Study Reveals Positive Reviews Boost Google Map Rankings

A recent study performed by Bizable indicates that reviews do, indeed, have a positive impact on a local organization’s rankings.

The study was accomplished by surveying 22 local business categories in 22 US cities and analyzing the Google Local results.  They examined the Google Places page for the top 30 results to look for common factors.  It should be noted that this was a study, not a test.  They did not track results, make changes to listings, and watch what happening to their rankings.  So, rather than definitive causation, this study shows correlations.

What Did They Find?
There were several take-aways from the study.  Many were things you would expect to find such as:

• Having the search category name in the organization’s title improves rankings.
• Selecting appropriate categories for the listing improves rankings.
• Verifying a listing helps with rankings.

These types of things are steps most organizations take regarding their Google Places page.  There are two other factors that influence rankings, however, that many organizations over look.

1. Having at least 5 Google reviews consistently was shown to improve rankings.
These reviews were specifically on the organization’s Google Places page.  So, while it’s still good to get reviews on other sites, like Insiderpages or Yelp, it should be a goal of your organization to get at least 5 reviews on your Google Places listing itself.  Having more than 5 reviews is a good thing, but did not show to be as significant a factor as breaking the 5 review threshold.

2. Having pictures and/or videos on a Google Places page was shown to improve rankings.
It’s easy to overlook adding ancillary features like pictures and videos, but these extras do help organizations to rank better.

Both positive reviews and having pictures/video on a Google Places page are not only beneficial for rankings, but user engagement.  Positive reviews make it more likely that a person visiting your Google Places page will move on to visit your website or your physical location.  Pictures and videos also increase user engagement and make it more likely for them to respond.

So, What Now?
One of the things about these factors is that they are easy to act on.   Every organization can take pictures and post them to their Google Places page.  Even videos are pretty easy these days.  If nothing else, you can just grab a cell phone and shoot a quick introductory video.  You should also be able to muster up 5 positive reviews if you are intentional about asking people to post them.  You can find more information about reviews as well as some tips for getting reviews here.

So, go out and to it!  Upload some pictures, add a video or two, and start getting those positive reviews!

Photo from Chris Pirrillo.