User reviews and ratings are creeping into every major local search engine --and with good reason. Consumers like the opinions of their peers when it comes to a restaurant's ambiance, a
boutique's sales staff, or a real estate agent's knowledge and friendliness. But while accumulating user-generated recommendations should be part of a local business' SEO strategy, keeping a close eye
on those reviews and how they're ranking is even more important.
Greg Sterling's piece explores the experience that one small coffee shop in Oakland has had with the local listing and
review service, Yelp. Café Rooz currently has a "No Yelpers" sticker up behind the counter. The shop's staffers are publicly airing their grievances with a Web 2.0 site that fosters the free flow
of dialogue between consumers - but in their eyes, doesn't do enough to help businesses defend themselves against mean-spirited, or overwhelmingly negative comments.
While Café
Rooz' story is interesting, it's not particularly unique -- illustrating the dilemma that many local businesses are facing when it comes to online ratings and reviews. They're definitely here to stay
-- and cultivating them adds another item to the SEO list. Still, site owners need to have a way to counter bad reviews (some would say with better service!), and the system itself has some maturing
to do.
Read the whole story at Screenwerk »