Why do reviews show in brand search?

Louise Barrett, Media Matters

Due to changes to Google’s Knowledge Panels many brands are starting to see reviews appear when they google their brand name.

A Google Knowledge Panel is a collection of information about a brand that appears to the right of search results when the brand name is google do na desktop( on mobile the information is gathered at the top of results).

For example, if we were to search “Media Matters PR” our logo, contact details, location, opening times and social media profiles will appear in a Knowledge Panel.

A Knowledge Panel (you may see it shortened to KP) brings the user information quickly. Their prominence in search is a great opportunity for you to showcase key information and, since September, ‘reviews from the web’ are also appearing.

As a result, reviews may now appear from any website that has met Google’s criteria and included some specific code. For example, many brands are seeing Facebook reviews in their KP. It is worth noting this does not mean Google reviews no longer appear; instead they sit alongside ‘reviews from the web’ in the KP.

With reviews seeing a new prominence in search it’s important for organisations to put a review strategy in place. You want to generate positive reviews that are natural, honest reflections of your organisation on a range of review websites.

The more reviews you collect, the better.

Consider the best way to reach your customers and request reviews.

If you have a close relationship with specific clients, simply ask them if they would mind leaving a review. Alternatively, if you have a much wider customer base consider implementing an email marketing campaign as part of your customer relationship management (CRM) that asks customers fora review following a purchase.

It is important to note there are two different types of KP: brand and local.

The key difference is that a Local KP serves locally focused details to the user, such as building addresses. Currently, ‘reviews from the web’ are only being seen in L oc alKPs.

A Brand KP, on the other hand, serves factual information such as the name of the CEO and parent company–all information usually found on a Wikipedia page.

Although it is often dependant on how old your website is and whether your business has a Google Plus page, most will find they automatically have a Local KP over a Brand KP. As a result, a review strategy is something many businesses need to be considering, if not now then certainly in 2017.