7 Ways to Combat a Negative Online Review
Online review sites like Yelp, Zagat, and Citysearch have in many ways become too influential in determining the reputation of businesses everywhere, especially on a local level. With the increased importance of online search, review sites are consistently popping up in local searches. So are reviews on Google Places, which always shows up on a Google search. If you’ve got a website or established web presence as a small business owner, chances are it will show up in a local search query. But what happens when a negative review about your small business pop up?
Online review sites like Yelp, Zagat, and Citysearch have in many ways become too influential in determining the reputation of businesses everywhere, especially on a local level. With the increased importance of online search, review sites are consistently popping up in local searches. So are reviews on Google Places, which always shows up on a Google search. If you’ve got a website or established web presence as a small business owner, chances are it will show up in a local search query. But what happens when a negative review about your small business pop up?
Being committed to an online marketing plan should mean showing up in a local search. The problem is, actively monitoring for mentions of your business takes time, and if not done well, a negative review or poor experience could be waiting for everyone to see. A potential customer could then think twice about doing business with you. And with so many review options online, chasing them all down could be a burden. Ignore them if you wish, but statistics show that 70 percent of consumers online trust opinions of unknown users.