Previous customer experience or ‘reviews’ inevitably play a big role in your big purchasing decisions. A large number of high-rated reviews favoring your business help customers select you over competitors. It also signals Google to rank you higher in local searches. In short, reviews increase your exposure and increase footfall to your business. The summation of all your reviews can be viewed as your online reputation. While positive reviews may sway users towards your business, it only takes a few bad reviews to permanently stain your image. This infographic goes over what an online review is, why it matters for local SEO, and how to build a strategy to earn reviews without penalties.

Infographic by local search results