A national home improvement retailer, faced with significant daily Google review volumes, was considering dedicating resources to online review management. Before committing, they sought to understand the potential return on investment. The retailer hoped to quantify the tangible store-level search exposure benefits that could result from allocating personnel and resources to this strategic priority.

To address the retailer's need for data-driven decision making, the LocalClarity team initiated the Google integration by gathering 18 months of daily local search data along with the complete historical review records for each of the brand’s stores. Our Professional Services team then developed statistical models to analyze the relationship between review data—such as the quantity of reviews and average ratings—and store performance metrics, including direct searches, discovery searches, local views, phone calls, website visits, and driving directions. This comparative analysis was conducted over time and across various locations to provide comprehensive insights.

The analysis confirmed a positive correlation between the average store review score and an increase in website traffic. Specifically, a 0.1 point improvement in review scores was linked to a 1.6% rise in website traffic from Google local searches. This level of review score improvement is typically achieved by actively responding to reviews, which tends to encourage additional positive feedback from customers, rather than through more extensive store management programs aimed directly at enhancing customer satisfaction. While a 1.6% increase may seem modest, it represented a significant gain of one million additional visitors to their ecommerce site annually.

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We are proud to have collaborated with this retailer to identify crucial data relationships that informed strategic resource allocations, enabling the brand to effectively optimize its local presence in a competitive market.

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