Online reputation management (ORM) is absolutely vital for local businesses today.
In an increasingly digital world, most customers now turn to online reviews, social media, and search engines to evaluate local businesses before engaging with them.
Studies show that over 90 percent of consumers read online reviews before making purchases, so your online reputation has a huge impact on profitability.
Your online reputation is determined by things like:
- Reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp
- How you interact on social media
- The information in your listings on directories
- What people say about you online
- Content on your own website
Monitoring and managing your online reputation as a local business is crucial for attracting new customers, establishing credibility, presenting a positive brand image, and building trust & loyalty.
With the right online reputation management strategies, local businesses can take control of how they are perceived online, get more reviews, respond appropriately to feedback and complaints, create a consistent and professional brand identity, and ultimately get more customers.
This guide will provide actionable tips and best practices for how any local business can monitor, build, and manage their reputation online.
Monitor Your Online Reputation
Actively monitoring your online reputation is crucial for identifying any potential issues or negative mentions early on. Here are some of the main ways local businesses should keep tabs on their brand image:
- Set up Google alerts, social media listening, and review site monitoring to be notified of new online reviews, social media posts, and other web content mentioning your business. Many online reputation management tools provide monitoring capabilities.
- Check major review sites like Google My Business, Facebook, and Yelp regularly to see what customers are saying. Use automated ORM software like ReputationStacker for tracking your online reviews.
- Keep an eye on social media conversations through hashtag tracking and listening. Set up notifications for when your business name or relevant keywords are mentioned.
Consistent monitoring enables you to address issues in a timely manner before they escalate. It also allows you to spot positive feedback and reviews that you can amplify as part of reputation management.
Get More Positive Reviews
Positive reviews are so important to having a good online reputation.
One of the most effective ways to get more positive reviews is to directly ask your customers for reviews.
You can send a personalized email after a positive customer interaction or add a request to your receipts and marketing materials.
According to Google, customers are 70% more likely to leave a review when asked by a business owner.
Some best practices for email outreach include:
- Send the request within a few days of the interaction so it’s fresh in the customer’s mind.
- Make it personal by addressing the customer directly and referring to details of their experience.
- Include links directly to your review profiles on Google, Facebook, Yelp, etc. to make it easy for them.
- Follow up with customers who don’t initially leave a review.
It’s also important to make your review links visible across platforms like your website, email signatures, social media bios, receipts, etc. so customers can easily find them.
The easier you make it for your customers to leave reviews, the more reviews you’ll get.
And most important of all: You have to ask for reviews in order to receive them!
Need some help? Here are 5 email templates to use when asking for reviews.
Respond to Negative Reviews
When your business receives negative feedback online, it’s important not to ignore it.
Instead, respond to all reviews in a professional manner and try to offer solutions. Here are some tips for how to respond to negative reviews effectively:
- First, thank the customer for taking the time to leave feedback. You can acknowledge their feelings and apologize for their poor experience. However, avoid being overly defensive. For example: “Thank you for your review. I’m sorry we didn’t meet your expectations this time…”
- Next, address any specific concerns mentioned in the review. If possible, provide context or an explanation, but don’t make excuses. Take accountability and show you want to make it right. You may want to investigate the incident further before responding.
- Then, offer a solution like refunds, discounts, or free services to rectify the situation if appropriate. You can also invite the customer to contact you directly to discuss matters in more detail.
- Finally, show appreciation for the feedback and reaffirm your commitment to delivering high-quality products/services. Let the customer know you value their business.
Responding calmly and constructively demonstrates your professionalism and care for customers. It also shows future customers how your business proactively handles issues.
With the right response, you can even turn the person who wrote the negative review from a critic into a fan.
Build Your Online Presence
Having a strong online presence is critical for local businesses to reach customers in today’s digital world. Here are some of the best ways to build your brand’s presence online:
- Get more reviews on the most important review sites for your business. For most local businesses this means Google, Yelp, and Facebook, and any niche sites that are popular for your industry.
- Optimize your Google Business Profile with complete information, good photos, and engaging posts. An optimized Google Business Profile helps bring you to the top of local searches and stand out on Google Search and Maps.
- Be active on social media channels where your customers are, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Post regularly, engage with followers, advertise, and make it easy for people to find and contact you.
- Publish helpful, relevant content on your website’s blog that demonstrates your expertise and authority. Quality content can improve SEO and draw more organic traffic.
- Try to get mentioned or featured on relevant third-party sites like local business blogs and directories. This adds credibility and helps drive referrals to your own online content.
- Encourage happy customers to post about your business on their own social media channels. User-generated content and word-of-mouth can greatly boost your online visibility.
Online Reputation Management Best Practices
Having an effective online reputation strategy requires implementing best practices that build credibility and trust with customers.
Here are some of the most important steps to follow:
- Be transparent and honest in all of your online interactions and communications. Admit mistakes quickly and show customers how you are resolving issues. Being upfront will demonstrate your integrity.
- Provide excellent customer service across channels, whether it’s on your website, social media, or review sites. Going above and beyond expectations will lead to positive word-of-mouth.
- Customers expect fast responses to their reviews. The quicker you can turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied one, the less chance there is of them leaving negative feedback.
- Proactively highlight positive stories, customer success cases, and examples of great service through your social media and advertisements. Share your reviews on your own website.
- Consistently publish high-quality, useful content like blog posts and videos to provide value to prospects and customers. This content marketing strategy can improve your search rankings as well as your reputation.
Tools and Services
There are many online reputation management (ORM) software tools and services available to help local businesses monitor, manage, and improve their online reputation.
Some of the best reputation management companies include:
- ReputationStacker—Makes it easy to get more reviews, respond to them, share them on social media and your own website.
- Sprout Social—Features social media monitoring, reporting, and engagement tools.
- Hootsuite—Specializes in social media management and analytics..
These services allow businesses to centralize their ORM efforts for efficient monitoring and response. Most offer free trial periods so businesses can evaluate them.
The average cost of reputation management for small businesses varies widely, so when choosing an ORM platform, consider your budget, features needed, and ease of use.
Online Reputation Management For Restaurants
Restaurants rely heavily on positive online reviews and social media visibility to attract new customers. Here are some reputation management tips tailored for the restaurant industry:
- Restaurants can get more online reviews the same way as any other business: ask for them from every single customer.
- Monitor the top restaurant review sites and respond quickly to every review. Use tools like ReputationStacker to streamline monitoring and responding across sites.
- Make it easy for your customers to leave reviews by emailing survey links or using table tents with QR review codes.
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth by running campaigns asking customers to post photos or shoutouts on social media.
- Evaluate your reviews and address issues that commonly trigger negative reviews, like slow service, inaccurate menu descriptions, or high noise levels. Identify these patterns in your reviews.
- Respond professionally to negative reviews and try turning critics into advocates. Offer to make things right for dissatisfied customers.
- Highlight positive press and community initiatives on your website to shape your online narrative.
- Publish unique content like chef interviews and behind-the-scenes photos to give customers an insider view.
Online Reputation Management For Contractors
Plumbers, electricians, carpenters and general contractors depend on a solid online reputation to secure new projects and build trust within their communities.
Here are some tips for online reputation management for construction companies:
- To get more online reviews from your clients, actively request feedback from every client upon project completion. A personal touch, such as a thank-you email, can encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences.
- Keep a close eye on top construction review sites like Angie’s List and Houzz. Respond promptly to all reviews—positive or negative—to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. Tools like ReputationStacker can help streamline this process.
- Make it easy for clients to leave reviews by sending follow-up emails with direct links or incorporating QR codes into project handouts. Simplifying the review process can significantly increase your feedback rate.
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth by sharing successful project photos and client testimonials on social media. Consider hosting contests where clients can share their experiences and tag your business.
- Analyze your reviews to identify common pain points, such as project delays or communication issues. Addressing these recurring themes can help you improve service and reduce negative feedback.
- Ongoing review management is vital for contractors. When responding to negative reviews, maintain professionalism and empathy. Offer solutions or compensations to dissatisfied clients, turning potential critics into loyal advocates.
Online Reputation Management for Lawyers
Lawyers depend on a strong online reputation to attract clients and build trust in a competitive legal landscape.
Here are some specific tips for reputation management for lawyers:
- Lawyers can get more online reviews by actively requesting feedback from every client after case resolution. A simple follow-up email or a phone call can encourage satisfied clients to share their positive experiences.
- Keep an eye on top legal review sites such as Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell. Respond promptly to all reviews, both positive and negative, to show potential clients your commitment to client satisfaction. Tools like ReputationStacker make it easy to execute a review strategy for lawyers.
- Build a testimonials page for your website to create trust and credibility among potential clients.
- Regularly track your reviews and analyze them to identify any common concerns, such as communication issues or delays in service. Addressing these patterns can help improve client experiences and minimize negative feedback.
- Respond to negative reviews professionally and empathetically. Offer to discuss the issue further to turn critics into advocates, demonstrating your commitment to resolution.
- Add positive reviews to your website. You can also create a dedicated page to showcase media mentions, awards, or community involvement to enhance your online narrative.
Online Reputation Management for Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents need an online review strategy to attract clients and build lasting relationships.
Here are some points to focus on when it comes to online reputation management for real estate agents:
- To boost your online reviews, actively solicit feedback from every client after closing a deal. A simple follow-up email thanking them for their business can encourage satisfied clients to share their experiences online. For more on this, check out our dedicated guide on how real estate agents get online reviews from their clients.
- Monitor key real estate review platforms like Zillow and Realtor.com. Respond promptly to all reviews—whether positive or negative—to show prospective clients that you value feedback. Tools like ReputationStacker can help streamline your review collection, monitoring, and response efforts across multiple review sites.
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth by sharing client success stories on social media and your website. You might also run campaigns inviting clients to post about their experiences, helping to create a community of satisfied customers.
- Regularly evaluate your reviews to identify common issues, such as responsiveness or communication style. Addressing these concerns can help improve your service and minimize negative feedback.
- When dealing with negative reviews, stay professional and empathetic in your responses. Offer to discuss the issue further so that you can find a resolution together. This demonstrates your commitment to client satisfaction and turning critics into advocates.
- Highlight any positive media coverage, awards, or community involvement on your website to grow your online narrative.
Online Reputation Management for Doctors
There are entire industries build around online reputation management for doctors.
From healthcare-specific review sites to medical reputation management consultants, physicians, dentists, chiropractors and everyone else in the wellness space must take a proactive approach online in order to attract and retain patients.
Here are some reputation management tips specifically for the medical field:
- Doctors must have an online review strategy. Happy patients are unlikely to leave reviews unless you proactively ask them to. A friendly reminder during the visit or a follow-up email can prompt them to leave feedback.
- Monitor key doctor review sites such as Healthgrades and Vitals. Respond promptly and professionally to every review, whether positive or negative. Tools like ReputationStacker can help streamline the monitoring process, make it easy to patient reviews, and ensure you never miss a review when it is posted.
- Get your patients to write reviews by sending direct links in post-appointment emails or including QR codes in printed materials. Simplifying the review process can significantly boost your response rate.
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth by sharing patient testimonials (with their consent) on social media and your website. Consider running campaigns that invite patients to share their experiences, helping to build a community of satisfied patients.
- Regularly evaluate your reviews to identify recurring issues, such as long wait times or communication challenges. Addressing these patterns can help improve patient satisfaction and reduce negative experiences.
- Highlight any positive media coverage, awards, or community health initiatives on your website to help grow your online narrative.
The Truth About Online Reputation Management for Local Businesses
Whether you’re leveraging online reviews or creating new content for social medial, online reputation management is crucial for any local business.
Studies have shown that over 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a local business, so your online reputation has a direct impact on your bottom line.
With proper monitoring and management, you can build a strong, positive reputation that attracts new customers and inspires loyalty and trust.
Having an effective online reputation management strategy helps small businesses stand out from the competition. By proactively seeking reviews, thoughtfully responding to negative feedback, and consistently publishing helpful, high-quality content, you can showcase your brand in the best possible light. This builds credibility and establishes your business as an authoritative industry leader.
For local business owners who need help improving their online reputation, there are many affordable online reputation management software options that provide automation and to take your online reputation to the next level.
