Google Reviews Velocity: The Surprising Impact of Google Reviews on Local SEO

Hey everyone, welcome back to Local SEO Unlocked! I’m Christian Hustle, and today’s episode comes straight from a recent eye-opening experience. If you’re tuning in for the first time, this channel is all about the hustle—helping you grow your business through savvy local and digital marketing. And believe me, the story I’m about to share is both enlightening and a bit of a wild ride.

A Month-Long Journey with Unintended SEO Lessons

So, I just returned from an amazing month traveling through Southeast Asia, hitting up Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. The trip was filled with incredible experiences, which I’ll delve into in future videos (including some cool tech-assisted travel planning with ChatGPT!). However, today’s focus is a startling discovery related to Google reviews and their impact on local SEO.

The Tale of the Vanishing Reviews

My wife and I own a few nail salons, and while we were away, the one she manages experienced something peculiar. Despite having systems in place for collecting reviews—like software follow-ups and QR codes in-store—if you’re not actively asking for reviews, those signs and systems might as well be invisible.

Here’s the clincher: after being gone for four weeks, I noticed that our usual top-three ranking for keywords like “nail salon near me” had plummeted to between 15th and 20th. Initially, jet-lagged and baffled, I dived into a full SEO audit. Our team had maintained all ongoing optimizations, so what gave?

After ruling out Google’s algorithm updates and running every audit imaginable using tools like Bright Local, everything seemed in check—except for one glaring issue. It had been nearly six to eight weeks since our last Google review. That’s right, not a single review during our absence!

A Single Review Sparks a Comeback

Here’s where it gets interesting. After discovering this, my wife immediately asked a customer at the salon to leave a review if they had enjoyed their service. Lo and behold, within 30 minutes of receiving a new five-star review, and without any other changes or tweaks, our rankings began to climb.

The next morning, still in audit mode and not expecting much, I updated our rankings. To my surprise, we had bounced back significantly on the geo grid, which maps out Google Maps rankings. This single review seemed to have reinvigorated our visibility.

Opening Up the Debate: Reviews and SEO

This leads me to a theory—while we often hear about the negative impact of too many reviews too quickly appearing spammy, what happens when a business doesn’t receive any reviews for an extended period? Could a lack of review velocity signal to Google that a business is less relevant or active, thus affecting its SEO standing?

I’m not setting this in stone or claiming it’s a definitive ranking killer. However, this experience underscores the importance of consistent, genuine customer feedback. Reviews are a known ranking factor, but the potential negative impact of not receiving them regularly might be an under-discussed topic.

What This Means for You

So, what’s the takeaway? Regardless of the automated systems you have in place, there’s no substitute for the personal touch—asking your customers directly for feedback. It’s not just about maintaining visibility; it’s about fostering a continual relationship with your customers that, in turn, reflects positively in your SEO metrics.

Stay Engaged, Keep Asking for Google Reviews

I’d love to open this up for discussion. Have you experienced anything similar with your business’s online visibility related to review frequency? Drop your stories and thoughts in the comments below. And don’t forget, if this episode resonated with you, smash that subscribe button, like this video, and share it with your peers, especially fellow small business owners.

Stay tuned for more stories and insights, including more on my travels and how technology like Google Maps and ChatGPT can enhance your experiences. Thanks for joining me today on Local SEO Unlocked. Keep hustling, and see you in the next one!