There is no disputing that positive Facebook reviews can make your business more appealing to customers on Facebook, but do they help SEO?
Facebook, the world’s most used social media site and the second most popular review website for businesses, is an important platform where businesses can improve their reach, credibility, sales, and overall online authority.
Facebook reviews, also known as Facebook recommendations, are the key to making your Facebook business page stand out.
Of course, the more positive reviews and ratings you have, the more attractive your business will be to Facebook customers.
Still, you aren’t the only business owner to wonder whether Facebook reviews improve search engine optimization to help businesses climb Google’s local search rankings.
The answer is simple – but does involve other factors that are worth considering.
Do Facebook Reviews Improve SEO?
The upfront answer is no: Facebook reviews do not improve Google SEO.
No matter how many reviews you have received on your Facebook business page, it will not have any effect on how your business ranks in local searches made on Google.
This applies to both positive and negative Facebook reviews.
But, while that is the case, it doesn’t mean you should disregard Facebook reviews as they do have several advantages that your business can benefit from.
Are Facebook Reviews Important?
Since Facebook reviews do not influence SEO, the next thing you will be naturally wondering is whether or not Facebook reviews are important – or worth collecting at all.
The fact is, you should still make an effort to get more reviews on Facebook simply because more reviews – especially positive reviews – can attract customers and drive business.
And positive reviews, no matter whether they are on Facebook, Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or any review website, are one of the most important resources for a business to succeed online and offline.
But while positive Facebook reviews do not impact local search queries on Google, they do improve your business’s visibility in Facebook News Feeds (Facebook Feeds).
This includes the content you post, as well as how often your business is recommended to Facebook users.
In addition, Facebook reviews can sometimes be displayed in Google’s search engine results pages when someone searches for your business.
It goes without saying that this can organically lead traffic to your Facebook page to increase sales and help your business grow.
Do Online Reviews Help SEO?
So, what about other review sites?
It might come as no surprise that positive Google reviews improve SEO. What’s more, positive Yelp reviews – including the ratings, comments, and the number of Yelp reviews you have – also improve how your business ranks on Google.
The natural course of action here would be to focus on Google and Yelp. But the truth is that the more positive reviews you have overall is the key to your business’s success.
It’s the only way to guarantee that your business has an authoritative presence across a range of platforms.
This is because the more positive reviews you have in general is going to increase your chance of success on each platform as well as how well your business ranks on SERPs.
So, the bottom line is that your focus should not be to get more reviews on one site only – but to get more reviews across all review sites.
How To Get More Reviews
Getting customer reviews on one website, let alone all review sites, is one of those tasks that is easier said than done.
And no matter how much effort you put into getting more reviews, it is still a slow process that even with proactive strategies in place does not result in guaranteed reviews for your business.
To get more reviews, it’s understandable that your business should aim to provide the best possible service that it can. After all, happy customers are generally more inclined to leave a review.
In addition to that, you can reach out to your customers and request reviews. This is typically done through review request emails, which can be effective, but also requires you to put in a lot of effort and time.
Another disadvantage to email review requests is that it can also increase the possibility of receiving negative reviews (due to the general increase in reviews received), which, once posted online, you have little to no control over.
Get Reviews For Your Business – The Best Solution
As mentioned, Facebook reviews do not help SEO but that doesn’t mean you should disregard Facebook reviews or place more importance on other review websites.
Instead, by focusing on getting more reviews for your business in general, you significantly increase the potential for your business to become an authoritative presence across a range of websites while improving your local search rankings.
We know what you’re thinking: collecting reviews is not easy.
But the solution to that is for your business to use an automated system that maximizes your chance of getting more reviews.
ReputationStacker is a simple yet effective tool specifically designed so that your business can get more reviews across various review sites.
Conclusion
Facebook reviews – even positive Facebook reviews – have no influence over SEO and how well your business ranks when it is searched for on Google.
Despite that, positive Facebook reviews can attract customers on Facebook, appear in Google search results, and improve your business’s reach and visibility in Facebook News Feeds.
So, Facebook reviews are still important and should not be disregarded in favor of getting more reviews on other sites. Each review platform has its benefits, all of which are crucial to your business’s success.
Your goal as a business owner then should be to get more reviews across all websites. And once your business starts using ReputationStacker, all you’ll have to do is sit back and watch the reviews roll in.