TOP 3 FACTORS THAT AFFECT YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION
Back in the days when customers and clients used to deal face to face with the business, online reputation was neglected and wasn’t considered as a very important area of invest time and money in. But with time things change. Digitalisation took over and businesses, customers, clients started dealing and buying more on online than offline. Many a business who failed to improve their online reputation couldn’t fulfil the customer’s desire because these customers didn’t choose to deal such businesses in the first place simply because services and products of these businesses weren’t considered genuine. More over businesses with bad online reputation were considered (and are still being considered) as fraud, bogus, cheap who provide low quality products and services which has affected and is still affecting business with bad reputation as they are failing reach their business goals. More than 65% of the consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. So it becomes extremely important to pay attention to how your business looks online in terms of reputation. Many businesses have realised the importance of building a good online reputation and have also utilized the online reputation management services where as some are ignorant and have no knowledge about it. A good online reputation is not only important for business but also for individuals who operate through social media and similar platforms. These individuals are bloggers, vloggers, influencers, content creators, small business owners etc. For the ones who are striving to build such a reputation to meet their goals and serve their customers well, I have listed the top 3 factors that affects online reputation. Working on improving these XX factors will help businesses and individuals not only to gain more customers but also to retain them and build a good relationship to create loyalty between the business and the customer.
Customer Reviews
Today consumers have become vocal about their post purchase dissonance by giving reviews about the business over internet.In 2019, studies and research conducted by Bright Local in shows that 91% of the consumers who read positive reviews are more likely to use the business while 82% will not consider getting involved with the business after reading negative reviews. Getting reviewed is important. The more the reviews the better and even a few reviews are still better than none. So it is important to get reviewed. But what’s more important is the nature of review that is whether it is a positive review or a negative review. How you respond to them will decide the reputation you create for yourself in customer’s mind. We have covered a lot article on ‘How to handle negative reviews’.
Social Media
Today everyone is on social media and yes you should consider having your business’s account on social media. Why? Because through social media you will able to engage with your customers easily in a more humanised casual manner. What is important is the consistency you show on social media with the content you post, the way you interact, your response time to a comment or query. Acknowledging your customers and their suggestions will indicate the customers that they are being heard. This way you will be able to improve your online reputation and customer perception towards your brand.
Your online existence
Just like a brick and mortar store, your physical presence, your online presence is also important. Is your website as attractive as your physical store, can customers find what they looking for easily, are things clearly visible on your site, do you actively make changes in your site with every update in technology and algorithms. It’s the landing page you should consider enhancing. How to know if your landing page needs some changes?
Have a look at your bounce rate in your Google Analytics account for every landing page. A low bounce rate indicates that customers spend a said amount of time on your site which is good for your business because you have their attention on the specific landing page whereas a high bounce rate indicates that customers don’t spend enough time on your landing page as they don’t find the content engaging enough. Not only that have blog for your website. Blog about relevant topic, products and services because a customer spend more time reading your views on a certain topic before engaging with your site. Ask your readers to give feedback at the end of the blog. Blogs not only improve your reputation in the customer’s eye but also improves your domain authority. Consistent blogging for 3-4 months will land you in top 20 SERPs in Google.