Video: Local search expert Joy Hawkins shares an unexpected finding from her Google reviews research

Search Engine Land editor Barry Schwartz caught up with local search expert, and the founder of local SEO agency Sterling Sky, Inc., Joy Hawkins at last month’s MozCon event for a quick interview. The two talked about Hawkins decision to break out on her own, why she bought Local Search Forums from her mentor, and how her team has been able to make sure it remains a top-notch resource for the SEO community.

“There’s a log of moderation that goes into,” said Hawkins. She also shared a surprising finding after performing a test with businesses that lost 98% of Google reviews because they were practicing review-gating, which is against Google’s review policies. Hawkins discovered that, in every single case, the businesses rankings had not been impacted by the loss of reviews. Be sure to watch the video to find out why.

This video is part of Barry’s recently introduced vlog interview series, featuring conversations with SEO industry experts like Rand Fishkin, Greg Gifford and Cassie Gillette. You can find past episodes by subscribing to Barry’s YouTube channel, or sign up to be interviewed for the vlog by filling out this form on Search Engine Roundtable.