How to Gain Competitive Advantage in the Year Ahead
Introduction
The past year ushered in some big changes for online reputation management (ORM) — and the practice has become indispensable for any location-based enterprise.
In 2017, review sources proliferated, consumers became more savvy about the validity of online reviews, and the position of Chief Experience Officer started to gain traction among location-based organizations. ORM and SEO became increasingly intertwined as Google refined its search algorithms with a strong emphasis on reviews and star ratings.
This year, expect to see these four trends move to the forefront:
- Google will extend its dominance in online review volume and consumer exposure, eclipsing all other specialty sites.
- SEO will be reinvented as user-generated reviews weigh more heavily in search rankings.
- The voice of the customer will become increasingly unified across previously disconnected categories.
- Consumer feedback from reviews and social media will drive operational improvements.
1. Google will extend its dominance in online review volume and consumer exposure, eclipsing all other specialty sites
Google reviews are the gateway to local business.
According to the latest metrics reported, Google processes more than 3.5 billion queries every day — 1.2 trillion per year — worldwide.
But Google offers more than search results. The site is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for online reviews, ratings, directions, hours and more — all the information a consumer would need to make a decision about where to go for products and services. The implication? If your locations’ listings aren’t up to date on Google, you’re losing business.
Google is so far ahead, the “long tail” of periphery listing directories may not matter. SearchEngineWatch found major sites — Google, Facebook and Bing — receive 90 percent of consumer traffic, with all other specialty sites accounting for a combined 10 percent. These sites are certainly important for highly-focused segments, to be sure, but not where the volume is headed.
Analysts predict the trend toward using Google will continue, and having a strong presence there will be essential for success. Failing to correct and maintain your business listings can result in less visibility and lower search rankings for your locations. If people can’t find you on search, they’ll find your competitors, and you’ll lose business.
Your Competitive Advantage: Focus on Sites that Matter Most — Starting with Google
Employ ORM strategies to ensure your business listings are in the best-possible shape, and that they’re complete, accurate and consistent across the web.
- Have a single source of truth: Unify your data from listings, reviews, reporting and more into a single repository.
- Audit, claim and complete your listings: Enlist the help of an ORM provider to audit and claim your listings and provide ongoing management to ensure accuracy and consistency.
- Request reviews: A steady stream of recent online reviews helps to boost rankings in near-me search, so you outrank competitors and capture more local business.
2. SEO will be reinvented as user-generated reviews weigh more heavily in search rankings
Say so-long to the days of keyword stuffing.
Traditional SEO practices are no longer adequate to improve rankings and attract traffic. In fact, Google’s algorithms punish businesses that overuse keywords in site content.
Getting into Google’s local 3-pack — the three listings that appear at the top of search results and as red dots on the map — depends on the quality of your online reputation, not the quantity of keywords on your website. Business listings must be accurate to avoid being penalized by Google’s algorithms, and you must have a high volume of high-quality positive reviews.
And remember, if you do rank among the top three, snippets of your reviews will be included in results — for all to read.
3. The Voice of the Customer will become increasingly unified across previously disconnected categories
Given the first two trends, it’s clear companies should no longer treat review management, social media and customer surveys as isolated islands of data.
All of these resources provide essential customer experience information that help businesses refine operations, inform staff training and make targeted improvements that lead to ongoing customer satisfaction — collectively contributing to better star ratings and search rankings.
In 2018 and beyond, leading companies will look for ways to bring coherence to these formerly disconnected sources of insight about customer experience. Structured data (in surveys and star ratings) and unstructured data (in social posts and the text in reviews) will be analyzed together, to provide a more complete picture of a brand’s online reputation.
And this brings us to the final trend…
4. Consumer feedback from reviews and social media will drive operational improvements
Insights will lead to a better customer experience.
While higher rankings are still an important benefit of ORM, companies are realizing that feedback from online reviews, social media and surveys can be used to make targeted operational improvements that have a direct impact on customer experience (CX).
In fact, Gartner predicts that in 2018, more than 50 percent of organizations will be shifting more focus — and spend — toward innovations that improve customer experience.
Don’t Get Left Behind
If you haven’t already, establish sound ORM strategies now.
Look for integrated solutions that tie together all facets of reputation management, providing a 360-degree view of how your organization is perceived by customers and how you can improve service quality.
Check out the Recommended Resources section below for more information on getting started with ORM.