Why the Most Influential Ranking Factor for Electricians Is the One They’re Likely to Overlook
It’s almost unfair how much Google values reviews for local service companies. You can work for months to create a technically elegant website, write and publish helpful content and fix up your citations – and a competitor who has put half as much work into their site but has three times the reviews will still win the Map Pack most of the time. They are the social signal Google believes most and for electricians, reviews are almost impossible to ignore when it comes to conversions. The person who has no idea about electrical work and needs to choose someone to work in their home is going to read these reviews like they’re a recommendation from a friend. That’s the human side of the statistics, and why seo for electricians strategy without a review strategy is akin to wiring up a panel and not turning the breakers on – it may look good but it’s not functional.
It’s simple, if not easy. The review signals Google uses (count, age, rating, and keywords in reviews) factor into how relevant and authoritative a business is for a local search. Two electricians with similar websites, similar service range and similar Google Business Profiles will perform differently in search based on the quality of their reviews. The one with 75 reviews at 4.8 stars outperforms the one with 20 reviews at 5.0 stars. Volume signals longevity and activity. Recent indicates the business is still open and in operation. These are features that the algorithm uses to try to find the most reliable local business.
Asking for Reviews Is Uncomfortable till you get used to it
Electricians who lack a review profile are, for the most part, not averse to reviews, they just don’t ask. The service is delivered, the bill is paid, they move on and the chance is lost. It’s not reluctance. It’s the lack of a system. Indeed, it’s easy to create a system, which is why failing to do it is so painful.
The ideal time to ask for feedback is within an hour of the job being complete. The customer is in the zone of satisfaction – problem fixed, the lights are on, they are feeling relieved. This feeling doesn’t last long. Any later and it’s out of sight, out of mind. A simple text message, sent immediately after you leave, containing a link to your Google review page will have a success rate that will astound most electricians who first try it. No need for the customer to log in. No wondering where to leave a review. A link to open the review box. Make the smallest obstacle between “I want to leave a review” and “I left a review” disappear.”
A few electricians fear it is too pushy. It’s not – or, at least, it doesn’t have to be. There’s a huge difference between saying “please give us a five-star rating” and “if you liked the work, we’d be really grateful for a review on Google – here’s the link”. One is demanding. The other is a request from a service provider who just did a good job. Most happy customers will be willing to help; they just needed a nudge and a way to do so.
What’s Said in Reviews is More Important to SEO than You Think
The stars are the showstoppers, but the content of reviews is more important to local search than electricians often think. If the customer references the city they’re in, the service they had, or even just some aspect of the job – in the way any person would – Google is getting the location and service relevance keywords from that. When a review reads “quick service for our panel upgrade in Cedar Park” it’s feeding Google data about the customer’s location and the service you provided, just like you might do on your own website.
You can’t control what your customers write, and you shouldn’t. But you can become sure about the context through a mention of the job in your review request. “Thank you for giving us the chance to install your generator – if you have time, we’d appreciate a review” is a natural prompt for the type of service they’ve received. The mention may not always happen, but it’s likely if the service is top of mind. As a result, over time, the collection of reviews with specific service and location mentions creates a profile that sends the right signals to Google to support its ranking in these specific searches.
Responding matters too. Google has stated that business responsiveness to reviews is a signal in its assessment of how engaged businesses are and it makes sense – if a business owner responds to reviews, they’re more likely to be engaged than if they don’t. There’s no need for eloquence. Just a simple acknowledgement, “Thank you for the review, it says something nice about the job I did (insert something specific here), and “I hope to see you again soon” will do just fine. What it tells both Google and potential customers is that there are people behind the business who care.
The Snowball Effect of Reviews and Rankings
There is a symbiotic relationship between the number of reviews and local ranking. The higher you rank, the more searchers you’re exposed to, which means more opportunities for reviews from more customers. The more reviews, the higher your ranking, the more visibility, the more customers, the more reviews. The goal is to get this flywheel spinning and the only way to do that is to be disciplined about asking for reviews – not just when you think of it, not just when you have had a particularly good job, but every time a job is finished – as part of your standard operating procedure.
Electricians who think of reviews as a side project will be playing catch-up with those who think of it as a primary process. The great news is that the standards in most local markets are pretty low. Most electricians have between 15 and 30 reviews. An electrician who asks after every job and builds to 100 reviews in a year is entering a different league of local search trustworthiness, one that few others in their market share. That’s a lead that’s difficult for anyone to catch up on.
