We’ve all seen these types of reviews especially when the are posted on Google. For some businesses this can be a huge problem to only for their brand but for potential new business. Not everyone is going to find these reviews but some may and if that’s the case and your concerned about the impact that they will have on your business then there is something you can actually do about this.
Now, I have written about the benefits of online reputation management and how SEO companies like us can help eliminate bad reviews from page 1 of Google but we have just found this great new website called Trust Pilot which we are trialling on a clients website as a test case.
Let me start by saying that this client is in the travel arena where online reviews can get quite malicious and nasty. It’s so easy for some traveller to have a bad hotel, villa or late plane flight that negative reviews seem to flow endlessly when it comes to anything to do with travel. Luckily, for this company they are blemish free because of the quality of customer service they provide but just to be on the safe side we have installed Trust Pilot logo on their website and have turned on the review button.
The way it works is really simple and quite easy.
All a customer has to do is hit the review button and they will be instantly taken to the companies personal page on the Trust Pilot website. Once there they are then prompted to give a 1 to 5 star rating and a brief review of the service. Once submitted this will then be instantly rendered not he customers website. Obviously, not all reviews are going to be 5 star but the advantage here is that you have a massive alternative to Google reviews.
Another benefit is that these star ratings on your website will get indexed by Google and they will then appear as rich text snippets when people search for your website. So you have 2 nifty benefits here all rolled into 1 neat package. Firstly, there is a trusted website that is known world wide that is branded on your website and you also get stars on your Google listing which will really help you stand out from the crowd. That is until everyone else catches on about this and starts doing the same thing.
What I really like about Trust Pilot is that you are in control. Yes, Google offers the same functionality where you can reply to a positive or negative review but the difference with here is that you can actually control and filter which reviews are published. Plus and thesis a huge plus, you can speak to a person at the other end off the phone. Unlike Google, where everything is done via email, Trust Pilot can and will help you there are issues.
I just think that there are too many ways that people can go about hurting your business through publishing negative content and reviews. It’s a simple click of a button and it’s in my humble opinion getting way out of control. We get at least 2 to 3 calls per week from people ( from all walks of like and different types of businesses) that are to a certain degree really upset about what has been said about them online.
Add, the Google reviews component in here and the whole internet is wide open for slanderous attacks. I really don’t think this is ever going to stop, not in the immediate future anyway but with he advent and creation of sites like Trust Pilot there is now some artillery you can use to combat these reviews and protect and promote your reputation in a much better frame of light. I for one am more than happy to endorse this product ( and I am in most cases very reluctant to give free plugs here) but in this case I must say that it’s well worth looking into this as a way or form of online rep management.
There are also other online platforms and website you can use but for a quick and effective solution this is a winner. It is not cheap but protecting your self online is worth the cost especially if your business relies on online traffic and Google to generate income and this would have to be about 90% of the market. A point to note here and the team at Trust Plot did explain this clearly but this is really a no brainer. make sure that all the reviews you get are actual and not fake from friends or family. You want to keep this environment as pristine and real as possible which in the medium to long term will have tremendous benefits for your business. You are going to know when a review has been published as they will send you an email alert. Make sure you always reply to these especially if someone has an issue. Be prompt and very courteous in your answers as the public will read these.
If you would like any further information about protecting your brand online speak to us here at SEO Sydney Experts.
