Fliggy
  • GoLocal247
  • HERE
  • HolidayCheck
  • HostMe
  • HotFrog
  • iBegin
  • iGlobal
  • Insider Pages
  • Instagram
  • Local.com
  • LocalDatabase
  • LocalPages
  • LocalStack
  • Mafengwo
  • Mapstr
  • Menupix
  • MerchantCircle
  • My Local Services
  • n49
  • Navmii
  • NDrive
  • Opendi
  • OpenTable
  • Parent Day Out
  • Pitney Bowes
  • Pointcom
  • Postmates
  • Property Capsule
  • RetirementPlanning.net
  • SafeGraph
  • ShowMeLocal
  • Soleo
  • Superpages
  • tellows
  • TomTom
  • Top Rated Local
  • Trip.com
  • TripAdvisor
  • TrustPilot
  • Tupalo
  • Uber
  • Uber Eats
  • USCity.net
  • VotefortheBest
  • Waze
  • Where To?
  • WiserAdvisor
  • Yalwa
  • Yandex
  • YaSabe
  • YellowMoxie
  • YellowPageCity
  • YellowPagesDirectory

Want To See How You Show Up?

Tell Us Where To Send Your Report!

Run Your Free Business Report - Contact Info
Pop-up form preceding Yext Scan CTA, basic contact info

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Place Your Vision Online With Award-Winning Web Design!

Web Design - Scheduling

Set Up Your Free Account In Minutes

Make It Easier For Your Customers To Pay You!

Payments - Get Started

Set Up Your Free Account In A Matter Of Minutes

Customize Your Clover To Work The Way You Do!

Clover POS - Get Started

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Get More Positive Reviews With TAPLocal Review Management!

Review Generation - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Get A Full Tour Of Our Business Manager Dashboard!

Dashboard Demo - Scheduling

Our Packages Are Built With All Your Needs In Mind

Find Out Which Package Your Business Qualifies For!

Free Clover - Pricing

Clover POS Is The Perfect Business Companion

Find Out Which Device Is Best For Your Unique Needs!

Free Clover - Meet Clover

Pick A Time To Speak With Local Business Specialist

Claim Your Free Clover Today!

Free Clover Package - Scheduling

Create Your Free Account & Pick Your Package

Claim Your Free Clover Today!

Free Clover Package - Get Started

Want To See How You Show Up?

Tell Us About Your Business

Let's Get Started

Start Rewarding Your Customers Today!

Clover App Market - Restaurant Rewards
Pop-up form on Restaurant Rewards page

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Boost Your Business With An All In One Package!

All In One Packages - Scheduling
Pop-up form preceding All In One Packages scheduling

Ready To Boost Your Business?

Create Your Free Account To Claim Your Package!

All In One Packages - Standard

Ready To Boost Your Business?

Create Your Free Account To Claim Your Package!

All In One Packages - Builder

Ready To Boost Your Business?

Create Your Free Account To Claim Your Package!

All In One Packages - Starter

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Start Gaining Repeat Business From Your Customers Today!

Text Message Marketing - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Take Control Of How You Show Up Online Today!

Listings - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Starting Driving Hyper-Local Traffic To Your Website!

Listings - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Boost Your Facebook Ads With Hyper-Local Technology!

Facebook & Instagram - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Get Prime Exposure With Our Reach & Frequency Guarantee!

Facebook Awareness Ads - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Advertise On The World's Leading Search Engine!

Facebook Awareness Ads - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Find Out How TAPLocal Can Grow Your Business!

TAPLocal Appointment - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Get HOT Local Leads Delivered Directly To Your Phone!

Facebook Lead Ads - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Help Hungry Customers Find You When They Need To!

Listings For Food - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Drive Sales With Redeemable Offers On Facebook!

Facebook Offer Ads - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Simplify How Your Customers Pay You & Cut Processing Costs!

Payments - Scheduling

Pick A Time To Speak With A Local Business Expert

Simplify Your Day-To-Day With The Perfect Point Of Sale!

Clover POS - Scheduling

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How We Grew Our Client's Business With Stellar Web Design

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Text Message Marketing For Your Business!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How We Helped Our Client Build Their Online Reputation & Get More Customers As A Result!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage Google Ads For Business Growth

Read A Client Success Story

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Facebook for Growth!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Facebook Offer Ads for Growth!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Facebook Lead Ads for Growth!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Facebook Awareness Ads for Growth!

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How To Leverage The Power of Facebook Click Ads To Grow Your Business

Read A Client Success Story!

Learn How We Increased Our Client's Online Visibility & Got Him More Leads!

Get Your Web Design eBook!

Learn What Separates A Winning Website From The Losing Ones

Get Your Free SMS Marketing eBook!

Learn How To Turn New Purchases Into Your Most Loyal Customers

Get Your Reputation Management eBook!

Learn How To Build Your Online Reputation & Get More Paying Customers

Get Your Free Ebook Today

Learn How To Audit Your Merchant Statement And Cut Your Costs

Get Your Google Ads eBook!

Learn How To Convert Web Traffic Into Revenue

Get Your Facebook Ads eBook Today!

Learn How To Advertise On The World’s Biggest Stage

Can Google's Crawlers Understand Your Site?

Find Out If Your Website Has Schema Markup

Schema Markup - Contact Info
small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Payments Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Payments Consultation Awaits

Let's Create Your Free Account

Claim Your Free Clover Today!

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Your Free Local Marketing Consultation Awaits

Get Your Business Listings eBook!

Learn How To Get Found By Consumers Who Are Searching For A Product Or Service That You Offer