Reputation Is Everything: How Online Reputation Management Is Helping Save Businesses

Have you ever done a search on Google or another search engine before deciding to choose a particular business, service, or even when trying to figure out what restaurant you want to eat at that night?

If you said yes, you’re far from alone on that one.

For example, did you know that 74 percent of people look at reviews on Yelp when looking for a home service provider? Or that a reported 86 percent of people would pay more for services from a company that had higher ratings and reviews?

That’s how important online reputation is to a business. Online reputation management can absolutely make or break a business, especially for small businesses and independent business owners. With just one search engine inquiry, a potential customer can decide whether to go with you or your service — or not. A bad review from an individual can make a possible customer click away faster than you can say “Google it.”

According to another source, nearly 97 percent of consumers say they read online reviews about local businesses. So if you’re a small business owner, it’s easy to imagine how a negative online review can absolutely damage your business’ bottom line. Bad reviews can lead to a loss of sales, a loss of business, and a loss of trust among customers and potential consumers.

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That’s why the online reputation management (ORM) industry is increasingly impactful. An online reputation company works to monitor the reputation of you or your business online and in general build up positive search results in search engines like Google.  Reputation management services also often involve strategies to create more content that will draw eyes — and dollars — to your business or other service you’re providing.

Using tools like reputation management software and other reputation monitoring tools, ORM companies help people receive more positive notice for their businesses, and aid in lessening the impact of any negative critique online.

Professional reputation management companies also help protect you and your company from potential damage, help build up exposure for your brand, and work to repair an online reputation if it’s been affected by negative reviews.

Plus, reputation management professionals know how to best utilize search engines and social media in ways that best fit your needs and the needs of your business. They know how to market your brand to potential customers who first seek out information online — which most consumers do these days.

Sometimes it seems like the digital marketplace is always changing, and to some extent, that’s true. The internet makes shopping for services extremely competitive, in a way it just wasn’t twenty years ago. But online reputation companies know how to highlight the best information about you or your business, and make it appear front-and-center in search engine results.

So why wouldn’t you seek the services reputation management companies can provide if you have the opportunity to do so? If your business can show up on that first page of Google results, or pop up under the trending topics on Twitter first thing, isn’t it worth it to make that happen?