Facebook is no longer limited to finding or connecting with family and friends. Nowadays, people use it like any other search engine, mainly to look for products, services, and business establishments.
Naturally, pages with many customer reviews and recommendations would appear at the top of the Facebook search results.
Does this mean Facebook Reviews also have SEO value? Should business owners ramp up their Facebook Reviews for more traffic and conversions?
While customer reviews are valuable, especially for popular platforms like Facebook, they do not directly affect your SEO efforts or performance.
However, you should not disregard Facebook Reviews entirely, as these can help your business in many other ways.
What Are Facebook Reviews?
Facebook Reviews is a social media feature that lets customers provide user-generated feedback on a business’s products or services. Customers can rate the business through written comments, photos, or 5-star ratings. They can also add relevant tags in their reviews, making your business easier to find.
Facebook Reviews are public, so anyone who visits the business page can click on the Reviews tab to see what previous customers have to say.
Why should your business use Facebook Reviews? Consumers nowadays need social proof if a product or service is worth checking out or buying. Being a popular platform, Facebook can give you the much-needed visibility to inform buyers, attract potential customers, and beat competitors.
When customers give their reviews, share your page with others, or tag someone they know, your engagement level grows. Good feedback reinforces your reputation and helps build trust – all good things for your business.
With Facebook Reviews, you also get valuable insights about your happy customers’ experience, allowing you to promote or improve your products or services.
The Direct Impact of Facebook Reviews on SEO
Some believe receiving plenty of Facebook Reviews can improve your organic SEO and make you more visible on search engines like Google.
However, this is a myth. Your Facebook Reviews, regardless of volume or quality, do not directly impact your SEO because Google does not consider it a ranking factor.
In that case, does that mean Facebook Reviews are not worth collecting?
Getting Facebook Reviews is still worth it, as these provide indirect business benefits, especially to your local SEO performance.
How Facebook Reviews Contribute to Local SEO
Positive reviews from any platform are worth gaining as these can help your business and attract customers.
While Facebook Reviews do not impact your SEO or organic search rankings, these can provide other advantages that enhance your local SEO. Here are a few ways how.
1. Google may use your Facebook data when displaying local search results.
Search engines like Bing often uses data from multiple sources, like Facebook, when displaying business listings. So, a well-optimised Facebook page with several positive reviews can boost your local SEO presence and make your listing more appealing to users.
In addition, Google Local Pack also considers reviews and the reputation of a business from different social platforms. It’s a feature where Google provides a map beside local businesses relevant to the search query.
With a positive Facebook image, you get better chances of being included in this prominent local search field.
2. Facebook Reviews can increase your click-through rates (CTRs).
Customers are more likely to click links with positive posts or recommendations. Similarly, they are easily attracted to business pages with high ratings, glowing reviews, and excellent online reputations.
A high (CTR) does not only boost traffic and conversion rate. Search engines may also pick this up as a signal for high engagement, activity, or relevance.
When online users are interested in your page, search engines are more likely to display it on the search results.
3. Good Facebook Reviews help build customer trust.
When customers are highly involved or engaged on your Facebook page, you create a sense of community and brand loyalty. People are more likely to become repeat customers when they see your business as credible and trustworthy.
Also, loyal followers often spend more time on your Facebook page or business website. High dwell time is yet another SEO metric that search engines use to boost your rankings.
Best Practices for Leveraging Facebook Reviews for SEO
Based on the indirect local SEO benefits mentioned above, it’s clear that your business should optimise your Facebook Reviews. These actionable tips can help.
- Ask customers for reviews. Send your request via email, text message, or in person. You can get a higher response rate when you ask for feedback after a successful transaction.
- Respond to reviews. Give equal attention to positive and negative feedback. Be sure to add relevant keywords to your review responses. Then, use negative reviews to offer solutions and show commitment to good service. Also, turn on your Facebook Reviews notification so you can respond promptly.
- Share snippets of your positive reviews. You can do this as a social media post or embed the reviews on your website. These snippets can also prompt other satisfied customers to share their positive experiences and opinions.
Conclusion
Direct causation may be absent between Facebook Reviews and SEO. However, the indirect benefits of their relationship are evident, especially in local SEO.
Positive reviews on social media generate user engagement, attract traffic, build trust, and encourage conversion. All these factors are signals for search engines to boost your SEO rankings.
Understanding the interconnection of factors that support your online presence is vital to business success. The impact may not be immediate, but over time, these positive signals will give you a unique advantage.
So, stay active on Facebook, optimise your Reviews page, and include this feature in your overall digital marketing strategy.
