Having a good reputation score is vital to the online success of businesses today.

Your online reputation score speaks volumes to how people perceive your company and how much value your products bring. Customer reviews, feedback and testimonials greatly affect people’s buying decisions. This is why many companies invest in online reputation management software, a tool essential to maintaining a positive brand image on the internet. 

Businesses that understand the importance of having a positive online reputation but don’t know how to go about this hire professional online reputation management companies who can guarantee a good reputation score. Reputation management experts will also make use of superior online reputation management software to assist with managing their clients’ reputation and gathering more online reviews.

Let’s delve deeper by answering the following questions:

• What is a reputation score?
• Why does it matter?
• How can I improve my online reputation score?

What is a reputation score and why does it matter?

Many consumers prefer to do business with companies that have a good reputation score. Conversely, companies that score poorly in this aspect tend to lose current and potential customers. What, then, is the numeric value of a good reputation score? And what is a reputation score based on?

Reputation scores range from “very poor” to “excellent,” much like our credit scores. The numeric value regarded as “good” depends on the scoring model used. One of the most popular scoring models uses a 1000-point scale. In general, a score over 600 is considered “good.” Scores beyond 850 are an indication that the business has excellent online reputation and may be taken as the “best in class.” On the other hand, a score of 400 and below in a 1000-point scale is considered “poor”. This is an indication that people view your business as less reputable. Most companies fall in the 500-550 scoring range. 

Your online reputation scores are based certain factors, including: 

• Search results/links
• Content/articles
• Images and video
• Social media
• Online forums
• Online reviews and ratings
• Listings
• Engagement

These details are sent to stochastic modeling programs and software with statistical analysis machine learning that generate a numeral score – your online reputation score.

Having higher reputation scores can mean better sales and solid customer loyalty. Customers prefer reliable brands with a positive reputation. Negative scores can hurt a business because customers who lose trust in a company are likely to transact elsewhere. 

How do you improve your online reputation score?

There are several online reputation management strategies that can help your brand increase its value in terms of how customers perceive the company and how the brand performs in search results.

The first step to succeed in your online reputation management efforts is to have visibility of your current status. You might not get high scores on your first audit, but this gives you insights on how to improve your online presence.

There are reputation management software and online tools that help point you to every page and site where your company is mentioned. You can also consult reputation management service providers to get your online reputation score. What does your score look like? Are the results positive or negative? What are people’s impressions about your brand? You can devise strategies based on your findings.

Your initial score, most likely, will not be impressive at the onset. You might even find negative search results. There are two ways to deal with negative search results: 

• Respond to negative search results positively and proactively

This should be your first priority. Check the feedback you have on review pages, directory listings and social media pages. Where there are negative results make sure you respond to these customers, assure them that their complaint has been heard and attempt to move the conversation into a private space. Preferably, encourage an offline engagement via the phone or in person. Remember that negative reviews and search results are unavoidable. They also speak to an authentic representation of your company and can help other customers feel encouraged by your active responses and efforts to rectify a situation. 

• Counter negative search results with positive reviews and content

You need to replace the negative information with something positive. This can be done by promoting existing content or coming up with new accounts or profiles. Promoting fresh content, links and images can also help bury those negative search results from organic Google searches. 

Build backlinks to further enhance your new content. Regularly create valuable content using relevant keywords that bring backlinks from other reputable websites. Boost your efforts using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.

Another function that online reputation management software can perform is growing your positive reviews by delivering personalized campaigns. It allows you to send auto-responders that encourage them to post their positive reviews. It also allows you to respond to negative feedback.

Regularly monitor and build your credibility using reliable online reputation management software. New reviews, posts and mentions are bound to pop up, and you can use your reputation management software to locate these. 

In cases where negative search results become too grave and damaging, working with professionals offering online reputation management services is a wise move. Backed by years of experience in mitigating online reputation issues and equipped with the latest tools and techniques, they will be able to help your company build a solid reputation online.

How does a company benefit from maintaining a good score? 

Ninety percent of customers check consumer reviews before making a purchase; 86 percent move their business to competitor brands when they read negative company reviews online. This is why managing your online reviews is crucial for your company’s online success. 

A good online reputation score inspires customer loyalty and drives customer referrals – we all want to recommend a good and reliable brand to our friends and loved ones..

When your score improves, you will also experience better search rankings. This is, in part, due to increased searches, click-throughs and backlinks.

To excel in the digital universe, it is imperative to maintain a good online profile. Establishing trust and credibility helps you retain existing customers and bring in more leads that convert to new buyers. Avoid the pitfalls of having unmanaged negative reviews because this can impact your business in a major way. Always remember that your online reputation is one of your company’s greatest assets.