The Future: Optimize for Trust - GatherUp

1. The Future:
Optimize
For Trust
@AaronWeiche

4. Online or IRL:
Who can you trust?
@AaronWeiche

9. Information is now endless.
Trusted information is not.
@AaronWeiche

10. Where does it come from?
Does the source have a good reputation?
Who are the authorities who believe it?
What are my reasons for deferring to these
authorities?
https://www.fastcompany.com/40565050/say-goodbye-to-the-information-age-
its-all-about-reputation-now
@AaronWeiche

11. • Domain factors
• Page factors
• Site factors
• Link factors
• User interaction
• Brand Signals
• Webspam factors
@AaronWeiche

12. = TRUST
@AaronWeiche

14. Focus on
the humans

15. @AaronWeiche

16. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert

17. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

18. Trust optimization

19. Let’s look at how reputation
bolsters EVERY step of the
funnel
@AaronWeiche

20. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

26. “Google As
The Home Page”
https://gatherup.com/blog/google-
as-the-new-home-page/

27. Google is succeeding at solving the searcher’s
needs in the SERP

28. 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors

29. Packed with REVIEW elements for ranking

30. 1. Reviews with keywords
2. Reviews mentioning city
3. Total Reviews
4. % of reviews with keywords
or city
5. Average yearly reviews
6. Number of reviews not
response to
@AaronWeiche

31. How to get more reviews
@AaronWeiche

32. Ask everyone

33. Proactive requests
generated 47X the
results of passive

34. Locations (5) with proactive email
feedback requests: 236.7 / month
Locations (80) with passive feedback
options: 5.3 / month

36. The #1 optimization is
the ”human ask”, seed
the review process

37. The “human ask”
passes responsibility
to the customer

38. +
@AaronWeiche

39. Focus on top of funnel (ask,
timing) not on the bottom
(subject lines, content)

41. Two types of reviews:
1st-party reviews are direct to the
business
3rd-party reviews are sites like
Google, TripAdvisor, BBB
@AaronWeiche

42. Ask for 1st-party and 3rd party
reviews

43. @AaronWeiche

44. 1st-party reviews
are your best move

45. You can get 40% of your
customers to give you 1st-
party reviews.
But getting 10% to leave
3rd-party reviews is a big
goal.

46. BONUS: The value of fixing the real
problems vs. just getting reviews

47. Rank / SERP Visibility
1. Reviews are EVERYWHERE
2. You need to ask all customers
3. Build 1st and 3rd party reviews
@AaronWeiche

48. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

49. Market your 1st-
party reviews with
review schema
@AaronWeiche

50. Drive clicks
From 35% to
200% more
https://conversionxl.com/research-study/review-stars-google-help-click-rate-study/
https://www.patientpop.com/blog/marketing/local-search-marketing/google-rich-snippets-
impact-practice/
@AaronWeiche

51. @AaronWeiche

53. Where to place reviews?
Single location
• About us page
• Reviews page
Multi-location
• Location/store page
• Agent/Dr page
@AaronWeiche

54. .vs

55. @AaronWeiche

56. A Reviews Only Diet
Makes Your Business
Unhealthy
https://gatherup.com/blog/reviews-diet-
makes-business-unhealthy/
Why I Love 1st-party
Reviews & Just Might
Marry Them
https://gatherup.com/blog/why-i-love-1st-
party-reviews-just-might-marry-them/
@AaronWeiche

58. @AaronWeiche

59. @AaronWeiche

60. Click-thru from SERP
1. Review stars increase CTR
2. Add stars to your OWN pages
3. Build 1st and 3rd party reviews
4. Display 1st-party with schema
@AaronWeiche

61. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

69. Stick & Engage
1. Bolster content with 1st-party reviews
2. Service, product and location pages
3. Add reputation “bits” to any page
@AaronWeiche

70. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

71. 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much
as personal recommendations

72. 68% choose a business from positive reviews,
40% avoid one based on negative reviews

73. Trust

74. Tells a story

75. Answers

76. There is no greater persona
focused content than that
written by the persona.
@AaronWeiche

77. Rank / SERP Visibility
Click-thru from SERP
Stick
Engage
Convert
REPUTATION

78. Your final takeaways
1. Optimize TRUST at every step
2. Ask for reviews, maximize them
3. 1st-party reviews are GOLD

79. Thank you!
Aaron Weiche
CEO
@AaronWeiche
aaron@gatherup.com
Inbox.aaronweiche.com