E833: Online reviews are one of the most important ranking and conversion factors in digital marketing - yet most businesses ignore them.

Reputation management experts Duane "DJ" Sprague and Scott Brandley break down how they helped a national brand turn a flood of bad reviews into $190 million in new revenue - and how you can use the same strategies to improve your SEO, visibility, and trust online.

We cover everything from how to bury negative results in Google search to how to build long-term brand credibility with real customer feedback. If you care about SEO, brand reputation, or conversion optimization, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Topics discussed: - How reviews directly influence Google rankings and click-through rates - The importance of verified third-party reviews for SEO and brand trust - A full breakdown of how schema-optimized Q&A content can rank for featured snippets - Why negative reviews can increase conversions when handled correctly - Proven systems for managing and distributing reviews across multiple platforms - How to use video reviews, press releases, and user-generated content to dominate search results - The difference between open vs. verified review sites - and which ones to focus on - Step-by-step advice for recovering from a bad reputation or negative press - Real-world SEO case studies showing thousands of percent growth from review optimization - How AI and search engines use brand mentions to measure authority

This episode reveals the lesser-known side of SEO - where online reputation, authenticity, and trust signals decide who wins on page one.

⭐️ Free Book - Reputation King - https://www.reputationking.com/download/ ⭐️ Shopper Approved - https://shopperapproved.com ⭐️ Search-Optimized Q&A Tool - https://results.shopperapproved.com/qa ⭐️ Duane "DJ" Sprague - https://www.linkedin.com/in/duanesprague/ ⭐️ Scott Brandley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-brandley/ ⭐️ Matthew Stafford on the podcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmaKHu269Cg

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to Online Reputation Management 00:37 Crazy Review Management Stories 01:10 The Importance of Reviews in SEO 03:06 Q&A Tool for SEO Optimization 12:05 Effective Review Collection Strategies 21:11 Leveraging Video Reviews for SEO 36:16 The Importance of Negative Reviews 40:15 Addressing Negative Online Reviews 40:38 The Power of Positive Reviews 41:59 Frequency and Recency in Reviews 43:11 Leveraging Video and Social Media 44:39 AI Search and Brand Mentions 46:11 The Revival of Press Releases 53:35 Responding to Bad Reviews with Empathy 56:44 The Role of Phone Support in Conversion 01:01:39 Cash Flow Optimization for E-commerce 01:02:46 Preventing False Declines and Chargebacks 01:10:45 Increasing Branded Searches 01:15:08 Conclusion and Free Digital Book Offer

The Edward Show. Your daily digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #performancemarketing