What is online reputation management?

by Leo Jonson Moving Become Easy With Us

Would you like to enter the world of online ratings and reputation management, but are not sure what you are dealing with?

Read our practical guide with all the important information you need to know.

Online reputation management is an ongoing task that serves to create and maintain your brand name and good reputation (positive profile) online. Similar to traditional reputation management, it's all about perception.

For online reputation management, this means that you create a digital public image one after the other so that anyone looking for your brand will find 5-star ratings and positive customer experiences that will make your company appear in the best possible light.

A brief history of online reputation management

Building trust and credibility have always been critical to running a successful business. The brand image was reserved exclusively for PR experts. The traditional marketing or PR team would have the task of building a positive brand image.

Online reputation management is just as important for local businesses as content marketing paid search and SEO. As consumers have switched to online shopping instead of traditional shop experiences, the need for positive online customer sentiment has increased.

When researching the growth of online customer reviews websites, we found that the starting point was in 2012. Google, Facebook and Yelp all saw huge growth in ratings this year.

In the beginning, Google only allowed critics to give reviews, but since then consumers have also participated. Today 63% of consumers have given an online rating for a local company, another 25% are open to the idea of doing so.

Why are online reviews so important for local business?

In the past, an angry customer had a somewhat limited audience when it came to sharing news about their negative experiences - he could share it with his immediate group of family and friends, but widespread distribution of this oral review would be extremely unlikely. This is not how it is in the age of the Internet.

Meanwhile, more than 8 out of 10 consumers trust online reviews as well as personal recommendations.

This means that we, as consumers, are all prepared to get online reviews before doing business with a new company.

1. You are everywhere

This trust has led to the constant emergence of new review sites that increase the availability of online reviews and offer consumers even more opportunities for their opinions and experiences. Ratings as a format have also become more important. Star ratings now appear next to organic search results, in Google Local Results (the local package), and even next to paid AdWords search ads.

Online reviews also infiltrate social media. With Facebook, the second most popular review and referral platform worldwide, you don’t even have to proactively seek reviews so consumers can share their opinions about your business.

As a company, you simply cannot hide from reviews. They are displayed online about your company. Given consumer confidence in the experiences of friends and strangers, online reviews can lead a small business to success or failure 'bottom line.

2. You are a ranking factor

Research conducted in 2017 confirmed that online ratings were an important ranking factor and that there was a clear correlation between the scope of the ratings, the answers and the number of negative ratings with the local search results.

Most importantly, the keyword you want to rank for, and then mentioning a city you want to rank highly in, highly with the high-ranking Google My Business results.

3. Reviews can improve the click-through rates of GMB profiles

Consumers trust online reviews - 87% of consumers look for 3-5 star ratings before using a local business. If you don't get an average 3 to 5 star rating on a regular basis or don't actively ask for ratings, there is a possibility that these potential customers will look elsewhere.

4. Assessments serve as social evidence

Social media is an essential part of the consumer buying process. With so many company pages that are heavily indexed by company name in Google, a buyer can easily access a company's Facebook page for more information. Just like on rating platforms and search engines, Facebook ratings and recommendations serve as social proof of the quality of your company.

5. You can use ratings as a sign of trust on your website to increase conversions

Your company's reputation is your most important asset. Potential customers go online more than ever to review reviews so they can decide which local businesses to support, what products to buy, or what service to use.

With more than 8 in 10 consumers who trust online reviews as well as a personal recommendation, displaying carefully selected 5-star reviews on your website sends a strong signal of trust and confirms your decision to do business with you.

In addition, more and more consumers are reading more than 11 reviews before believing they can trust a company. The easier it is to access reviews that you can provide on your own media channels, the higher the likelihood of conversions.

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Why use ListandSell GmbH for local reputation management?

Here at List & Sell we recognize the need for local companies to have excellent valuation profiles in order to remain competitive. Online reviews and feedback are becoming increasingly important in search and other areas. Therefore, building a trustworthy reputation and maintaining customer love is more important than ever.

Reputation Manager is affordable, fully functional and easy to use. Learn how you can revolutionize your online ratings with Reputation Manager today.