What You Need To Know 5 Good Reasons Why Every Small Business Needs an Online Reputation

• Author: Arutz Sheva Team
• Date: 08 June 2021
• Published date: 08 June 2021
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

One of the biggest challenges small businesses have is getting noticed. Starting out, or even after years, it can be difficult for small businesses to compete with companies that have large marketing budgets. Your online reputation could be how customers first find you.

There are many places online where customers can voice their opinions on businesses and services they've used. Social media, Google, Yelp, and more all support reviews for businesses. Search engines consider these reviews when ranking pages, bringing better-reviewed companies to the top.

If a carpenter has dozens of five-star reviews, they'll be coming up on top. Even if every review isn't perfect, having a sizeable quantity plays an important part. Consider specifically asking customers for their reviews on any of the following platforms:

*

Google

*

Facebook

*

Yelp

*

HomeAdvisor

*

Yellow Pages

*

Angie's List

Having a decent spread of reviews across multiple sites, especially small business reviews sites, will make it easier to find your business than curated testimonials on your own website.

Presenting a Professional Appearance

For a lot of small business owners bridging the gap between side-hustle and professional business is tricky. Even when you've made it, potential customers might not see it that way. Having a good online reputation can have your customers seeing you as a contractor rather than just a handyman.

People place a lot of weight on online reviews and testimonials, more than most people would expect. They do consider them as reliable as word-of-mouth from a friend or family member. When your online reviews say you're a professional, people will believe it.

The absolute worst case is having no reviews at all. When people search for your business and don't find anything from former customers, they'll think you're just getting started. Even if that's true, that's not the image you want to present. Try to get reviews from customers as early as possible to build up:

*

Credibility in your field

*

Confidence in your work

*

Professional appearance

Even if the reviews aren't all perfect, having them establishes you as an actual business that customers can trust for professional service.

Online Reviews are a Proven Factor in Customer Decisions

The impact of online testimonials on your business's success isn't just some...