(This is the 2nd in a series of 5 articles about Panda 4.0) ( previous ) ( next )

If you ever Google a local business, you’ll see a map appear in the upper right of the search results page that has a bunch of red pins in it.  This is where Google displays their  Google+ My Business Listings.  The section in the organic section that also displays the business information is sometimes called the “7-Pack” (because the most they usually list is 7 businesses.

You’ll also typically notice that the businesses near the top of the 7-Pack will frequently have a rating scale displayed – usually the businesses at the top have a 4 to 5 star rating and at least 5 Google reviews.

This is the 7-pack. If you’re not getting good reviews, it may be difficult for you to find yourself listed here.

Google is trying to validate your business using information it can gather from the web.  Historically, a business with lots of good reviews – regardless of how much SEO you do – has a better chance of getting to page one than a heavily SEO’ed website with poor reviews.  It appears that the new Panda 4.0 update has amplified this rule.

What you need to do – start asking your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business page (formerly Google Places).

There is a best practices process for this.  First ask your customer the following question – “How likely are you to refer us to a friend or family member?”  Then ask for a response on a scale of 1 to 10.

If they answer 9 or 10, then email them instructions and a link to your Google+ page and ask them to leave a review.

If they answer 8 or below, you may want to ask them why and resolve any issues they had, but do not ask them to leave a review.

DO NOT:

The reviews need to come naturally over time and from real customers.  It will take time, so make this part of your process now and you’ll be getting more phone calls soon.

PLEASE NOTE: Panda 4.0 has absolutely no impact on the Pay-per-Click Ads that you may be running with Google AdWords.

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