Reputation Management: How to Respond to Negative Reviews

Bad Reviews. The Scourge of the Internet.

So you’ve been doing your local SEO, you’ve got your business into all the major search engines, Google, Yahoo, Bing, you show up in all the maps and have lots of social media pages. You’re online, you’re with it. You’re visible.

And now you’re open to bad reviews.

Of course everyone wants to run their business so that every customer and every associate is 100% happy and satisfied. Perhaps you’ve had dreams of tons and tons of customers giving you their money and their wonderful, glowing reviews. Ah, such a nice vision. But totally, completely unrealistic. No one is perfect. And even if your business has been totally great, you might still have that one crazy, unsatisfiable customer. And what do you know, they’ve gone online and left you a terrible, bad review.

So You’ve Got a Bad Review, Now What?

Thankfully, we here at WSI ePro Marketing, your Thousand Oaks Internet Marketing Company, are here to help you manage your online reputation. Here are some easy tips to show you how to respond to negative reviews:

Step One: Respond!

No, your problems aren’t going to go away by themselves. The first step to dealing with bad reviews is to respond! Leave a comment, online, and visible to anyone that finds that bad review. Hot Tip! Keep it short and sweet. No one wants to read your dissertation on why someone wrote a bad review.

Step Two: Take the High Road!

As anyone who has spent ANY time online or in a comments section will tell you, the internet can be a nasty place. You’re never going to win friends, or customers, by involving yourself in trash talk. Always be polite, courteous and professional. At the end of the day, no one will care what the review said, they’ll remember how you handled it. Responding with class says a lot.

Step Three: Don’t Get Personal

By responding, publicly, you are representing your company and your brand. Don’t attack the person, no matter how wrong they are. And if you feel like the other person crossed a line, there almost always is a way to flag the review.

Step Four: Reviews, Even Bad Ones, Are a Good Thing

At the end of the day, online reviews, even the bad ones, are a GOOD THING. All reviews will help your SEO rankings in search engines. You’ll get more links to your website, your company name will be out there (No such thing as bad press!). Good reviews are always great. And bad reviews are an opportunity to demonstrate how well you handle yourself. People will remember if you respond well to a complaint and you can help your brand reputation.

Fear Not, We Are Here to Help

Beyond responding to negative reviews, there are so many other methods to fight bad reviews and help your online reputation. Tools like Customer Lobby, Social Media and your company blog can help. If you have any questions, call the reputation experts at WSI ePro Marketing, your Thousand Oaks Internet Marketing Company. Call 805-262-2518 today for a free consultation.

CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

805-262-2518