This presentation was delivered at PubCon New Orleans in March 2014. Covers why reviews are important to search ranking on Google, what reviews matter most, how do reviews play into your local ranking, what is the first step to getting reviews, and what a step by step guide to getting reviews looks like. This presentation also includes Kris Jones's Top 10 Strategies for Getting Local Reviews.

1. @krisjonescom
Local Search : Reviews and
Rankings
Presented by:
Kristopher B. Jones
Chairman, Internet Marketing Ninjas

3. @krisjonescom
About Kris
• Founder of Pepperjam – Sold to eBay
• Chairman of Internet Marketing Ninjas
• Angel Investor at KBJ Capital (French
Girls App, ReferLocal, Highlighter,
VigLink…)
• Best-selling author of SEO Visual
Blueprint; Author of digital LSEO Book

4. @krisjonescom
Why are reviews important?
• Google uses them for purposes of local
search ranking
• Integrated into search results
• Build trust
• Generate more clicks
• Grab attention; influence behavior
• Reviews get shared within G+ circles by
reviewers

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What Review Sites Matter Most?
(Included on Google Search)
• Google+ Local
• Yelp
• CitySearch
• Yahoo Local
• Super Pages
• Merchant Circle

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How do reviews play into your
local search ranking?
• Quantity of reviews
• Velocity of Reviews (how often you
receive reviews)
• Quality (i.e. rating, sentiment) of reviews
• Reviews on Google+ Local are likely more
important than reviews on 3rd
party sites
like Yelp, CitySearch, Yahoo Local, etc.

7. @krisjonescom
What is the first step to generating
lots of reviews?
• Create a Step-By-Step Guide and provide
examples for prospective reviewers!!!
• Walk prospective reviewers through process of each
platform you want reviews (If I were you I’d focus
mainly on Google+ Local).
• Don’t assume prospect has a Google+ account
• Provide links and instructions from beginning to end
• Provide one or more examples of well written
reviews

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What does a step-by-step
guide look like?

9. SOURCE:
LocalVisibility.com

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What about sample reviews?
Provide desirable ones if you have them; if not, write
sample reviews of what you’d like to see.

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Here are examples of reviews that have been written about Patsy’s
See more reviews like this at https://plus.google.com/yourname

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Top 10 Strategies for Getting
Local Reviews

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(1) Ask existing raving fans
• First, identify your most enthusiastic
customers and ask them to write a review
for you.
• Second, provide your step-by-step “how to”
guide on exactly what they need to do.
• Finally, offer a free dessert or something
else of value to show your appreciation for
being a raving fan (regardless of writing the
review).

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(2) Leverage your existing
social media followers
• Be honest. For instance – “Hey friends – we
are looking to increase our local search
rankings on Google. One way to do that is to
generate reviews on Google+ from social
media followers like YOU. Can you help?”
• If a follower agrees provide them w/ your
step-by-step guide and follow-up w/ them
until they write the review.

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(3) Run a contest
• Thank your followers for being loyal customers and
fans and encourage them to post comments.
• Prompt comments by saying “Enter to win a $100
gift card by telling us what you like most about our
business and what we can do to improve.”
• Select a winner at random.
• However, the gold here is identifying the most
enthusiastic commenter’s – the ones that just can’t
find anything wrong with your business and asking
them to write a more formal review.

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NOTE - Be creative with the
types of contests you run, but
don’t go overboard and get in
trouble with Google.

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(4) E-mail
• Send a dedicated e-mail to current
customers asking if anyone would be
willing to write a review
• Include promotion “Want to help us
rank higher on Google?” in all future e-
mail communications
• Link to your step-by-step guide

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(5) Direct Mail
• Include a post card or note in any
mailers you send (including invoices
and marketing materials) to customers
or clients
• Personalize your ask – Always be
honest.
• Include your step-by-step guide

19. @krisjonescom
(6) Buy Ads
• Buy traffic to your Google+ Local page
(including Google’s internal advertising
systems) to drive more followers to
your page.
• Once you have more followers you’ll
have a much larger pull of people to
get to write reviews.

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(7) Promote at your POB
• Post a sign or sticker in your place of
business.
• Create an advertisement that directs
people to your Google+ Local Page to
write a review.

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(8) Promote Reviews on Your
Website
• Place reviews on your site from happy
customers with a link requesting others
to do reviews (link to your Google+
Local profile page).
• Include your step-by-step guide

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(9) Have your friends and
family write reviews.
• You certainly don’t only want reviews
from friends and family but chances
are you’ll get positive sentiment and
scores from friends and family, which
Google loves
• Give them your guide!

23. @krisjonescom
(10) Leverage social media
• Leverage your friends and followers on
Facebook and Twitter.
• Use social media to build relationships
and add value – sell nothing just give.
• Also, don’t be afraid to ask your
neighbors and friends from church
(literally) for reviews on Google.

24. @krisjonescom
Conclusion
• Be proactive about getting reviews
• The more you get on a regular basis
the higher you are likely to rank on
Google
• Don’t forget to offer a step-by-step
guide with examples to anyone willing
to write a review

25. @krisjonescom
Let’s stay connected
• Facebook.com/krisjonescom
• Twitter - @krisjonescom
• LinkedIn – linkedin.con/in/internetceo
• Google+ - +kristopherjones
• Get a FREE Copy of my digital LSEO
book - http://referlocal.com/seobook