Knowing that your business is delivering the right services and support is key to a long-lasting relationship with your customers. Online reviews are just one way for you to understand this relationship, but they are often overlooked when it comes to SEO ranking factors. While reviews aren’t a traditional, direct ranking factor for organic results, they do influence and shape how Google sees your business. So, how important are reviews for SEO?
Reviews are important for SEO in a number of ways. They play a huge part in influencing:
In other words, reviews can be the missing SEO ranking factor your business needs, as very few businesses treat them with the same importance as keywords or backlinks.
High-quality reviews are also vital to local SEO, whilst additionally attracting and retaining customers.
Read on to find out more about the link between reviews and SEO, with some tips on how to make your website stand out.
Put simply, a review is a comment added to your website by a customer, explaining their experience with your business. Customers may also recommend your products in their reviews, or even name helpful staff they interacted with. Reviews provide a space for both positive and negative feedback, and have a huge influence on your reputation, which Google pays attention to.
Google, Facebook, and Yelp are some of the most popular sites for customer reviews. If your industry is more specific, you might want to monitor other sites too. For example, TripAdvisor would be important for your business if you offer holiday accommodation.
For most businesses, reviews should be a focus to increase your experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Reviews themselves are not a ranking factor for overall SEO, but positive ratings will add to your trustworthiness, especially in local searches.
On a larger scale, reviews are important because they reinforce your E-E-A-T and encourage potential customers to choose you over your competitor. High average ratings, visible review snippets and thoughtful owner responses increase trust at a glance. The more potential customers trust you, the more likely they are to click through your website and convert.
Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT or Gemini are becoming an increasingly popular tool when it comes to searching online. Instead of going straight to Google, users are now using LLMs to gain answers to their questions. Although having reviews is not essential when it comes to showing up in LLMs, it could set you above the competition. Take the image below, for example:
The image is a screenshot from a ChatGPT query regarding SEO agencies. The top information it shows is the name of the business, the review average, what the business is, and if they are currently open or closed. Without a strong review presence, LLMs would not be able to pull through the relevant information, and customers may not choose your business over others, as the trust signal is not there.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) is a set of guidelines that help Google determine content quality on your website. It also indicates your site’s trustworthiness and the authority you hold in your industry. Even more weight is placed on these four aspects if your business falls under the ‘Your Money, Your Life’ niche.
By linking to positive reviews on popular sites, you’re showing your potential customers that you have provided good services and products in the past. The public doesn’t always trust the positives highlighted by your company, as it’s often used as a sales technique. We all know from experience, however, that real-life testimonies from others can make a difference in our decision to purchase.
Find out more about E-E-A-T in our helpful blog “How Do You Write E-E-A-T Content?”
Reviews are a form of user-generated content that you may not have considered. When a customer leaves your business a review, they will (usually unintentionally) use keywords to describe problems they ran into, their experience, and the services or products you offer. This style of language can mimic the long-tail queries that genuine people are searching for when looking for things your business might offer, meaning your page is more likely to show up more often for relevant terms.
Every business aims to have a plethora of positive reviews they can show off to a potential customer, but you also need to understand how to deal with negative reviews in a way that can also benefit you.
These reviews may be the last chance you have to win that customer over and encourage them to spend their money with you in the future. According to Moz, it’s 25 times more expensive to earn new customers than to retain existing ones, so you need to have a plan when a negative review finally comes your way.
Responding to this negative feedback is key to maintaining E-E-A-T. If your customers can see where problems have arisen and how your company has fought to make things right, you’ll often become more trustworthy and experienced in their eyes. Here are just a few ways you can respond to negative reviews:
Responding to both positive and negative reviews is important to building a good relationship with your customers and building the trustworthiness of your business.
Not only can positive reviews benefit your online presence overall by contributing to the credibility of your Google Business Profile (GBP), but they’re also an important part of your company’s local reputation. Quality, volume and recency of a review all help Google understand whether real people rate your business highly. Google reviews influence rankings in local map packs, so the higher your rating, the better.
If a priority for your business is ranking highly in local searches, you should think about optimising your GBP.
Map packs are the local business listings that appear on Google when users make location-based searches. Google reviews directly impact your position here, so they’re a key factor in local SEO.
Securing a place in the map pack, with businesses usually grouped into sets of three, significantly increases your business’s visibility and could mean you attract more customers.
Local SEO ranking is influenced by a number of factors:
Businesses with a greater number of positive reviews indicate trustworthiness and customer satisfaction. Responding to both positive and negative reviews will also increase your local ranking, and shows Google that you are customer-focused and engaged.
Most brands and businesses know that reviews matter, but few have a strong repeatable system they can rely on to successfully gain more reviews. Building a simple, scalable playbook that is easy to follow and can be rolled out across teams and locations can make it easier for customers to leave reviews.
You should take a look at how your customers interact with you the most and where they may engage if you request a review. For example, do they primarily use email, or do they use SMS, too?
Make sure to keep your request short and easy to complete on mobile, as most users will complete your request on that device.
If your team has access to a ready-to-send template, they’ll be more likely to hit that send button, and it will take less of their time, too!
Keep your email template simple and easy to follow, such as the ones below.
Post-purchase email to be sent 24-28 hours after purchase:
Subject: How did we do?
Body of email:
Hi {First name of customer},
Thanks for choosing {brand name}. If you’ve got a spare minute, we’d love it if you could share your experience with us. Your feedback helps others find us and helps us to constantly improve our services.
You can leave a quick view by following this link: {short review link}
Thank you. It really means a lot to us.
{sign off, e.g sender name and role}
Service completion email to be sent the same day:
Subject: Quick favour?
Body of email:
Hi {first name of customer},
It was great working with you today. If you have a spare two seconds, and you think we earned it, we’d love it if you could leave us a short review.
You can leave your review by following this link: {short review link}
We read every comment and pass them on to our team.
Thank you, {email sign off, e.g sender name and role}
Keep a text message script below 160 characters:
A GBP prompt is something you can add to your follow-up messages that nudge customers to leave specific, helpful reviews that will help others. This is better for both users and search engines.
Prompts you could use:
Customers don’t want to spend precious minutes logging in and reading text upon text just to leave a review. Make your request simple, with a branded, easy-to-click link or QR code that takes them straight to your GBP “write a review” screen.
You might not want to address a negative review for fear of highlighting it to other users. However, leaving a negative review unanswered looks worse than typing out a response – even if it is simply to apologise.
Make sure to respond to every review within 2 working days and thank customers by name. You should also reference specific parts of their review so they know you have taken the time to read it and not pressed copy and paste. Thoughtful owner responses to reviews – whether positive or negative – demonstrate care to both users and Google, improving your brand’s image.
A review snippet is a short excerpt of a review from a review website, such as GBP or Trustpilot. It typically uses an average of the combined rating scores from the reviews that have been left. In terms of Google, if the search engine finds valid reviews or rating markup, it may show it as a rich snippet. This rich snippet could include a star rating and other summary information. Below is an example of a review snippet.
Structured data is how information is provided to Google about a page and its classifying page content. Think of it as Google’s language.
In reviews, the schema markup used is JSON-LD. This will provide structured data about an item and its review. An example of basic review schema markup would include:
For example:
Opening your business up to feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, can be intimidating to do alone. Our SEO experts are here to guide you through every step of your campaign, including improving your E-E-A-T and local rankings.
Get in touch today for a free consultation and let us guide your business into punching above its weight online.
SEO Executive
Founder
Our founder, Will Hitchmough, worked at a number of high profile Sheffield Digital Agencies before founding Wildcat Digital in 2018. He brings an extensive knowledge of all things related to SEO, PPC and Paid Social, as well as an expert knowledge of digital strategy.
Digital Marketing can be a minefield for many businesses, with many agencies ready to take your money without knowing how to deliver results. I founded Wildcat Digital to deliver digital success to businesses with smaller budgets in a transparent way.
Head of Growth
Rich joined us in May 2024 to head up our growth team. With years of experience helping other agencies to grow, Rich joins us at an exciting time as Wildcat is working on a five-year plan to become one of the biggest agencies in the UK.
Outside of work, Rich is a father to three children, which keeps him very busy! He’s also recently started running again to keep fit and loves a bit of DIY.
Head of Digital
Sarah joined Wildcat in January 2025, bringing over seven years of SEO expertise to the team. With a background in Fashion Communication and Promotion, she has worked both in-house and at agencies, covering a range of digital marketing specialisms before focusing on SEO.
Passionate about all things search, Sarah thrives on helping brands grow their online presence.
Outside of work, she enjoys walking her dog, running, and shopping for vintage clothing.
Office Manager
Amelia joined Wildcat Digital in January 2025, bringing extensive experience in HR, Health & Safety, Facilities Management and IT Support. Previously an Operations Manager at The University of Sheffield, she has a strong background in creating efficient and well-organized work environments.
Specialising in HR, Health & Safety, and Facilities Management, Amelia ensures the Wildcat Digital team has the resources and support needed to thrive. Whether managing office operations, maintaining compliance, or fostering a positive workplace culture, she keeps everything running smoothly.
Outside of work, Amelia loves trying new things, traveling, camping, and walking. She also enjoys socialising and exploring new places with friends and family. Her adventurous spirit and proactive approach make her a valued member of the team.
Client Success Coordinator
Siena joined us in 2023 with a background in sales and digital marketing. She leads on client relationships across the company, ensuring that our customers are happy throughout their journey with us, from their initial consultation through to onboarding and beyond.
Outside of work, Siena enjoys travelling and getting stuck into the local culture. She likes to make the most of her experiences and particularly enjoys watching sunrises and sunsets from beautiful locations around the world.
SEO Account Director
Paul has a strong background in SEO, having previously founded and ran a successful eCommerce business, as well as running a personal blog that achieves an average of 17K users per month. Paul’s knowledge of SEO is extensive, with a strong emphasis on client handling and technical SEO.
Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his family and staying active with weight lifting and combat sports.
Team Lead & Technical SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Computer Science and SEO experience dating back to 2017, Dariusz has a wide range of SEO skills and knowledge. His specialist knowledge of Technical SEO has firmly landed him the title of Wildcat’s Technical Wizard, and he has recently taken on the responsibility of Team Leader for the Panthers Team.
In his spare time, Dariusz loves hiking, experimenting and trying new coffees and loves learning new things. He is currently learning more about CRO and AI and how this could benefit our clients.
Team Lead & Senior SEO Account Manager
With a background in sales, Molly is a natural Account Manager, brilliantly handling any issues that come her way. Having joined us as a Digital Marketing Executive, and working part-time through her final year of University, Molly is a shining example of how hard work pays off. She is now an SEO Account Manager with a particular interest in Content and Client Management.
In her spare time, Molly loves to get out in nature, hiking and exploring the Peak District. She also loves cooking and likes to unwind with a bit of yoga.
PPC Team Leader
Libby joined Wildcat in 2021 as our first PPC hire. With a degree in Digital Media Production, a Master’s in Digital Media Management and previous experience in Social Media Management, Libby hit the ground running and has since climbed the ranks to Senior PPC Account Manager and has a particular interest in the eCommerce sector.
Outside of work, Libby likes gaming, and cooking and likes to keep active by lifting weights.
Senior SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Film and TV production, and a varied career history, Jamie made the move to marketing with a Masters degree in Digital Media Management. He has since worked in SEO at Agencies across Sheffield, before joining Wildcat and working his way up to SEO Account Manager. Jamie has a particular interest in backlinks and Digital PR and has recently gained a client a valuable backlink from Forbes!
In his spare time, Jamie is an avid foodie and loves trying new restaurants and cuisines. He also loves to travel and spent a year travelling to Australia after university.
SEO Account Manager
Jasmine joined Wildcat in 2022 with a strong background in SEO and Account Management. At the time, she was finishing up a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and has since worked her way up to SEO Account Manager. Jasmine excels at content writing and promotion, and particularly enjoys finding creative ways to join the dots on multi-channel campaigns.
In her spare time, Jasmine volunteers at a charity, helping combat loneliness & social isolation experienced by older neighbours. Outside of Wildcat, she owns a catering company, Savery Grazing, creating delicious grazing tables & platters for a range of events. She also loves skiing and exploring the Peak District.
Senior SEO Executive
After spending ten years managing businesses, restaurants, cafes and event spaces across Sheffield, Jon decided to change careers and joined Wildcat as an SEO Executive in 2022. He especially enjoys the client management side of the job, helping them to understand digital marketing and ways in which they can build their business’s presence online.
Outside of work, Jon likes to keep fit with running, badminton and football, and also loves music.
Senior SEO Executive
Andy joined Wildcat in 2023 after starting his digital marketing career in-house for a local Sheffield company. Since joining, he has developed a strong interest in Technical SEO and has strong skills in Account Management.
Outside of work, Andy loves music and plays in a couple of bands. He also enjoys rock climbing, cycling, photography and good food.
PPC Executive
Before joining Wildcat, Tom worked across different industries, building skills in sales and customer service. He later developed a passion for digital marketing whilst working on personal marketing projects and freelance ventures, and gained numerous certifications in PPC and Social Media.
Outside of work, Tom enjoys staying active by going to the gym and hiking. He also loves travelling and motorbiking.
Senior SEO Executive
Kezia joined us in July 2024 after completing a CIM Certificate in Digital Marketing and gaining experience in Content SEO at another Sheffield agency.
In her spare time, Kezia loves to get outdoors, bouldering, hiking and travelling.
Senior PPC Executive
Alex joined Wildcat Digital in December 2024 as a Senior PPC Executive, bringing a strong background in Paid Media, Paid Social, and Programmatic advertising. With a degree in Business & Marketing and Google Ads certifications, she has the expertise to craft high-performing campaigns that drive results.
Before joining Wildcat Digital, Alex worked at two leading agencies in Leeds, honing her skills across various digital advertising platforms. Her analytical mindset and strategic approach help businesses maximize their online presence and advertising budgets.
Outside of work, Alex enjoys spending time with her dog, Lola, and going on walks with her dog walking group. She’s also a keen footballer and loves playing five-a-side whenever she gets the chance. Her enthusiasm and team spirit make him a great addition to the Wildcat Digital team.
SEO Executive
Amy joined Wildcat in 2024 with a background in journalism, having worked as a News Editor and Editor-in-Chief at The Sheffield Tab. She is naturally interested in Content SEO and research, so will no doubt prove to be a content power-house.
In her spare time, Amy loves watching crime shows, listening to music and hanging out with her dog, Eddie!
SEO Executive
Reiss joined the Wildcat Digital team in July 2025, with a background in journalism and digital content, Reiss brings both creativity and technical know-how to the team.
After graduating with a Journalism Studies BA from the University of Sheffield, where he also served as Games Editor and Deputy Editor for the student-run newspaper – Reiss jumped straight into the world of climate tech communications.
Outside of work, Reiss loves crochet, swimming, playing guitar, and diving into both video and board games. He’s always up for picking up new skills and trying new things – which makes him a perfect fit for our team!
Content & Proposal Writer
Liv joined the WildcatDigital Team in June 2025, with a strong background in financial admin and client care, Olivia is taking an exciting step into the creative world – and we’re so glad she’s doing it with us!
She’s currently studying content creation through her apprenticeship with Wildcat, and already bringing fresh energy and creativity to the team.
Outside of work, Olivia runs her own BIAB nail business, loves reformer Pilates, long walks, and is a member of a competitive dance team.
November 13, 2025
The way we create and optimise content has shifted dramatically in 2025. With AI-driven search engines becoming more and more…
Kezia Humphries
November 11, 2025
As the internet evolves with new technologies and hallucination-prone AI overviews, users have had to understand that not all websites…
Paul Pennington
November 3, 2025
October has been a busy month in digital marketing, dominated by updates that could impact how brands manage their business…
Paul Pennington