Online Reputation refers to the character,  name and standing of your business in the online media. At anytime, somebody somewhere on the internet can be talking about your business whether it is about your employees, your brands, your services, your events or anything that relates to your business such as the latest happenings in your industry or reviews about your competitor.

There are many online places that people can talk about your business such as:

  • Social Media – this includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Anyone can post an update, send a tweet or upload a video on these social media networks
  • Blogs- a blogger may write an article about your business or his/her followers may talk about your business in the comments section.
  • Review Websites- there are lots of review websites where the public can rate a local business such as Yelp and Google Places.
  • Consumer Complaint Websites – one bad review on a consumer complaint website can show up all over the search engines.

In light of this, your small business has to take measures to monitor and manage your online reputation. Think of online reputation management as the online version of Public Relations. It’s simply managing and improving the public image of your business brand in the online world.

With the world increasingly becoming within reach of our fingertips, small business owners should not ignore or wish away their online reputation management but take  proactive measures that will be a golden investment towards their long-term bottom line and success.