Best Practices for Online Reviews

Google has become the most wildly popular resource customers use to find what they are looking for online. That's why it's so important to consider, what your audience is finding when they search for your business. Google reviews are probably where they will turn to first.

Whether it’s a positive or negative review, it’s important that a customer feels heard. An owner’s response to a review has the ability to generate trust in a brand. So, let’s say someone leaves a glowing review but no one ever says “thank you” for taking the time to leave feedback. Or maybe they leave a negative review and no one ever takes the time to acknowledge and resolve the complaint. Either way, it reflects poorly on the business.

Your Online Reputation Speaks for Itself

Both of the above scenarios contribute to a brand’s reputation either positively or negatively. Here’s an example of a review response for one of our Rallio clients. As you can see, the review was positive, but we still recommend posting a reply to say “thanks” for the review.

On the other hand, it’s not uncommon for a customer to write something negative (or even outlandish) about a location that leaves the owner feeling baffled about what may or may not have happened to cause this customer to leave such a review. 

Oftentimes, the owners ask us how we recommend they respond to these types of reviews. I always recommend that owners stay professional, courteous and matter-of-fact when responding to negative reviews.

The response above is great because it offers to resolve the issue in a way that goes above and beyond expectations. Although I do not know the outcome of this issue at this time, it shows good business practices for this customer as well as anyone who happens to come across this review.

What About Former Employees?

In other cases, an oddity will pop up where a disgruntled former employee decides to unleash their venom via an online review. This is a trickier situation because each platform handles these situations differently.

On Facebook, anyone can report a review, but that doesn’t mean Facebook will take it down. On Google and Yelp, there are more checks and balances that give owners some recourse to try and have the review removed. For example, Google‘s policies disallow the posting of content about a current or former employment experience. You are able to flag the review by following the steps outlined here.

Take It Case By Case

Want to learn more about improving your online reputation?

If so, you've come to the right place!