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What are your customers saying about you? Every business has an online reputation or the potential for one. An online rep is based on many factors including physical and online appearances, efficiencies, and most importantly, the interactions between the business and its customers.

Online reviews can affect your visibility in search engines and directories. They increase your credibility, which creates an edge over your competitors leading to increased ROI and more success in your business.

Having a reputation is inevitable, but having a good one can and should be cultivated. One of the best ways to create a positive online reputation is by emphasizing the importance of reviews within the culture of your business. 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations; therefore, it’s an important aspect to any online marketing strategy.

Some Things to Know About Review Strategies

No reviews = bad reviews. Having no reviews leaves your reputation in a vulnerable state. One bad review will automatically set the tone for every other potential customer that visits your site. Without reviews, you do not have an established reputation, which may seem like a warning to visitors. A wide array of reviews is far better than no customer presence at all.

Positive reviews increase traffic online and on location. Positive reviews generate higher rankings in many online directories, which leads to higher traffic on your website and at your location.

Niche review sites are important. Sites like Google+, Yelp, Facebook, etc., are crucial for your online reputation, but you shouldn’t ignore the smaller niche sites. Finding a great niche site for your industry will improve your online presence.

Get the Most Out of Your Customer Reviews

Do not provide incentives for reviews. Providing an incentive to your customer in order for them to submit a review is generally not a good idea. Sites like Yelp and Google+ penalize businesses that do this, which is detrimental to your online reputation. It also cheapens the relationship between you and your customer. Encourage genuine reviews by providing great service.

Have a proactive response to bad reviews. Bad reviews should not be ignored. Follow up with the customer to resolve issues that arise. Contact them and inquire about more feedback to improve what they did not like about their experience with your business. After showing your concern, ask them if they would consider trying your business again and possibly revising the review. Even a small change could impact your online reputation in a positive way.

Use reviews to improve your business. Rather than just trying to get a good review, utilize all reviews, especially negative, to improve the experience or product for your customer. There is always room to improve.

Be persistent when asking for reviews, and make it known to your staff. Constantly asking for reviews improves the likelihood that your customers will take the time to give you feedback. Everyone involved with your business should be active in this area in order to optimize your chances of bringing in the most responses.

Reviews should not be a one-time pursuit. Your review strategy should be an ongoing process. An abundance of old reviews does nothing for your reputation if they are outdated. Maintain your review strategy in order to keep your business relevant.


UplinkSpyder can help you plan for, implement and manage, a high-quality review system. Let us help you; Contact Us today for a free consultation.

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