Local SEO Reviews I 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'review gating' mean in local SEO?
- Requiring customers to log in before leaving a review
- Screening customers and only sending happy ones to review platforms (Correct answer)
- Locking reviews so they cannot be edited
- Setting a minimum star rating requirement before publishing
Correct answer: Screening customers and only sending happy ones to review platforms
Review gating is the prohibited practice of filtering customers based on expected sentiment before directing them to leave a review.
Question 2: Under Google's review policies, is it acceptable to offer a discount in exchange for a positive review?
- Yes, as long as the discount is under $10
- Yes, if disclosed in the review
- No, incentivizing reviews of any kind is prohibited (Correct answer)
- Yes, for service businesses but not product businesses
Correct answer: No, incentivizing reviews of any kind is prohibited
Google explicitly prohibits incentivizing reviews in any form, including discounts, gifts, or other rewards.
Question 3: Which structured data markup helps Google display review stars in search results for a local business?
- schema.org/LocalBusiness with Review or AggregateRating (Correct answer)
- Open Graph meta tags
- hreflang tags
- schema.org/Product markup
Correct answer: schema.org/LocalBusiness with Review or AggregateRating
Adding Review or AggregateRating schema within LocalBusiness markup enables rich snippet star display in SERPs.
Question 4: A business has 200 reviews averaging 4.8 stars. A competitor has 15 reviews averaging 5.0 stars. Which is likely to rank higher locally, all else equal?
- The competitor, because 5.0 is a perfect score
- The business with 200 reviews, because review quantity and consistency matter (Correct answer)
- They will rank identically since neither has negative reviews
- The competitor, because newer reviews carry more weight
Correct answer: The business with 200 reviews, because review quantity and consistency matter
Review volume and consistent accumulation are stronger local ranking factors than a perfect score with few reviews.
Question 5: What is the primary goal of a review response strategy for a local business?
- To increase the star rating by disputing bad reviews
- To demonstrate engagement and build trust with future customers (Correct answer)
- To move reviews higher in the displayed order
- To alert Google's algorithm to active management
Correct answer: To demonstrate engagement and build trust with future customers
Thoughtful review responses show prospective customers how a business handles feedback, building credibility and trust.
Question 6: Which of the following is a Google-approved method for generating more customer reviews?
- Sending a follow-up email with a direct link to your GBP review page (Correct answer)
- Posting a sign that says 'Leave us 5 stars on Google'
- Offering a free product to anyone who leaves a review
- Creating a fake 'customer' account to leave a review
Correct answer: Sending a follow-up email with a direct link to your GBP review page
Sending customers a direct review link via email or SMS after a transaction is a compliant and effective review generation tactic.
Question 7: How do Google reviews impact a business's click-through rate (CTR) from local search results?
- They have no effect on CTR
- Higher star ratings and more reviews increase CTR from the local pack (Correct answer)
- Only the number of reviews affects CTR, not the rating
- CTR is only affected by paid ad placements
Correct answer: Higher star ratings and more reviews increase CTR from the local pack
Visible star ratings in local pack results are a key trust signal that significantly increases the likelihood of a user clicking through.
Local SEO Reviews I 3
What does the term 'review gating' mean in local SEO?