Ditching Products for more visibility of Reviews

[joegrape]

Hey All!

Has anyone experimented with removing products from a profile so that they don't push reviews below the fold? It seems prospects are going to put more weight on the reviews, especially when selecting a company that is selling a complex product. (This is for a company that sells and installs high-end windows.)

All the information that would be in the product section could instead be turned into posts, with links driving people into the site for full details.

Are there downsides to this strategy I'm not seeing?

Thanks in advance,
Richard

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hi Richard, I've never even considered this, but I think it would make a good experiment. Can you let us know how it goes?

 

[joegrape]

Sure! I'll see if I can create some sort of experiment.

Thanks.
Richard

 

[NexstarNickR]

Hey Richard!

Seeing as how "Products" doesn't drive any direct SEO benefit, it's more about what your client/company wants to focus on. Reviews certainly play a huge part in a customer's journey, so keeping that high might help. Usually I see the opposite thing being done, where people use products to push DOWN the reviews section when bad reviews are present.

Because the review score is given right at the top, it would really come down to what you think is a more important talking point to give to your customers: your offering or customer reviews.

A side note: you can use GIFs as your product images in GMB Products, which might catch some additional attention! You can see this by doing a search for "Steady Demand TX".

Hope this helps!

 

[joegrape]

Hey Nick!

Yea, after I posted I found a great case study on the lack of SEO benefits for product listings (by @Colan Nielsen, actually):

Do GMB Products Impact Ranking and Drive Website Traffic and Conversions? [Case Study] - Sterling Sky Inc

Even though it is true the overall review score is at the top, I'd put forth the idea that seeing the Reviews section is more impactful. (I hadn't thought about the opposite situation - pushing bad reviews down. That is a clever hack.)

And, in my particular case, the client has a Reviews from Around the Web section, with solid scores from HomeAdvisor and Angie's List. So axing Products also would make that section more prevalent.

Using GIFs in the Products is an interesting tactic. Thanks for pointing that out. Weakens my "no products" argument a bit.

So here's a question I'd love to hear opinions on...

It seems we're encouraged to turn ON every bell and whistle we can to have a "well-optimized" GMB profile. But, being that turning things on and off is really the only control we have over the presentation of a GMB profile, what, if anything, should we be turning OFF?

Richard

 

[NexstarNickR]

Hey Nick!

Yea, after I posted I found a great case study on the lack of SEO benefits for product listings (by @Colan Nielsen, actually):

Do GMB Products Impact Ranking and Drive Website Traffic and Conversions? [Case Study] - Sterling Sky Inc

Even though it is true the overall review score is at the top, I'd put forth the idea that seeing the Reviews section is more impactful. (I hadn't thought about the opposite situation - pushing bad reviews down. That is a clever hack.)

And, in my particular case, the client has a Reviews from Around the Web section, with solid scores from HomeAdvisor and Angie's List. So axing Products also would make that section more prevalent.

Using GIFs in the Products is an interesting tactic. Thanks for pointing that out. Weakens my "no products" argument a bit.

So here's a question I'd love to hear opinions on...

It seems we're encouraged to turn ON every bell and whistle we can to have a "well-optimized" GMB profile. But, being that turning things on and off is really the only control we have over the presentation of a GMB profile, what, if anything, should we be turning OFF?

Richard

I would say that the things you would want to turn off would be anything that does not shine the most positive light onto your company. When done correctly, these sections all have a purpose, and can be useful to a company. But, for example, there is no reason to put up products with a bad user experience, just for the sake of having products in your GMB.

Use the features mindfully, and make sure you are letting the most important information shine through.