E.E.A.T + WTH is Google doing with reviews?
did your reviews get removed?
Google search results have been very volatile since mid July.
Usually this means the algorithm is being updated.
Then in the last 2 weeks, LOADS of Google Reviews on Google Business Profiles have been disappearing.
What’s going on?
I think it’s all pretty normal behaviour from Google, but let’s break it down a bit so you can rest easy.
E.E.A.T
We’ve talked about this before, but here is a reminder from our archive:
“E.A.T has been around for a while.
It’s part of how Google ranks and scores your website.
Stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust.
Now they have added another “E” - which stands for “experience”.
What this means is that websites, to rank well and get free Google traffic, need to show all of those 4 factors.
Experience means both customer experience, and also business experience… easiest explainer is “get Reviews and testimonials on your website”.
Here are some new things we are looking at for our local SEO clients (local businesses that want to stand out on Google) to comply with the above:
➡ Meet the team and about us pages that include details about any awards or qualifications.
➡ Links to any media, written pieces, and mentions.
➡ A testimonials page.
➡ Social Profiles.
➡ Privacy and cookies disclaimers.
➡ Code of ethics and social responsibility page.
➡ Feedback, business registration details, GDPR compliance..
You get the idea.
Things that prove Trust, Authority, Expertise, AND now Experience too.
We are also putting some of this information across company LinkedIn pages and Google Business Profiles, to help Google pick the information up.”
SO - the recent Google updates seem to be focussing on the Experience aspect - as it was the “last addition” to that acronym.
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Google Reviews getting deleted
Over the last 2 weeks, LOADS of “fake” or “purchased” or “non-genuine” Google reviews have been wiped out.
Good.
It’s important that Google makes their review process as trustworthy as possible, or people won’t use Google as the business “go to” that they want to be.
BUT - some real reviews have been wiped out too.
I have published a whole stack of Google review videos - click here to check them out on YouTube.
If you have had some real reviews, you should aim to get them back.
Most business owners don’t focus on Google reviews enough, people use them a lot when making decisions.
Handy Blog article I found that will help you get Google Reviews back. 👈 click here
OR - you can hit the button below and contact us.
What does this all mean, and why should you care?
My clients probably get annoyed at how often I contact them to discuss how we can generate more reviews.
Google is CLEARLY telling us that “customer experience” is an SEO ranking factor, it’s also helpful for ranking Google Business Profiles higher, and is a HUGE decision factor for potential customers.
I will die on this hill…. every business should focus on Google Reviews!
This article HERE - is our best resource for how to get Google Reviews.
Now is the time to review it, and install better systems in your business for getting positive feedback and more Google Reviews.
Hey Google - our new package for people sick of Google ignoring them:
CLICK HERE to learn more about Hey Google 👈 click here
If you need help with anything Google / Google Business Profile / Google Ads, reach out - click the button below: