First, take a deep breath! It happens to most small businesses at some point. What is critical is how you respond. Do not react hastily or with anger. Have a well thought out plan of damage control. Do not ignore the review. A recent study showed that small businesses with lower Google ratings have less revenue per year than those with favorable ratings. Whether you like it or not, social media has given the consumer a tremendous amount of power. You need to learn how to use this power to promote your business in a positive way.

Assuming the review is real, your best response is apologetic and addresses the problem with steps you are taking to prevent future occurrences. Remember, your response will not only be seen by the reviewer but by many other people who will judge your business by your reaction. If you can, consider reaching out directly to the dissatisfied customer. Most people are surprised to be contacted and react well to you attention. If you handle it correctly, you can turn a detractor into your biggest fan.

If you suspect the review is a fake review (yes, this happens) you can request that Google remove the review. It may take a while and can take awhile to resolve, so do not rely on this as your only course of action.

Proactive Reputation management

If you are concerned about bad reviews, consider a proactive program to manage your reviews. We have a system that actually helps to prevent bad reviews from reaching Google AND builds the number of good reviews a business receives. Building good reviews will counteract bad reviews and help your rankings and online visibility, as Google rewards businesses with good reviews.

How do we accomplish this? First, we build a landing page that acts as a gateway to your reviews. From this page, if a person had a positive experience, we send them to Google reviews. But if they indicate they want to leave a less than favorable review, they are sent to a capture page which we control, that records their info and automatically emails it to you so you can take appropriate action. Now, after every interaction with your customers, you can direct them to this gateway page, using an email, postcard, or flyer. And say good bye to damaging bad reviews! If you would like to learn more, feel free to contact us. Our review management program is affordable and effective!

Call for more information: 609-375-0099

Or send an email: contact@hybridsynergiesllc.com

Companies that have the most and best reviews show up higher in the search results. This means that as long as you’re encouraging your customers to leave reviews for your business, you will see an increase in your rakings naturally over time if most of them are positive. Not only will these reviews help your ranking but they will help build confidence in your company for new and returning customers.

The market is saturated with companies offering their products and services, often times claiming to be the best. Customers have learned to see-through these excessive claims and the internet has provided the perfect tool for individuals to leave their personal reviews and ratings. With so many options available, online reviews provide the social proof that encourages consumers to make buying decisions.

Reviews are a valuable asset to businesses across the board; they generate new content for potential customers and provide useful information that can help you get more traffic. Most importantly, reviews can address the doubts that potential customers feel while searching for a product or service. Customers want to know that what your business offers is worth the money, they also want to know that they can trust you as a company. Reviews in all forms, including video testimonials, star ratings, and online reviews, can lend themselves to your advantage. The more people vouch for your company the more people will trust you. The more people that trust you, the more people will make purchasing decisions, comfortable with the fact that your business has their best interest in mind.

Knowing reviews are so essential to success, it is important to keep different kinds of reviews in mind in order to better able to understand your customers.

If you’re ready to increase brand confidence, gain attention, increase click-through rates, and stand out from your competitors, star-rated customer reviews are key. Star ratings show up on Google when you carry out a search, but not all companies listed in search results have stars. This means that searchers tend to be drawn to the companies that do. These ratings give customers the reassurance that the company can be trusted. Star ratings have been named as the #1 initial factor consumers consider when judging a business. If your business doesn’t have any star ratings listed, you’re going to lose out to your competitors that do.

Your company could have the best product or service in the world but without any reviews, most consumers will probably overlook your business. The average eye is naturally drawn to these star ratings, the more high ratings you accumulate, the more click-through rates will increase. Search engines positively identify when more potential customers visit your website, this will boost your ranking. So star ratings have both a direct and an indirect effect on your rankings.

Another effective review platform is video marketing through reviews and testimonials. Few businesses realize just how game-changing video testimonials can be. Video testimonials can drastically improve confidence and trust in your brand in a number of ways. One drastic benefit is that these videos can help to dispel customer fear. When customers are looking to make a purchase, there are a number of fears and doubts that can serve as a barrier for completing a sale.

Video testimonials from customers who were initially skeptical or doubtful about your business but were impressed by your service can be especially beneficial. These videos can offer authenticity, and potential customers will be able to relate to the fear of purchase.

Keeping reviews and testimonials in mind while managing your business website is essential to optimizing your web presence and gaining new customers, while simultaneously keeping previous ones. It is important to familiarize yourself with different types of reviews and different locations of reviews so that you are better able to understand and respond to your customers.

1. Not Hiring a Professional

Knowing how crucial your website is for business, why risk having one that is anything less than professional and user-friendly? Far too many people see their business website as an opportunity to try out their amateur site-building skills. While learning about web design is always a fantastic idea, don’t make a gamble on your future and your company’s success. Use the tools available to you and in this case, that’s a professional.

There are highly qualified and talented individuals who specialize in web design. They can help you optimize your search ranking, help you build reviews, and offer suggestions and guidance on basically every aspect of web development and upkeep. Hiring a professional is a wise investment in the future of your company. Having a non-professional construct a poorly working or mismanaged site is a mistake you can’t afford to make.

2. Not Being Mobile-Friendly

The truth is that every day more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for information. These are often times individuals on-the-go who are looking to make immediate buying decisions and this is a huge demographic you shouldn’t be missing out on.

Even if your website is technically mobile-friendly, if there are any glitches or inconsistencies in information, you could be losing out on valuable sales opportunities. We are living in an age where people are bombarded with information and easily distracted. Make sure that you aren’t losing out to competitors by ensuring your website is compatible with any and all devices. The best way to do this is by having a responsive website, where the layout is able to seamlessly adjust to the screen size of whatever device an individual may be using. Responsive web design is another key reason to hire a professional.

3. Out of Date or an Excess of Information

Your website is a representative of your business! Not only should the design be professional, sleek, and user-friendly, but your content should effectively and accurately reflect your products or services. Keeping up to date on events, promotions, company news, etc. is crucial in showing visitors that you are constantly updating your site and have an active presence in your company.

Having too much information and content can also be problematic on a website. With so many distractions available online consumers want to be able to gather the information they need quickly. Efficient, straightforward, minimal content that captivates visitors while providing information can help turn site visitors into customers and increase your conversion.

Running an effective website means knowing what mistakes to avoid; your business site should be an accurate reflection of the quality and professionalism of your company. Learning more about website do’s and don’ts can lead to a website that boosts sales, intrigues visitors, and increases conversion.

With an estimated 3.2 billion people around the world actively using the internet today, It is now the biggest marketplace on the planet for buying and selling products and services. It is time you put your own business on the map with a good website. So why exactly do you need a great website?

1. A Website Builds Trust

Today, users on the internet have come to look at a website as a first stepping stone on the path to trusting a company. Search engines are used for researching companies before consumers engage in transactions with these companies. With a website that looks good and feels good, you inspire loyalty and trust in the visitors to the site. Provide them with useful information about your company and the services you offer. In order to make your site more credible, keep it updated, be responsive, post customer reviews and provide a forum for customers to engage in discussions with each other.

2. You’ll Be Visible to Search Engines

A whopping 81% of people start their search for a product or business online. This makes sites like Google, Bing, and Yahoo prime real estate if you have a business. If your website has been designed by professionals who have experience with search engine optimization (SEO) methods, you gain the ability to increase traffic to your site and make it far more credible and popular with your users. Before long, your brand might even become synonymous with the products and services you offer.

3. A Website Expands Your Customer Reach

Does your business serve a large area of customers right now, or a smaller one? When you get your company on the internet, your customer base expands to include every person not just in your area, but surrounding areas as well. Anyone anywhere can visit your site and even purchase products on it. Shipping is as easy as going down to the post office and shipping the products to them!

4. Your Website Is ALWAYS Selling

Your website is out there promoting and selling your business 24/7, 365 days of the year. With a website, you never need to have employers manning a booth or a point of sales device. All your sales can be conducted online, and you never have to lift a finger! In addition to this, you gain so much exposure through being open all the time that there is only one way for your reputation to go – up!

As you can see, having a good website is essential to having a successful business. Paired with SEO, global exposure and great design, you could become one of the biggest names on the internet. Choose your web design company carefully, though. This is the decision that will make or break your business in the future!