The Importance of Your Reputation Score
Do you know your organization’s reputation score? This is a fundamental metric for business professionals. This rating gives you a realistic assessment of how consumers view your company and brand online. It measures your authenticity, trustworthiness and dependability in the eyes of your customers.
Why should I know my reputation score?
Your company must establish an online presence and maintain it in a positive light. Essentially, that means people find good things about your company when they search it online. Optimally, that’s lots of 5-star ratings, positive reviews, good traction on social media, and the absence of negative comments and complaints. Your score reflects how all of these factors impact your reputation.
It’s important that you monitor your score — just as consumers monitor their credit scores. And understanding this rating gives you a baseline for your online reputation efforts. If you have a high rating, you know you’re doing things right. You can confidently continue on your path. A low grade is a strident warning sign that things must change. Identify pain points in your rating to uncover areas that need improvement.
Once you know your initial score, you can check it regularly to see how your reputation management strategies are working. Use this helpful data to make any necessary changes to your efforts and focus on the areas that need more attention.
What’s a good score?
Your grade is based on the factors mentioned above. It also includes search impressions and business listing accuracy. On a scale of 0 to 1,000, at a minimum, you want a rating that’s no lower than 600 — the higher the better. Companies with scores above 700 are on the right track. But 850 and over is a high rating you can be proud of.
How do reviews affect my online reputation and score?
Online reviews are the virtual word-of-mouth referrals business seek offline. These testimonials from real customers have massive impact on potential buyers. Today’s consumer goes online to research companies, products, services, and brands before they buy. What they find on the internet about your company will influence their decision to do business with you. And it’s not all about avoiding bad reviews — though that is important. If they don’t find anything at all, they most likely move on to a competitor who does have reviews. You need the online visibility that reviews help deliver.
So, reviews and ratings are fundamental metrics in determining your score. Star ratings between 1 and 5 can hurt or help your grade. The number of reviews your business has, how recently they’ve been posted, the variety of sites they appear on, and the text length all play a role. Many long, recent reviews spread around the internet are desirable.
How can I boost my reputation score?
Deliver great service and quality products and encourage happy customers to review your business online. Address issues and complaints quickly and effectively. How do you do all that productively? Consider the services of an online reputation management company. They can concentrate on driving a robust and positive online presence for your business while you focus on what makes your company great.
