Our Insights

Imagine you are trying to find somewhere to grab a slice of pizza, and you want to try one of the local restaurants in your city. When searching on Google, you’re given results for a local pizzeria with 5 stars and over 300 reviews and a pizza place with no Google reviews at all. Are you more likely to grab dinner from the business that has a good reputation? Or would you take a risk on the restaurant that doesn’t have any reviews?

If you’re like most people, you want to visit the place that has the most reviews and has been vetted by other folks in your area. Studies show that when searching for a local business, 71% of people will read online reviews before visiting. For local businesses, reviews are the lifeline of local SEO, helping them stand out in search results, build trust with potential customers, and even boost local rankings on Google. Search engines love fresh, authentic human feedback, and so do actual people! 

Whether it’s a five-star raving fan or someone who chooses to share a bit of constructive criticism, reviews signal credibility and engagement, making them a key ingredient in any successful local SEO strategy. Plus, responding to reviews, the good and the bad, shows that your business values customer feedback, fostering a sense of community and trust.  

Reviews Aren’t Optional, They’re Your Local SEO Power Play‍

Reviews are not only important for customers who are in the decision-making stage, but they also provide positive signals to Google to help your business show up in local search results. Google ranks local businesses based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence, but the algorithm also prioritizes businesses with high-quality reviews and ratings, giving them a better placement in results for local searches. 

The more high-quality reviews a business has, the more likely it is to show up in the “local pack” (the top map listing results) which dominate visibility on local search results. This space is intensely competitive, with only few spots available, and it often drives the majority of clicks for local intent queries.

Reviews do more than just build trust. They naturally contain relevant keywords, helping your business rank for terms real customers are using while searching without needing to force them into your website content. But without enough reviews, or with low-quality or negative feedback, your business is far less likely to compete in the local pack. If you’re not actively collecting and responding to reviews, you're missing a massive opportunity to drive foot traffic, calls, and conversions. And even worse, you’re opening the door for your competitors to outdo you. 

Based on statistical data from LocalIQ, about 65% of customers will look at Google reviews to understand what they can expect before visiting a business. Positive reviews can be the final push that someone needs to make a decision. A  lack of reviews, or negative reviews, can steer  them elsewhere. A local business with a wealth of positive reviews signals credibility, quality, and strong customer service. On the other hand, a lack of reviews, or negative reviews, especially those that go unaddressed by the business, can turn potential customers away. 

‍Turning Feedback into Growth: How Responding to Reviews Impacts Your Local Organic Performance

Getting reviews is only the first step—how your business engages with them is just as important. Google will take review responses into account when evaluating how active and trustworthy a local business is, which can impact how often it shows up in search results. Responding to reviews signals to search engines that your business is engaged, increasing its credibility and strengthening its local SEO presence. As an added benefit,  it shows customers that their feedback is valued.

When a business responds to a positive review, it can show appreciation and encourage existing customers to come back again. Addressing the reviewer and responding to them in a way that is unique to their personal experience can go a long way in building relationships with customers. 

Businesses want to avoid receiving negative reviews if possible, but they happen. Fortunately, they provide excellent opportunities to put your customer service on display for potential customers. A business should provide a thoughtful, professional response to negative reviews to show both existing and potential customers that it cares about its customers and is willing to improve. Even an unhappy customer can be won back with the right response to a review. With a customer-oriented response and properly addressing the issue in the real world, the customer may even decide to adjust their star-rating or update their original review!

An Optimized Google Business Profile is a Necessity for Garnering Reviews

With Google being the top decision-maker regarding how visible your business is in local search results, it is important to have a properly set-up Google Business Profile. Without an optimized profile, responding to reviews, let alone getting them, becomes more difficult. 

A business should ensure that its Google Business Profile is claimed and that all information is accurate. Our recent blog includes some of our top tips for getting your local business verified on Google Business Profile. A well-optimized profile improves visibility and makes it easier both for customers to leave reviews and for businesses to respond. 

Once a business has its profile set up, it can actively encourage satisfied customers to share their experience by directing them to their Google Business Profile. Here's the tricky part: many happy customers will rave about a business to their friends and family, but it simply doesn’t occur to them to leave a review unless they’re prompted. On the other hand, when someone has a negative experience, they’re far more likely to take the initiative to leave a review on their own. This creates an imbalanced public perception where negative voices are overrepresented, not necessarily because a business provides poor service, but because the happy customers aren’t being invited to share their experiences. 

A simple request can significantly boost review volume over time. If you’re not consistently asking for reviews, you’re leaving your online reputation up to chance—and potentially letting a few negative voices dominate the conversation.

Master Reviews, Build Trust, Dominate Local SEO

Reviews can be make-or-break for the many local businesses trying to compete in the competitive search landscape we have today. They influence where you show up, how trustworthy you appear to potential customers, and whether someone clicks on your listing or a competitor’s. 

By optimizing their Google Business Profile and engaging with customer feedback, a local business can create a sustainable local SEO strategy that draws in new customers, builds  loyalty with existing customers, and helps it stay ahead of the competition. Consistently earning and responding to reviews tells Google, and your community, that your business is active, credible, and worth giving their business to. Ignoring them, on the other hand, hands that opportunity straight to your business’s competition. The good news? It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The team at Lewis Media can work with your local business to optimize your Google Business Profile, fine tune your local SEO, and address both positive and negative reviews so you’re not only showing up, but standing out. Contact our team to get started today.