Do You Know What Is Being Said Online About Your Business?

Every business owner knows that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, as well as the lowest cost. People trust a recommendation from a friend and will usually purchase from a business where that friend has had a positive experience. Aside from a personal friend's recommendation, online customer reviews will be considered by the consumer as the next best alternative.

Most consumers today are savvy and use the internet not only to find a local business, but to research that business before making a purchase. In fact, 84% said that online reviews affect their purchasing decision. There are dozens of websites they can visit to read about previous customer experiences and view the business’s reputation or rating. Even if that business appears in the top of the search results, the potential customer will typically move to the next listing if what they see is not positive. Local search marketing is not enough. Business reputation management is equally important and most internet marketing firms overlook it, focusing strictly on search result placement.

See the example below from an actual Google search on restaurants. The business in the first screenshot was ranked higher in the local search results than the one below it. For their privacy, we have removed the business name from each review. Which one would you choose?

A negative business reputation will result in lost sales no matter where your business appears in the search results. Unfortunately this can occur with no wrongdoing from the business owner. The good name that you have spent years building can be destroyed in a single afternoon by an unhappy customer that was impossible to please, a disgruntled employee or even a competitor.

A recent "Ethics & Workplace" survey by Deloitte revealed that 74% of employed Americans said that damaging a brand's reputation online would be easy.

The lack of customer reviews, or no reputation, can also be harmful. Potential customers want to feel comfortable purchasing from a business and positive reviews give them the security and assurance that they are making the right decision based on the experiences of others. A lack of a solid, online business reputation can also lead the consumer to believe your business is new and that few people if any, have been there. This can cause them to feel unsure or insecure about making a purchase from you.

 How we can help…

Our reputation management and monitoring services will ensure that your potential customers like what they see. We do the following to ensure your business has a superior reputation that builds trust with potential customers, establishes authority and dominates your local market:

• Monthly monitoring of the primary websites where your business is rated and reviewed. This includes first and second page search results for your business on Google, Yahoo and Bing. We will also monitor your Google Places, Yahoo Local and Bing Local listings as well as the customer review sites where they gather reviews from to display on those pages. We will conduct manual searches, not automated software, so nothing gets missed. In addition, we will also set up Google Alerts, to monitor for mentions of your business name elsewhere 24 hours a day.

• Alerts via email if negative information is discovered.

• We will advise you how to respond to negative reviews if discovered, and how to either eliminate them or reduce their effect.

• We will show you how to gain positive customer reviews which will build a superior reputation and in many cases actually improve your organic search results. This includes the delicate process of balancing reviews across multiple sites so they appear more natural and credible.

• We will guide you through the reputation repair process if necessary.

Reputation Management is just one of the internet marketing services we offer. Click on the following links to read about our Local Search Marketing and Website Tracking & Reporting services. Or if you have seen enough and want to know how we can help your specific business, visit our Contact Us page.

Local Search Marketing - Reputation Management - Website Tracking & Reporting - Pricing - Contact Us

Marketing Made Simple - 11705 Boyette Road Suite 201, Riverview, Florida - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - 1-855-44MYREP or 1-855-446-9737