A study completed by TripAdvisor in 2018 found that 97% of businesses believed online reputation management to be important. The same was true of having an online presence (92%) and having positive online reviews (98%). However, not every business is aware of what to do to ensure their online reputation is painting them in a positive light.
Here, we’ve come up with a few tips that every business should implement.
Perform an Online Reputation Audit
Perform a Google search of your company and look at the results that come up on the first couple of pages. Ideally, they’ll be full of positive stories about your company or informative blog posts that your team has created. If not, and they provide a negative impression, you could be losing customers. Just one negative result on page one of Google could lead to a 22% decrease in sales, while three negative results bring that figure up to nearly 60%. If you’ve found yourself in this position, hire a company like ReputationDefender to help you fix the problem. Also, set up Google Alerts for your business name so that you are alerted of any content published about your company in the future.
Monitor Online Reviews
There are a variety of online review platforms on the web these days, including Glassdoor, Yelp, Indeed and Google. There are also sector-specific platforms as well like TripAdvisor and Avvo. It is vital that you keep on top of these, as over 80% of customers trust them more than personal recommendations. The first thing you can do is claim your profiles on these sites. This will enable you to respond to any feedback you receive and try to provide a solution. You may also want to proactively prompt happy customers to leave reviews so that you have a fairer selection published – the majority of reviews do tend to be from dissatisfied customers, so you’ll want to balance this out where you can.
Don’t Treat Social Media as an Afterthought
If you want to have control over your online presence, you can’t treat social media as an afterthought. A well-managed selection of social media profiles will help to showcase the very best that your business has to offer. They can provide news and updates about your company and highlight your its personality. They can also help you to keep in touch with customers who are interested in you enough to follow you online. Work out which platforms your consumers use the most and make sure you have an active profile on them. Reply to any messages you receive, highlight your customers, and share industry news and any content you publish on your blog. If the only thing a potential customer sees when they log onto Twitter is a non-existent profile and tons of negative feedback, they will shop with your competitor instead.
Online reputation management is something you need to do daily. Keep the above advice in mind and ensure your customers view you in a positive light.
The short version: Your online reputation is one of your most valuable assets, and it requires consistent monitoring and proactive management to protect it. The key is to respond quickly to negative feedback, encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences, and maintain a strong presence across all relevant platforms.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I monitor my online reputation?
You should check your online reputation at least weekly, though daily monitoring is ideal if you're in a customer-facing business. Set up Google Alerts for your name and business, and use monitoring tools to track mentions across social media and review sites so you catch issues early.
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What's the best way to respond to negative reviews?
Stay calm and professional, respond within 24-48 hours, and never get defensive. Acknowledge the complaint, apologize for their experience, and offer a solution either publicly or by asking them to continue the conversation privately. This shows potential customers that you care about resolution.
Can I remove negative content about my business?
Direct removal is rarely possible unless the content is false, defamatory, or violates platform policies. Instead, focus on creating positive content that ranks higher in search results and pushes negative posts down. Building a strong online presence with quality content is far more effective than trying to bury criticism.
How does my website affect my online reputation?
Your website is often the first place people visit to learn about you, so it should be professional, up-to-date, and mobile-friendly. Include customer testimonials and clear contact information, and make sure all content is accurate and reflects your current business practices.
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