Today, nearly every business has an online presence of some sort. This can range from a Google My Business listing that contains basic information about a company to a digital strategy that includes a website, social media, and pay-per-click advertising. Regardless of the extent of your firm’s digital footprint, you will want to make sure that you make a positive impression on those who find you online. This is why reputation management is crucial.

What Is Reputation Management?

Online searches are the primary way most people find information, whether they are looking for answers on a computer at home or at work or are searching for a local business on their smartphone. When a firm shows up in search results, their listing is often accompanied by reviews and star ratings that people have submitted. These ratings often play a key role in a potential customer’s decision to click through to a company’s website or contact them via phone or email.

In addition to influencing people’s decisions about who they choose to do business with, online reviews can also have a significant impact on SEO. A business with a large number of positive reviews is more likely to be displayed in search results, and negative reviews or low average ratings can result in SEO penalties that will reduce a company’s chances of being found in online searches.

If you own a business, you may have received a less-than-ideal review on your Google My Business page. There are many cases where Google will not remove a negative review, as it may not fall under any of the categories in their Prohibited and Restricted Content guidelines. However, OVC Lawyer Marketing has found there to be a number of instances where Google will be more likely to intervene and remove a review:

Spam and Fake Content

Reviews that refer to incorrect details about a business may be considered fake content. For example, a user may leave the same one-star review for multiple office locations of your law firm. Because it is unlikely that a client received the same experience at more than one of your offices, Google may remove the review from all but one of the locations.

In today’s highly competitive online landscape, businesses need to do everything they can to stand out. More people than ever are using Google and other search engines to find local businesses, and the information that is displayed in search results is a major factor that influences people’s decisions. Of the different types of information that can be displayed in search results, online reviews are often among the most important.

According to Google, 71% of consumers say they are more likely to do business with a company if it has positive reviews, and businesses which have positive reviews have 360% more clicks to their site from their business listings. As part of its efforts to help small businesses get the most out of Google, the company has created a new tool that businesses can use to generate free marketing materials.

Using the #SmallThanks Hub

With Google’s #SmallThanks Hub, any business which has a verified Google listing can create marketing materials which highlight their positive reviews and encourage people to review them on Google. The tool automatically generates images that include quotes from positive reviews or a message encouraging customers to show their support by leaving a review or sharing a photo.

At some point, every business has to deal with disgruntled or unsatisfied customers. While interactions with these customers were once limited to phone calls or in-person complaints, the nature of our online world means that negative reviews left by unhappy customers are publicly available for everyone to see, and they can have a major impact on a company’s bottom line.

Studies have shown that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and that a company risks losing as much as 22% of their business if a there is a negative review on the first page of their search results. This means that it is incredibly important to respond quickly to negative reviews. But even if you are unable to rectify a customer’s complaint, following these reputation management tips will help you get the most out of these interactions:

1. Stay calm - It can be tempting to respond in anger and attack the person who left a negative review, but this will only make things worse. Take the time to calm down and respond rationally to the customer’s issues, even if you do not believe the review was left in good faith.

For many businesses and firms, meeting the needs and expectations of clients would be impossible without a dedicated team of employees working together for the betterment of the company. If you own a business, your employees are among your most important assets, especially those who are honest, loyal, and dependable. However, when circumstances or employee behavior leads to a termination, a disgruntled former staff member can quickly become a problem and a threat to your professional reputation. With countless internet forums available in which an angry ex-employee can post comments, rants, and veiled threats—actions collectively known as cybersmearing—the situation can spin out of control in just a few days. If you have recently parted ways with an employee that you think could be capable of such behavior, there are some things you can do to protect yourself and your business.

Knowing Where to Look

As far back as 1996, when the internet was still a relatively new phenomenon, its potential power was unmistakable. Even the United States Supreme Court recognized that by utilizing the internet, “any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox. While users have graduated from phone lines to Wi-Fi and fiber-optic connections, the premise is even more true today.