GuildQuality

Aug 1 Update: Late last month, Google dramatically reduced its emphasis on third-party reviews in Google Places pages. Here’s their official statement. As noted below, GuildQuality reviews were showing up near the top of Places pages. Since that change, Google has now moved the reference to the bottom of the Places pages, with a link to the number of reviews received by the third-party. GuildQuality Reviews continue to show up in Google searches.

About ten weeks ago, we launched GuildQuality Reviews. Members who choose to opt in to Reviews have an additional question appended to their customer satisfaction survey, asking respondents to provide a review if they’re interested in sharing their experience with the whole world.

Since we launched Reviews, more than 1 in 5 of our survey respondents have shared a review. Initially, those reviews were only being published on each members’ profile page. They’ve recently started finding their way into search results and onto our members’ Google Places Pages. Some examples:

When a prospective client searches for “Roberts Construction Group, Evanston, IL,” they now see something like this:

Hey, how about that! Roberts Construction Group has 16 reviews. And when they click on either of the two links highlighted by the red arrows, they see something that looks like this:

These guys look top notch! I wonder what their clients have to say? Clicking on either of the “GuildQuality reviews” links then takes the internet traveler to Roberts’ GuildQuality profile page, where they can read all of the reviews Roberts has received by way of their customer satisfaction surveying. Nice.

Looking for more examples of GuildQuality Reviews in action? Here are a few: Windsong Properties, Twin Cities Siding, SummerHill Homes.

Not every member who has opted into Reviews is having their reviews show up in their Places page, but more and more are appearing everyday, and I expect all will show up before too long. The easier it is for Google’s little robots to associate your company with your GuildQuality profile page, the quicker your reviews will begin appearing on your Places page. Your profile page already links to your website. If you haven’t already, make sure you link your website back to your profile page (the GuildQuality badge is a great way to do this).