Review Management: What, How, & Why of Online Reviews

So, you’ve got an online business and want to know how to leverage customer reviews to boost your sales and reputation. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Review management is actively monitoring, responding to, and optimizing customer reviews of your business. It’s one of the most important things you can do as an online business today. Reviews are the new word-of-mouth, and customers rely on them to determine whether or not to purchase from you. If you’re not focused on review management, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to build trust, gain new customers, and increase loyalty. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about review management so you can start reaping the rewards. By the end, you’ll be a pro at getting more reviews, improving your star rating, and turning happy customers into brand advocates. Sounds good? Let’s dive in!

What Is Review Management?

Review management refers to monitoring and responding to online reviews about your business. As a business owner, it’s critical to know what your customers say about you on sites like Google and Facebook. Review management means regularly checking these sites for new reviews, analyzing them to understand any issues, and responding promptly and appropriately.

Why is review management services necessary? Online review management significantly impacts your business’s reputation and revenue. According to research, over 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business, and a single negative review can cost a company up to 30 customers. Conversely, managing reviews well by thanking happy customers and addressing unhappy ones builds goodwill and trust in your brand.

Some practical review management tips:

• Check review sites daily and respond to all reviews within 24-48 hours.
• Thank positive reviewers for their kind words. Mention them by name for a personal touch.
• For negative reviews, apologize sincerely and without excuses. Explain how you’ll make things right and do better next time.
• Look for trends in the reviews to spot issues you need to fix. Then, make a plan to address them and improve the customer experience.
• Be courteous in all responses. Never get defensive or argue with reviewers.
• Consider offering incentives for happy customers to leave positive reviews. But never pay for fake good reviews.

Review management tools like Grade.us, ReviewTrackers, or BrightLocal can help streamline the process. But the most important things are listening to your customers, being transparent, and continuously improving your business. Managing your online reputation ultimately impacts your bottom line, so prioritize review management services.

Benefits of Reviews Management Online 

Managing your online reviews is crucial for any business. Here are a few benefits of review management:

Builds Trust

Customers today are smarter than ever before. They do their research before buying from a company, and reviews are a big part. Positive reviews build credibility and trust in your brand, leading to more sales and revenue.

Improves Ranking

Review volume and quality directly impact your ranking in Google and other search engines. The more (and better) reviews you have, the higher you’ll rank in search results. And the higher you rank, the more visibility you’ll gain.

Provides Insights

Reviews offer a glimpse into your customers’ experiences and perceptions. Look for trends in the feedback to see what you’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement. Then, make changes to serve your customers better.

Increases Referrals

Happy customers are your best marketing channel. When people have a great experience with your business, they’ll tell their friends and family. And those referrals can lead to new lifelong customers.

Prevents Lost Business

Negative reviews left unaddressed can seriously damage your reputation and cost you customers. By actively monitoring and responding to reviews, you can address issues, resolve complaints, and recover lost customers. No business can afford to ignore its online reputation.

Review management will give you valuable insights into your customers’ experiences, build credibility, rank higher in search, increase referrals, and prevent lost business. The benefits of an effective review management strategy are endless. What are you waiting for? Get started today!

Effects of Bad, Negative, or Fake Reviews

Negative reviews can damage any business. Even just a few critical comments can sway potential customers and seriously impact revenue and growth. Review management is crucial to mitigating the effects of bad reviews and preventing long-term harm.

Loss of Credibility

Poor reviews undermine your business’s credibility and reputation. Prospective clients may doubt your abilities and expertise, costing you their business. Existing customers may lose confidence in you, jeopardizing repeat sales and referrals.

Ranking Penalties

Negative reviews can hurt your search ranking. Review sites like Google Reviews and Facebook Reviews factor ratings and reviews into their algorithms. Unaddressed bad reviews suggest poor customer service and experience, signaling to search engines you may not deserve a top spot.

Revenue Declines

With damaged credibility and lower search visibility, your business will likely see a drop in new customers and sales. Existing customers may also spend less or stop buying from you altogether. Review management is essential to avoiding substantial revenue loss, especially for small businesses with tight profit margins.

Loss of Morale

Bad reviews don’t just impact your bottom line; they can hurt your team’s motivation and morale. Seeing constant complaints and criticisms about their work or your business can be disheartening and demoralizing for employees. Review management helps address reviews promptly and ensures your team knows their efforts are appreciated.

To cope with these bad reviews, you need a strategy to address them, and in the next section, we’ll cover the top review management strategies.

Top Review Management Strategy

The top strategies for managing your online reviews effectively are:

Respond to reviews promptly

Responding to positive and negative reviews promptly shows customers you care. Thank customers for positive reviews and address any concerns for negative reviews. Keep responses polite and professional. Apologizing for negative experiences and explaining how you will make things right can help reassure readers.

Claim your business profiles

Ensure your business profiles are claimed properly on sites like Google My Business, Facebook, or other review platforms. Claiming profiles allow you to post updates, respond to reviews, and ensure the accuracy of your business information. Anyone can edit unclaimed profiles, which may contain incorrect details about your business.

Monitor review sites regularly

Check major review sites frequently to see new reviews as they come in. Look for common themes in negative reviews to spot areas for improvement. Look for opportunities to thank happy customers for positive reviews. The more you engage with reviewers, the more they will appreciate your business.

Improve based on feedback

Pay attention to constructive feedback in reviews and make changes to address them. Let reviewers know you appreciate them bringing issues to your attention and are working to resolve them. Making improvements based on customer feedback shows your commitment to quality and customer service.

Ask for reviews

Politely ask happy customers to leave a review on sites like Google. Satisfied customers are usually willing to leave a positive review. Could you provide links to make it easy for them? Positive reviews build credibility and social proof to attract new customers. Just be sure not to offer incentives in exchange for reviews, as that would violate most review sites’ policies.

Following these proven strategies for managing your online reputation and reviews will help establish your business as a customer-focused organization committed to excellence. Make review management an ongoing priority and you’ll gain a competitive advantage, win new customers, and build loyalty.

Review Management Tools and Software

Once you have a review management strategy, you’ll want to find tools and software to help streamline the process. Many options are available, both free and paid. The tools you choose will depend on your needs and budget.

Review monitoring tools

Using a monitoring tool is critical to staying on top of new reviews. Options like Google Alerts, Social Mention, and Talkwalker are free, and you can be alerted whenever your business name, products, or services are mentioned online. Paid tools like ReviewInc and Grade.us offer more advanced features, like sentiment analysis, to determine whether a review is positive, negative, or neutral.

Customer review platforms

Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on platforms where your target audience is most likely to search. Focus on Google, Facebook, or other review platforms for local businesses. E-commerce stores will want reviews on their website, Google, Amazon, and industry-specific sites. Provide an easy link for customers to click to leave a review.

Review response tools

Tools like Grade.us, Yext, and BirdEye make responding to reviews easy in one place. You can use pre-written response templates or craft a custom reply. Whether positive or negative, responding to reviews is essential to reputation management. Thank happy customers and address the concerns of unhappy ones.

Survey tools

Don’t just rely on unsolicited reviews. Use tools like SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, or Typeform to create customer surveys. Ask them specific questions about their experience to gain valuable feedback. Let them know you appreciate their time and effort in providing reviews and feedback.

Review management tools and software are essential for efficiently monitoring your online reputation and engaging with your customers. With so many options available at various price points, you can find solutions tailored to your review management needs. The tools you choose will ultimately come down to how hands-on you want to be and your budget. But with a good review management strategy and the right tools, you’ll be well on your way to managing your reviews like a pro.

Ask OnlineReputation.com for help

If managing your business’ online reviews feels overwhelming, don’t hesitate to ask an expert for help. OnlineReputation.com has nearly 20 years of experience helping companies monitor, improve, and protect their online reputations.

Services Offered

OnlineReputation.com offers various reputation management services to fit any budget or need. Some options include:

• Essential review monitoring to track reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, or other review platforms and alert you of any negative posts.
• Review generation to increase the number of positive reviews for your business across significant sites.
• Review response management, where their team will draft and post responses to both positive and negative reviews on your behalf.
• Negative review management to address damaging posts constructively and, when possible, have them removed.
• Social media management involves keeping an active presence on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and engaging with your customers.
• SEO services to improve your search ranking and make positive content about your business more visible.
• Crisis management plans to prepare for and effectively handle reputation threats.
• Customized solutions tailored to your business’s unique needs and goals.

Why Choose OnlineReputation.com?

With nearly two decades of experience, OnlineReputation.com has established itself as a leader in the reputation management field. They stay up-to-date with the latest review sites, social platforms, and ranking factors to provide the most effective solutions. Their team of experts knows how to constructively address positive and negative reviews. They understand how valuable a company’s reputation is and work hard to protect and improve it.

If your business could benefit from professional guidance in managing its online reputation, reach out to OnlineReputation.com. Their experienced team and customized plans can help you control your reviews and build a reputation to be proud of.