How Zagat and Google Create Reviews of Your Practice
When was the last time you checked into the ratings on your practice’s Google Places page? Have you rated a business through Google’s rating system? Read below to learn more about the new rating system and how you and your team will be rated on the search engine in the future.
Google and Zagat Join Forces
This past fall, Google purchased Zagat in an effort to improve the local landscape and rating system for all types of businesses, from restaurants to mechanics to doctors. In place of the 5-star rating system, Google made the leap to Zagat’s 30-point rating scale to provide a more insightful and informative picture of the business. But how will this affect your practice and the current Google ratings you already have?
Zagat set the standard for reviews back in 1979 when they first began surveying amateur critics to rate the Top 100 restaurants based on food, decor, service, and cost. Today, Zagat has created a robust 30-point rating system to help consumers make an informed decision. Because of the value of these reviews, Google has decided to place them front and center in search results and the business’ Google+ Local listings.
Watch a video on the Google Zagat Rating System for a quick breakdown of how it works.
Essentially, the new rating system takes all reviews for a particular place, and applies them to the 30-point scale, then summarizes the accompanying messages to place special focus on the buzzwords Google and Zagat believe to be the most helpful for consumers. These reviews and ratings are then displayed on the business’ Google+ Local Page.
Read a Single Summarized Review
Let’s say your practice has a number of reviews connected to your Google+ Local page. The reviews contain words like “top doc,” and “best cosmetic dentist in San Diego,” and “comfortable office.” Zagat will pull those terms into a single summary, so consumers only have to read one review to get the most pertinent information about your practice.
The Google/Zagat brain trust has a comprehensive system in place to transfer all existing reviews into this 30-point scale so there is continuity throughout the platform. This new approach is designed to make it easier for consumers to review the places they’ve visited, whether it’s the local coffee shop or their dentist. And with the news that these Google+ Local pages will be indexed in Google’s algorithm, thus included in search results, reviews are becoming increasingly important.
Tune in Next Week for Google Places Part Three
Our Google Places expert has been hard at work cracking this latest change to the Google Local platform. He’s now ready to share the knowledge with part three of a Google Local Series. Be sure to tune in next week!