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Reputation Management: Why “Caring What Others Think” Actually Matters

Your mom, your junior high teachers, and thousands of quotes on Pinterest have told you to “not care what others think and just be yourself.”  Not letting others opinions get under your skin and letting their comments roll off your back can be very emotionally healthy.  However, when it comes to your company’s reputation on the web, it’s smart to put a little more stock in what people are saying online.

Why Reviews REALLY Matter
According to a recent Forbes Article, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. That means the number of stars your receive and online comments from your clients can make the difference between a potential customer choosing you or one of your competitors.  Positive reviews also play an instrumental role in your SEO (a.k.a. how well people will find your business on Google and other search engines). The number of your reviews and your ratings on those reviews are one of the major factors Google considers in regards to your local maps rankings and organic (regular) search rankings.  

What Can You Do to Help Your Online Reputation?
If you haven’t taken the time to manage your online reviews in the past, no worries!  It’s never too late to start.  Some things you can do to help your online reputation are:
  • Curating more reviews: This could be as simple as reminding pleased clients after an appointment to leave a review, including review information on your business card, or implementing a review widget on your website or in your email signature.
  • Responding to negative reviews: Not all the reviews you receive are going to be five stars with paragraphs singing your praises.  When you receive a review from a displeased customer, it’s important to respond promptly.  Don’t get defensive or offer compensation.  Rather, be polite and let them know that you would like to work with them to resolve the problem.  This will leave a good impression to other viewers who will be seeing your response.  Also, if time allows, responding to positive reviews can be beneficial as well; it helps build a sense of community.
  • Create a profile on popular or industry specific review sites:  After you’ve curated reviews and have monitored the reviews you’ve already received, you may want to provide more options for people to leave comments for you.  Creating a Yelp profile, Facebook profile, or a profile on a review site that is pertinent to your field will help you get ahead.

For more help managing your online reputation and reviews, visit https://amplifyonline.com/reputation-management/


Comments

  1. In managing your online reputation, you need to build your website and your connection to your audiences and I think this writing of you author made my day! This is very nice and full of learning!

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