Why Competitors Rank Higher With Fewer Reviews
According to Google, having more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
If review count determined rankings, the business with the most reviews would win. That’s not how local search works.
That wouldn’t necessarily provide the best result to the person searching.
Google’s aim is to determine which businesses are good matches for a particular search.
Your customers’ review your business and you respond to those reviews. You assume this will help you rank higher.
You do a search for your main service only to see that a competitor ranks above your business.
It’s confusing, especially since you have more reviews than they do. You may be wondering why competitors rank higher with fewer reviews and what you’re doing wrong. A common misconception is that Google reviews help local rankings and those with more reviews rank higher.
Reviews matter and can contribute to prominence, but they’re only part of the picture.
Google says its local results are primarily based on three things:
⇒ Relevance
⇒ Distance
⇒ Prominence
1. Relevance: Google May Think Your Competitor Is More Relevant
Google might describe relevance as how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Complete and detailed business information helps Google better understand a business and match it with appropriate searches.
Here’s an example.
Your HVAC company offers 15 different services.
The homepage briefly mentions:
AC repair
Furnace repair
Heat pumps
HVAC maintenance
Someone searches for “heat pump installation near me.”
Your competitor has fewer reviews, but their website has a detailed page specifically about heat pump installation. Your website mentions heat pumps but provides very little information about the service.
Their website may simply be giving Google and the visitor a clearer picture of what they offer.
That doesn’t mean you should create dozens of weak service pages just to have more pages than your competitor. A website filled with nearly identical pages isn’t the answer.
The goal is to provide useful information that clearly explains the services you actually offer.
2. Distance: Sometimes Your Competitor Ranks Higher Simply Because They’re Closer To The Customer
Now let’s discuss distance. Distance is one of the three important factors Google looks for.
When someone searches for a local service, their location can affect which businesses Google shows. Someone across town could search for the exact same service and see different local results.
That’s why checking your ranking from only one location can be misleading. You could be #2 in one part of St. George and much lower a few miles away.
3. Prominence: Your Competitor May Be Better Known to Google
The third major local ranking factor is prominence.
Reviews contribute to prominence, but they’re not the entire definition.
Google says prominence is also influenced by information it has about a business from across the web. Its own local-ranking guidance specifically mentions links to a business as one example.
Relevant mentions when possible and links from legitimate websites can help Google understand how well known a business is.
Look for legitimate websites that already have a reason to mention your business. A local chamber, community organization, supplier, industry organization, or local news website might mention or link to you when there’s a genuine connection.
The point is that reviews aren’t the only information Google can use when evaluating prominence.
Are You Comparing the Same Local Search?
Don’t compare apples to oranges
Customers don’t all search for your business using the same words. So don’t judge your local ranking based on one search phrase.
Someone looking for a plumber might search ‘plumber St. George,’ ‘plumber near me,’ or something much more specific like ‘water heater repair St. George.’
The ranking can change with different ways to search and what words are used.
Reviews Still Matter Even If You’re Not Ranking #1
None of this means you should stop asking customers for reviews. Reviews still add credibility to your business. And customers searching for a particular type of business love reading reviews and seeing how many stars a business has.
Just because you’re not ranked #1, doesn’t mean your business won’t be chosen. Customers check out websites and might gather information from a few. Then they’ll decide which company they feel most comfortable calling.
Just letting your know… You Can Stop Trying To Beat Their Review Count.
Before chasing more reviews just to beat a competitor’s review count, compare your Google Business Profiles. Compare the services listed. Then look specifically at the searches where they’re outranking you.
Google may simply have more reasons to believe their business is a better match for that particular search from that particular location.
Reviews matter, but they’re only one part of the answer to why competitors rank higher with fewer reviews. Relevance, distance, and prominence can all affect which businesses Google shows in local search.
Why Your Competitor Ranks Higher on Google (And What You Can Do About It) – Globerunner.com
“You search for your own business on Google, and your competitor shows up first. Again.
It’s frustrating — especially when you know your product or service is better. But here’s the thing: Google doesn’t rank the best business. It ranks the best-optimized one.”
Read the rest of this article by tapping the link in the title.
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For entertainment purposes only. Google is considerably less predictable than a Magic 8-Ball.
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About the owner of this website:
My name is Don Glasgow
I built my first website in 2001. I ranked that site almost immediately for "St. George real estate. Yes, I live in St. George, UT.
I've built many more websites since then.
I also have an enormous amount of knowledge on how to get a website to rank.
Why do your competitors rank higher but with less reviews
