Whether you have a negative online reputation that needs to be repaired, a positive online reputation that needs to be maintained, or a nonexistent online reputation that needs to be created, reputation management services can help your business's online presence. Many of these services offer similar strategies, so to help you identify the best one for your business, we researched and evaluated more than 40 agencies. To determine which ones are best, we examined each company's specific services, features, costs and pricing structure.
\r\nDue to its flexible, comprehensive services and great customer support, WebiMax is our choice as the best online reputation management service for small businesses. It offers everything a business needs to repair a damaged reputation and build a positive online image. Its management strategies include creating new content, managing social media profiles, managing a company's online reviews, and handling public relations and crisis PR situations. WebiMax offers great customer support to its clients. A dedicated account manager works directly with you to keep you updated on your campaigns and to address questions or concerns.
\r\n\r\n
Because each business has unique needs, customized reputation management strategies are essential for optimal results. WebiMax offers customized pricing and tailors its strategies based on your specific needs.
\r\nThe company will first meet with you to discuss your current online image and what your goals are. Following the discussion, WebiMax analyzes your brand's online reputation. Are there high-ranking negative articles or multiple negative reviews that need to be removed? Do you have a positive image that needs to be maintained, or are you a new business that needs help building an online image? Based on its initial findings, WebiMax proposes the specific strategies it feels offer your business the greatest benefit.
\r\nWe contacted WebiMax posing as a new business owner wanting to establish a positive reputation. WebiMax estimated its services would cost about $400 per month. Your estimate may be different, based on your needs. However, WebiMax is flexible with its quoted prices; it will work with you to develop a plan that fits within your budget.
\r\nWebiMax doesn't require long-term commitments. Unlike some reputation management services we investigated that require three-, six-, or even 12-month contracts, WebiMax works on a month-to-month basis and doesn't make you sign a contract.
\r\nNot being bound by a contract gives you the freedom to test WebiMax's service to ensure you're pleased with the results. If it isn't delivering the results you'd hoped for, you can walk away at any time with no penalty. This flexibility is especially ideal for small businesses that have evolving needs.
\r\nFor companies looking to improve their reputation, WebiMax uses a multipronged approach to identify harmful reviews or content that is damaging a company and then deploying specialized SEO techniques to counter negative content with positive content to boost a business's online image. WebiMax monitors your online presence, giving you regular reports. If WebiMax is alerted to a complaint or negative article about you or your business, it notifies you and advises you on how to respond.
\r\nHere are some additional features of WebiMax's service:
\r\nWebiMax offers every online reputation management service a business needs, plus digital marketing services, too. Whereas some reputation management companies specialize in one service, such as helping your company get new consumer reviews, or offering a few services, like content creation or review management, WebiMax handles it all, including search engine optimization, pay per click, social media marketing, online PR, web design, lead generation and local marketing. The ability to tap into all of these services can help ensure your strategies are consistent and are delivering a high ROI.
\r\nWebiMax has an experienced team of employees who have been handling SEO and online marketing for small and large businesses since 2008; most of its employees have years of experience in the field. In addition to their team's experience, WebiMax provides its employees with ongoing training to keep up with the changing online environment.
\r\nWe also liked that WebiMax doesn't require clients to sign a long-term contract. Instead, work is done month to month, which means you don't have to keep paying for a service that isn't delivering results for your business.
\r\nWebiMax has limited information on its website. We would have liked to see more specifics about the company's online reputation management services, including time frames, pricing and if you can bundle services.
\r\nTo learn exactly what WebiMax can offer your business, you'll need to contact the company directly. Although speaking with a company representative gives you a more clear idea of what WebiMax offers, some individuals prefer to have more of a sense upfront about whether a service can truly provide the results they're looking to get before they pick up the phone.
\r\nWe were impressed with the customer service and support WebiMax offers its customers. When you sign up for the service, you get a dedicated project manager who serves as your go-to for any questions or concerns. Your project manager leads a team who also works on your campaign. WebiMax delivers regular updates so you know whether your campaign is progressing as expected.
\r\nTo gauge WebiMax's level of customer support, we contacted the company, posing as a new small business owner interesting in online reputation management services. We could not have been more pleased with the service we received from WebiMax. Everyone we spoke with was pleasant and helpful. They listened to our needs and answered our questions in detail, explaining the strategies they use and how each works.
\r\nWebiMax is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating.
\r\n"},"pricing":{"isCapped":false,"isFeatured":true,"primary":true,"selected":"affiliate","widgetId":null,"widget":null,"affiliate":{"cta":"Visit Site","link":"https://businesscom.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=316&aff_id=1000&source=best-online-reputation-management-services&aff_sub4=revenue|Sponsorship&aff_sub3=deal|Webimax&url_id=1","name":"Sponsorship"}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/rev/prod/ce/54232-webimax-box.jpg"}}},{"bullets":["30-day money-back guarantee","Crisis management","Negative content removal"],"description":"Thanks to its focus on crisis management, content removal and reputation monitoring, Reputation Resolutions is our choice as the best reputation management company for resolving reputation attacks. Unlike many of its competitors, Reputation Resolutions offers tailored services to improve both business and individual reputations – so it can help regardless of whose reputation is under attack. Its reputation management services are available on a month-to-month basis and have a 30-day money-back guarantee. ","descriptionTest":"","fullTitle":"Best for Reputation Attacks","isFeaturedBestPick":false,"isJumpLink":true,"tabTitle":"Best for Reputation Attacks","review":{"displayName":"Reputation Resolutions","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/reviews/reputation-resolutions/","id":"e4971bbb5f6ec58dec45b5a9cceaed2b","url":"https://reputationresolutions.com/","review":{"pros":["Reputation Resolutions can remove negative content or suppress it through the creation and promotion of positive content.","Reputation management services are available with month-to-month pricing and a 30-day money-back guarantee."],"cons":["Reputation Resolutions doesn't have a live chat feature for customer support."],"fullReviewTest":"
Thanks to its focus on crisis management, content removal and reputation monitoring, Reputation Resolutions is our choice as the best reputation management company for resolving reputation attacks. Unlike many of its competitors, Reputation Resolutions offers tailored services to improve both business and individual reputations – so it can help regardless of whose reputation is under attack. Its reputation management services are available on a month-to-month basis and have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
\r\nThis agency can deploy several strategies to fix your reputation, including content creation, content removal or suppression, review management, social media profile creation and management, and ongoing reputation monitoring.
\r\nReputation Resolutions is great for companies that need flexibility in their service. It offers month-to-month plans, so you can cancel the service at any time without penalty. This is also one of the only companies we analyzed that offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This type of guarantee takes some of the pressure off, especially for small businesses that are new to the world of reputation management and hesitant to sign a long-term contract.
\r\nThe company offers a free demo for potential customers, and if you sign up, it creates a custom plan based on your needs. The average cost ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 per month. Although this is slightly more expensive than some other companies we examined, it is not unusual.
\r\nReputation Resolutions has a unique offering for content removal: It only charges for the service if it successfully removes the harmful content in question. Content removal results can be instant; content suppression takes roughly four to eight months, depending on numerous factors.
\r\nReputation Resolutions can use a variety of strategies to improve your online reputation. It can even remove negative, false and defamatory content from the internet, which not many competitors offer.
\r\nReputation Resolutions is accredited with the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating on the site, and has multiple five-star reviews. These are signs that the company is supportive and capable of managing its own reputation, which is a must in a reputation management company.
\r\nReputation Resolutions offers customer support by phone, email and online form. When we reached out to the company by email, we didn't receive an immediate response; however, when we filled out the contact form, we received a quick response that thoroughly answered all of our questions.
","fullReview":""},"pricing":{"isCapped":false,"isFeatured":false,"primary":true,"selected":"widget","widgetId":"10727","widget":{"id":"10727","cta":"Compare Quotes","isExclusive":false},"affiliate":{"cta":"Visit Site","link":"https://reputationresolutions.com/","name":""}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5f88b95c9c658a91738b4567/reputation-resolutions.png"}}},{"bullets":["Multiple review acquisition tools","Real-time review alerts","Easy-to-use dashboard"],"description":"BirdEye is our choice for the best online reputation management service for review acquisition because it has many ways to help you collect online reviews of your business, as well as robust review management tools.","descriptionTest":"","fullTitle":"Best for Review Acquisition","isFeaturedBestPick":false,"isJumpLink":false,"tabTitle":"Best for Review Acquisition","review":{"displayName":"BirdEye","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/reviews/birdeye/","id":"56459dc992b1fccaf889706644c364bf","url":"https://birdeye.com/","review":{"pros":["BirdEye lets you collect reviews via multiple channels (e.g., text, email, Facebook plugins, your company website and mobile kiosks).","BirdEye explains the entire review acquisition and management process through comprehensive demos."],"cons":["Customers are required to sign a 12-month commitment contract."],"fullReviewTest":"","fullReview":"BirdEye is our choice as the best online reputation management service for review acquisition. It gives business owners multiple ways to reach out to their customers for reviews (e.g., personalized text message, email, Facebook plugins, company website, mobile kiosks inside your business). BirdEye also provides all of the tools needed to manage and track reviews, including automatic alerts and updates, and it provides detailed analytics on reviews, options for monitoring your social networks, and the ability to ensure all your online business listings are up to date.
\r\n\r\n
BirdEye provides both preset and customized pricing based on how many business locations you have and what features your business needs. BirdEye requires that its clients sign a 12-month commitment.
\r\nYou can either pay upfront for the entire year or, for a higher rate, monthly installments.
\r\nTo see pricing for BirdEye's preset plans, you will need to provide some details about your business. For one location, plans start at $299 per month for the Standard plan and $399 per month for the Professional plan.
\r\nBirdEye is a complete review management platform with all the tools you need to acquire and manage online reviews. The service handles a wide range of tasks, including:
\r\nWhat we especially liked about BirdEye is the numerous ways you can acquire reviews. Being able to reach out to customers via text messages, email, Facebook and your website increases your chances of receiving more reviews.
\r\nAnother benefit is the treasure trove of data BirdEye provides businesses. The dashboard gives you an easy-to-understand overview of what your customers are saying about you across all channels. BirdEye's system reviews all of the information to provide you with greater insight into the overarching sentiments, both good and bad. The data allows you to discover trends about your business's strengths and weaknesses.
\r\nThe BirdEye mobile app – available for iOS and Android devices – is another great perk. From the app, you can collect new reviews, track customer feedback, respond to reviews, promote positive reviews and monitor your review analytics.
\r\nThe biggest drawback of BirdEye is that it requires a 12-month commitment from clients. That kind of requirement can be difficult for a lot of businesses that are watching expenses and aren't 100% certain how much of a difference an online reputation management may make, especially when they're required to forecast that one year into the future. By contrast, several other reputation management services we evaluated offer their services on a month-to-month basis, which is more likely to be well received by business owners.
\r\nBirdEye is a great platform for getting and managing online consumer reviews, but for small businesses needing a full-service reputation management service, they will need to look elsewhere. BirdEye does not help with content creation, public relations, or social media account creation and management. If you only want a service to help you get more reviews and manage those reviews, BirdEye then is the best choice.
\r\nBirdEye's website has a wealth of information to help new and existing users learn about how to use the review software, as well as answers to questions on such topics as how to get started with the service, how to customize your review requests, and how to understand the analytics. All BirdEye clients have a dedicated support representative who serves as their go-to expert for questions or concerns they have. You can reach BirdEye via phone, email or live chat.
\r\nWhen we contacted the company, posing as a small business owner looking for a review management tool, the responses were slightly delayed, but they were very thorough. The representatives were courteous and did not push us to make a sale; instead, they provided thoughtful responses and encouraged us to contact them if we had any additional questions.
\r\nBirdEye is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
\r\n\r\n
"},"pricing":{"isCapped":false,"isFeatured":false,"primary":true,"selected":"widget","widgetId":"10727","widget":{"id":"10727","cta":"Compare Quotes","isExclusive":false},"affiliate":{"cta":"Visit Site","link":"https://birdeye.com/","name":""}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df00b7f5a215ec9178b4568/birdeye.png"}}},{"bullets":["Aggregated inbox","Chat-to-text feature","Response automation"],"description":"Podium is our choice for the best online reputation management service for review management because of its easy-to-use platform that helps you acquire new reviews and manage them once they've been posted. This review management service uses text messaging to encourage customers to leave reviews. You can send customized text messages asking customers to leave a review about their experience. From the link inside the message, customers can quickly leave a review and designate which site, such as Google or Facebook, they want it posted to.\r\n\r\nA major benefit of using Podium is the detailed analytics the company provides on your reviews. You can break down the evaluations to spot trends in negative and positive reviews that will help you improve your operations. Podium also offers a web-chat widget that encourages people to leave their name and mobile phone number so you can answer their questions via text message. This is another convenient way for your customers to communicate with you. All of Podium's pricing is customized based on the specific features you need and how many locations your business has. Although a 12-month contract is required to start, moderate pricing is available. Businesses can access Podium's e-books and customer stories, or reach out to customer support via web chat, phone, text, email or a contact form. \r\n","descriptionTest":"","fullTitle":"Best Online Reputation Management Service for Review Management","isFeaturedBestPick":false,"isJumpLink":false,"tabTitle":"Best for Review Management","review":{"displayName":"Podium","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/reviews/podium/","id":"816f2372155d5195d493944613b10c54","url":"https://www.podium.com/","review":{"pros":["Podium lets you access and respond to all your reviews from one centralized inbox.","As a Podium user, you can communicate with customers and elicit feedback via text message."],"cons":["Podium requires you to sign an annual contract."],"fullReviewTest":"
Podium is a customer interaction platform that utilizes text messaging to help businesses manage customer relationships and build an online reputation on a variety of websites.
\r\nPodium's platform consolidates customer interactions and online reviews into a single dashboard to help users manage online review management. From the dashboard, users can send review invitations, respond to online reviews in real time, and send and receive text messages with customers and potential customers.
\r\nAdditionally, Podium's platform provides businesses with reports on the business's day-to-day operations, including sentiment analysis and competitive benchmarking, that can help businesses identify potential areas for improvement.
","fullReview":"Podium is our choice as the best service for managing your company's online reviews. Podium's software compiles user reviews from multiple websites (including Google, Facebook, and TripAdvisor) into one convenient platform, allowing business users to quickly and easily acquire, manage, and respond to reviews. Using Podium's dashboard, you can see consumer reviews that have been posted on each site, as well as which reviews are getting the most attention, helping you to quickly identify negative reviews that need immediate action.
\r\n\r\n
Podium doesn't have preset service plans. Instead, the company offers customized pricing. Podium representatives analyze your company's needs to determine which of its features will work best. Your industry and whether you have a business with multiple locations are other elements that factor into your monthly costs.
\r\nRepresentatives told us that the average cost of Podium's services ranges from $350 to $450 per month, per location. However, because pricing is customized, we recommend that you contact the company to get a formal quote based on your specific needs and situation.
\r\nPodium requires an initial 12-month commitment. You can choose to access a Podium starter plan for free, but it has limited capabilities and only lasts a few weeks.
\r\nUnlike some online reputation management services that provide a wide range of services, Podium is focused on review acquisition and management. Podium is designed to help a business increase the number of online reviews it receives, thus boosting its online image.
\r\nHere's more about Podium's features:
\r\nPodium has some added communication features to streamline customer interactions. You can use the video chat to talk face-to-face with customers and the team chat to communicate internally. Podium also has a Payments tool so you could easily collect payments via text. These features are not offered by many of Podium's competitors.
\r\nPodium's mobile app, for iOS and Android devices, gives your real-time notifications from your customers. You can manage and respond to messages, assign conversations to other employees, and monitor all of your reviews, all from your smartphone.
\r\nThe biggest benefit of Podium is the convenience and simplicity of managing all of your reviews from one central location, instead of switching among review sites. You can quickly see where people are leaving reviews about your business (Google, Yelp, Facebook) and whether those reviews are mostly positive or negative. The ability to quickly respond to negative reviews is critical, and Podium makes it simple to stay one top of what consumers are saying about your business.
\r\nWe were also impressed with the analytics tool. The dashboard provides a wealth of data that can be used to improve your business. You can see if there are certain keywords (positive and negative) that that customers consistently use in their reviews. With this feature, you can continue to keep up the good work in the areas that customers are happy about or focus on changing the areas that customers said disappointed them.
\r\nPodium also tracks your review scores. You see whether your scores are improving, which employees on your team are sending out the most review requests and which workers receive the most positive number of customer reviews. You can also check out your competitors' review stats as well.
\r\nThe biggest drawback of Podium is the mandatory 12-month contract. Having to commit to a lengthy contract could be a turn-off for some businesses, as they may not be comfortable making the investment without knowing how well the software will perform for them.
\r\nPodium does not offer additional reputation management services. For example, if you are seeking services such as crisis management, content creation or social media management, you will need to partner with another company to supplement those services.
\r\nLast, Podium is not an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau and has a D- rating. However, only six complaints have been filed against the company in the past three years, and with such a small sample size, it's not an accurate reflection of the company's customer service.
\r\nWhen your business signs up with Podium, you're assigned a dedicated customer success manager who works to ensure you are getting the most out of the software. It's nice to know that when you have a question or concern, you can turn to someone who knows your business and your specific goals.
\r\nTo test the level of customer service offered, we contacted Podium posing as an employee of a small business interested in review management software. When we reached out via the chat-to-text feature, we didn't receive a text from the company. However, when we filled out the online contact form, we promptly received a follow-up email from a representative. The representative we spoke with was helpful and polite, and they answered all of our questions. At no time was the representative pushy; he answered our questions and encouraged us to contact Podium if we wanted a demo of the system.
"},"pricing":{"isCapped":null,"isFeatured":false,"primary":false,"selected":"no-monetization","widgetId":"","widget":null,"affiliate":{"cta":null,"link":"https://www.podium.com/","name":null}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5f4e5d2d5a215e000f8b4568/podium.png"}}}]},{"__typename":"SectionWidget","id":"find-the-right-reputation-service-for-you","isInToc":false,"type":"widget","title":"Find the Right Online Reputation Service for Your Business","widget":{"widgetId":"10727"}},{"__typename":"SectionOurApproach","id":null,"isInToc":false,"type":"ourapproach","isActive":null,"ourapproach":{"isClonable":false,"servicesConsidered":"41","servicesTested":"14","servicesSelected":"4","linkText":"How we evaluate products and services","linkUrl":"mailto:editor@business.com"}},{"__typename":"SectionContainer","id":"compare-our-best-picks","isInToc":true,"type":"container","title":"Compare Our Best Picks","container":{"isBuyingGuide":false,"html":"| \r\n | WebiMax | \r\nReputation Resolutions | \r\nBirdEye | \r\nPodium | \r\n
| Free analysis | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\n
| Contracts | \r\nMonth to month | \r\nMonth to month | \r\n12 months | \r\n12 months | \r\n
| Review management | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\n
| Crisis management | \r\nYes | \r\nYes | \r\nNo | \r\nNo | \r\n
| Live chat | \r\nYes | \r\nNo | \r\nYes | \r\nYes (by text only) | \r\n
Improving an online reputation is a unique process that depends on the type and extent of digital damage, as well as a business's overall goals. That's why very few reputation management companies offer a set plan or price. Most services customize their pricing based on which strategies are necessary to improve your brand's image and how long they anticipate the process will take. This means pricing can vary greatly. We found services geared toward small businesses with fees ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars per month.
\r\nTo estimate pricing, most online reputation management companies start by performing a free reputation analysis. They discuss the current state of your online image and your goals with you. Each service asks for your website and keywords, and then conducts preliminary research to see where your online reputation stands. The company uses this information to create a formal proposal, which outlines the strategies that could benefit your business and estimates how long it would take to see results.
\r\nBusinesses should be aware of these potential fees and contracts:
\r\nSince there are rarely set plans or pricing in this industry, there might be room for negotiation. When you receive a formal proposal from an online reputation management company, don't be afraid to try negotiating a lower rate.
\r\nHere are some ways to negotiate lower costs:
\r\nYour business's online image is an important part of your ability to attract new customers, but it can be hard to monitor and manage on your own. Online reputation management services can help you build a new online reputation, improve a negative reputation, and/or maintain a positive one. They do this through a variety of strategies, such as content creation, review acquisition and management, social media management, search engine optimization, and online monitoring. Many of these services offer easy-to-use online dashboards, status reports, and dedicated customer support to keep you informed along the way.
"},{"title":"Online Reputation Management Features","html":"\nOnline reputation management services have three main goals: to repair poor reputations, build new online reputations and maintain positive ones. Here are some of the strategies and services these companies use to accomplish these goals.
\r\nThe first step most online reputation agencies perform is an analysis of the current state of your business's online image. They scour the web for mentions of your brand, and they look at your website, blog posts, and customer reviews, researching both positive and negative feedback about your business. The goal is for the first pages of search results related to your business to have all positive content. The more negative results the companies find on the first page of your search results, the more work needs to be done.
\r\nAfter the reputation management company completes the analysis, it puts together a proposal outlining the strategies and tactics it thinks are necessary to meet your reputation goals. Most companies offer this analysis for free.
\r\nOne of the most common tactics agencies will use to improve your online reputation is to flood the web with positive content about your brand. The goal is to get as much positive content (that you can control) on the first page of your search engine results as possible. To this end, most online reputation companies create content such as microsites, articles, press releases and videos.
\r\nThe best business reputation services concentrate on the types of content that will help your site the most. For example, a travel agency specializing in honeymoons might benefit from a honeymoon-focused microsite, while a company changing management might bolster its reputation with press releases and interviews with the new CEO.
\r\nIt's one thing to create all of this content; it's a whole other thing to make sure the search engines recognize it. Online reputation management companies make sure all of your content has the proper SEO, which includes ensuring the proper keywords are mixed in with the content, the headline is correct, and the metadata is optimized. Reputation management services also work to build links to your content in any articles that mention you. Backlinks tell search engines like Google that the information you offer is important to readers.
\r\nAcquiring and managing online reviews is another key component of online reputation management. The first step of this process is to acquire positive reviews. These companies will help you develop strategies that encourage your customers to leave reviews. The second step is to manage all these reviews. You want to know when new reviews come in so you can respond to them promptly and accordingly. For negative reviews, you should find ways to correct the problems that resulted in the customer's poor experience. For positive reviews, you should thank customers for their kind words. Quickly responding to your reviews shows others you care about what your customers think of you. Also, analyzing trends in your reviews can help you improve your business practices.
\r\nOnline reputation management services can manage your accounts on platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. If you don't already have social media pages for your business, reputation management companies can create comprehensive profiles that accurately reflect your brand. They focus primarily on the platforms that your target customers are most active on.
\r\nAdditionally, some services keep your profiles up to date with engaging content. An active social media presence can reflect positively on your brand. Some services help you monitor your social media profiles so you can quickly and efficiently respond to customers who engage with your business. Responding to positive comments and addressing negative comments can greatly improve your online reputation. These services can also monitor social networks to see what others are saying about your brand and your competition.
\r\nShould your brand run into a crisis or a reputation attack, online reputation management companies have tactics to repair your image. Some reputation management companies can help you repair your reputation by suppressing negative online content or removing slanderous content. They can help create positive content about your brand to flood the internet and push negative content down in the search results. Many reputation repair and crisis management strategies also include managing and responding to negative reviews and social media posts.
\r\nOnline reputation services monitor opinions expressed about your brand online. Some companies do manual searches of the common complaint websites to find out what people are saying about you. The top online reputation services go a step further to read the complaints in depth and identify common issues. Most services employ monitoring software, while others have computer labs for automatic searching and clicking to influence your website rankings.
\r\nIt is important to remember that online reputation management services can only help you up to a certain point. For example, an online reputation company may do a brilliant job of promoting your good reviews, but if your business doesn't fix its customer service problems, negative reviews will continue to surface.
\r\nOther variables influence your online reputation. For example, your website may have superb SEO, but if the website containing complaints about your business has even better SEO or a great social media presence, the negative content may rank higher than yours. Therefore, it's prudent to enter online reputation management with the understanding that it should be just one of the tools for improving your company.
\n"},{"title":"Online Reputation Management FAQs","html":"\nIt used to be that you needed to consider online reputation management only if you or your company had fallen victim to negative reviews or smear campaigns. However, consumer practices have changed, and people are more likely to seek out information about a company or product, especially when they expect to do more than make a one-time purchase. As such, it's become vital not only for you to appear in a positive light on the first page of an online search but also for your good reputation to span the internet, including online reviews, social media outlets and news sources.
\r\nOnline reputation management companies consider this and can deploy several strategies to salvage an unfairly tarnished reputation, enhance a good reputation, or even build a new reputation for a business that doesn't have one yet.
\r\nIt's important to have an online reputation management plan so you know how to react when someone posts something negative about your business online. The more quickly you react to these situations, the better chance you have to mitigate the issue before it turns into a problem beyond repair. Your plan should include how you'll respond to negative reviews and the steps you'll take when a negative blog post about your business is published. Also, what if your business gets wrapped up in a full-blown PR crisis? You should have a plan to address the situation immediately.
\r\nFiguring out the best strategies to handle each of these situations is one reason why it makes sense to work with an online reputation management company. These firms have experience dealing with each of these scenarios and many more. They can help you lay out a specific plan to diminish the impact of a negative online post. In some situations, they can also help you turn a negative situation into a positive one. The key is to have a plan that allows you to react quickly. The longer you wait to respond in these situations, the bigger hit your reputation will take.
\r\nFor businesses today, a positive online reputation is critical. When deciding where to spend their money, a growing number of shoppers turn to the internet first. They want to see what others are saying about your business, services and products.
\r\nThis is especially true for shoppers looking for businesses in their local communities. Recent research from BrightLocal shows that 86% of consumers read local reviews to decide whether to use a business. The studies also show that what consumers read online ultimately impacts their decision to shop with a local business: 68% of consumers said positive reviews make them trust a local business more, while 40% said negative reviews could deter them from using a business.
\r\nConsidering how much consumers trust and rely on what they read online, your online reputation can't be an afterthought. If it is, you take the risk that consumers will have a negative impression of you, which will surely lead to a decline in customers.
\r\nA negative online reputation can have drastic consequences. There is a good chance that consumers won't even consider spending money with your business if you have a poor online image. Star ratings are critical: The BrightLocal study found that more than 90% of consumers won't even consider shopping at a business that doesn't have at least three stars on Google, and 47% said they need at least a four-star rating to choose a business.
\r\nEven if you feel the negative reviews aren't accurate or fair, you still need to address them. If you don't, you run the risk of never proving those reviews wrong, because most shoppers will never give you the chance.
\r\nOnline reputation management can take many forms, depending on your current reputation and what needs to be done to it. For example, a business that has negative online reviews could use an online reputation management company to find and respond to the negative reviews, acquire and promote positive reviews, and resolve any internal business problems that common complaints identified. Additionally, the reputation management company could monitor the business's website, Google reviews, social media profiles, and third-party review sites to ensure any future reviews are addressed immediately.
\r\nPublic relations and reputation management are similar, with some overlap. The purpose of both is to improve your business's image; however, their primary strategies tend to differ. PR firms use overt strategies to enhance your brand, like writing and promoting press releases, putting out social media statements, and booking interviews and news conferences. In short, PR is more promotional than reputation management.
\r\nReputation management is the behind-the-scenes work necessary for your long-term image. This can include acquiring and responding to online reviews, updating your social media profiles, creating positive online content (e.g., websites, microsites, blog posts), enhancing your SEO, and removing negative content. Reputation management can also entail creating and promoting press releases, but that is not its main focus. Some agencies perform both reputation management and public relations.
\r\nSocial media is a relatively new aspect of reputation management, but it is one of the most important. Most online shoppers look to social media to analyze a new business. Your presence on social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn can give consumers a better idea of who your business is, and it gives you a chance to acquire and respond to online reviews on social networks. This can all enhance your overall image.
\r\nSince your customers are likely already on social media, having business profiles allows you to connect with them and stay top of mind with fun, engaging content. Social media is a less formal way to interact with consumers, read and respond to social threads and mentions about your business, and promote your products or services in unique ways.
\r\nYou can't please everyone, and that's OK – but you should still respond to them. Many consumers turn to online review platforms to complain about a product or service that didn't meet their expectations. Fewer consumers turn to those platforms to write a positive review. This means that, regardless of how great your business is, there is a good chance that negative online reviews are hurting your company's reputation. Without review management, this can greatly impact your bottom line.
\r\nMost consumers read online reviews before they decide whether to purchase a product or service from a business, with more than half forming an opinion after reading just one to six reviews. Research also shows that nearly half of consumers won't use a business with less than four stars. In other words, if your company has negative online reviews, you are losing out on a lot of potential customers. It is important to have positive online reviews to enhance your online reputation and entice new customers to support your business.
\n"},{"title":"Community Expert Insight ","html":"\nAs part of our research, we reached out to small business owners to find out what they look for in a reputation management service. The top features they looked for were flexibility and review management. For instance, Max Harland, CEO of Dentaly, said his small healthcare business uses WebiMax as its online reputation management company mainly because of its extreme flexibility.
\r\n\"Customers don't need to commit to a long-term contract but can opt to use the service one month at a time,\" Harland told business.com. \"The unique flexibility perk is beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have enormous funds at their disposal. It allows businesses to effectively manage their budget instead of dumping a large fraction of their budget to online reputation management alone.\"
\r\nOnline reputations are changeable and unique, and your reputation management company should reflect that. Look for a reputation management company that is willing to adjust its strategy (or temporarily suspend its services altogether) to match changes in your business's needs.
\r\nNatik Ameen, CEO of Canz Marketing, said his team of more than 100 workers uses Podium for its business online reputation management because of its great customer relationship management features, including review management.
\r\n\"We use Podium for reviews, feedback, web chat and video chat,\" Ameen said. \"I like how it made it very easy for businesses to maintain relationships and connect with their customers.\"
\n"}]},{"__typename":"SectionContainer","id":"methodology","isInToc":true,"type":"container","title":"Our Methodology ","container":{"isBuyingGuide":false,"html":"\nBusiness.com strives to research and review companies fairly and objectively. To find the best online reputation management services for small businesses, we started with our current list of reputation management vendors. We added to that list by researching other reputable online sources, such as review and business websites, and conducting standard industry research. In total, we examined more than 40 reputation management agencies.
\r\nAfter analyzing each company, we narrowed down our list to the top 14 reputation management companies. We compared industries served, company accreditations, review acquisition and management, content creation, social media management, public relations, crisis management, online monitoring, customizability, and additional services.
\r\nFrom these 14 reputation management companies, four stood out as the best for small business, reputation attacks, review acquisition and review management. We reviewed each of these companies' pricing structure, setup fees, contract requirements, dashboards, demos and standout features. We reviewed each reputation management provider's website, compared features and prices, and studied company reviews, complaints, and reputations. Posing as small business owners, we contacted their support representatives to learn information we couldn't find online and assess the quality of the customer service. These four companies withstood each round of our testing.
\n"}},{"__typename":"SectionMoreCoverage","id":"","isInToc":false,"type":"morecoverage","isActive":null,"title":"More Coverage","articles":[]}],"tocElements":[{"title":"Best Picks","id":"top-of-page"},{"title":"Intro","id":"intro"},{"title":"Find the Right Reputation Service for You","id":"find-the-right-reputation-service-for-you"},{"title":"Compare Our Best Picks","id":"compare-our-best-picks"},{"title":"Reviews","id":"reviews"},{"title":"Pricing and Negotiation","id":"pricing-and-negotiation"},{"title":"Buying Guide","id":"online-reputation-management-services"},{"title":"Methodology","id":"methodology"}],"author":{"id":"5e2f111c7b4374b05b8b4573","name":"Skye Schooley","bio":"Skye Schooley is an Arizona native, based in New York City. She received a business communication degree from Arizona State University and spent a few years traveling internationally, before finally settling down in the greater New York City area. She currently writes for business.com and Business News Daily, primarily contributing articles about business technology and the workplace, and reviewing categories such as remote PC access software, collection agencies, background check services, web hosting, reputation management services, cloud storage, and website design software and services.","thumbnail":null,"status":"enabled","type":"Staff","user":{"slug":"skye-schooley","imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/b90031d86ad400c4d947707423e3c77d43b9d.jpg"},"title":null,"image":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyeschooley/","twitter":null,"website":"https://www.business.com"}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Marketing","slug":"marketing"},"sub":{"name":"Marketing Solutions","slug":"marketing-solutions"}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df13cbd5a215ebe2a8b456a/Smartphone_Getty_imtmphoto.jpg","caption":"imtmphoto/Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"image":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df13cbd5a215ebe2a8b456a/Smartphone_Getty_imtmphoto.jpg","meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"Which is the best online reputation management service for your business? ","title":"The Best Reputation Management Service Reviews of 2020 - business.com"}}},"pageContext":{"displayModified":"2020-10-15T20:01:00.000Z","title":"The Best Online Reputation Management Providers of 2020","template":"mega","meta":{"robots":"index, follow"},"docType":"categories","slug":"best-online-reputation-management-services","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-online-reputation-management-services/"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}