avoiding review spam, best practices for google+local
TRANSCRIPT
Avoiding Review Spam:
Best Practices for
Google+ Local
Matthew O’Such – Chief SEO Strategist
PCG Digital Marketing
Contact us at 732-450-8200 or
www.PCGdigitalMarketing.com
Today’s Agenda
• When did this become an issue?
• Do Reviews Effect SEO in a Map Listing?
• Avoiding Review Spam Penalties with RADIUS
– Remove…
– Avoid…
– Do Not…
– Inspect…
– Update…
– Set a goal…
• Moving Forward…
When did this become an issue?
• August 2012
– Many automotive dealerships report a
loss of reviews
– Thousands of reviews disappeared,
a lucky few have seen them reappear
– There is not much Google will do to assist you in the
recovery of these reviews
Do Reviews Effect SEO in a Map Listing?
• From our findings, Yes!
What Factors?
– Definitely: the terms or
keywords written by
the user in the review
– Possibly: the number
of reviews or score
• A sample for
“Fresh Pasta” (right).
– No Google category for it,
but when its in a review,
businesses are
highlighted
Using the RADIUS guidelines
Review Spam can be dangerous, keep these steps in mind…
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Remove:
– In-store kiosks or tablets
– And other devices which are
used to post reviews
• Why?
– However well intended, these practices
leave dealers open to increased review
spam and scrutiny
– Eliminate One-And-Done review accounts
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Avoid: – Services that offer to create
reviews from customer survey data, online forms, or customer correspondence
• There is an emerging science to automatically tag suspicious reviews
• Google wants to ensure that reviews are posted from real people and not agents acting on a consumer’s behalf
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Do not assist in creating an account to post a favorable review. Stay away from slow adopters of Google+
• Google knows how often accounts are used and what actions they are taking
• Users who are not “active” should not post reviews. An account that only posts one review, has a high likelihood of being considered spam.
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Inspect your page to monitor
reviews
• Make sure that all your
business information
is correct on a weekly basis
• Why Weekly?
– Google has recently encouraged owners to go back in and
update a small piece of information to be sure they are the
most recent editor of the account
Inspect (cont.)
• The inspection process will: – Negative reviews alerts
– Thank customers
– Upload new photos and videos that will keep your page fresh & relevant. Check for outdated promos
– Document changes • Review scores & Quantity as your ROI
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Update all “customer-facing”
media with new language
that defines “active” Google users
• Recent actions by Google make
it clear that they only want active
users of Google to post reviews
• Ask: Are you an active Google Reviewer or Yelper? If
yes, please consider sharing your experience on…
Using the RADIUS guidelines
• Set a goal to attract quality of reviews from active users, over quantity.
• Quantity goals will produce “one and done” posts
• Once you identify customers that are active Google users, advise them on best practices for writing reviews.
• Remind Reviewers to outline why they choose to do business with your company and what employees deserve special recognition
Moving Forward with Reviews
• This is a good time to put a process in writing
• If your business has been impacted by review filtering, this is a good time to train your staff and start over
• If you plan to benefit from the free advertising provided by Google+ Local, make a commitment to building a strong listing!
Special Breaking News !
• In an article released on
SearchEngineLand.com today, it
was discovered web traffic, from
iPads & iPhones with the new iOS 6, does not pass a
“Referrer” to Analytics
• What does this mean?
Referrer = Google
Direct Visitor!
A Checklist from Today’s Webinar
• Want the easy 11 step guide from today?
– Just Email me!
Avoiding Review Spam:
Best Practices for
Google+ Local
Matthew O’Such – Chief SEO Strategist
PCG Digital Marketing
