5 Ways to Control Your Online Reviews

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

Do you sometimes feel like online review sites are holding you in a vise? With the continued popularity of consumer review platforms, not to mention their privileged status in local search results, on , TripAdvisor, Trustpilot and other review sites can pose a real and ongoing threat to your .

A negative review placed at the top of a search not only creates problems for your online reputation; it can scare away prospects, hurt your ability to connect with customers, close deals, and hit your monthly sales goals.

What's worse is that the longer these negative reviews go unaddressed, the worse the damage becomes, disintegrating your brand trust and revenue streams. It would help if you had that money and confidence to connect with stakeholders and grow your business. In some cases, failing to manage online reviews can lead to a snowball and a major crisis that threatens the survival of your business.

With hundreds of industry-specific review and review platforms promoting customer feedback across the web, a solid online review management strategy is essential. Knowing how to properly manage reviews is key to protecting brand integrity and positively impacting customers. Here are five crucial tips for crafting a review management plan that does just that.

1. Target the business review sites that matter the most

If you're bypassing online review management software and managing reviews independently, it's critical to identify each review site with the most relevance and influence on your brand. Sites like Yelp, Google, and Google will likely make it to this list primarily because of their visibility and market share. Nevertheless, it is essential to look for platforms with a specific and significant influence on your sector. Whatever your market, chances are there are a few unknowns that could have a significant impact on your industry and your business.

Once these sites are identified, you have a stronger foundation to manage reviews and create a review footprint that resonates with your audience.

Related: 4 Lesser-Known Customer Review Platforms You Need to Know About

2. Claim (and manage) your profile on favorite platforms

Many online review sites allow you to claim your local business profile on their platform. Once confirmed on sites like Yelp, , Google, and Angi, you are in control of your business's unique shopping page. You have authority over all images, logos, biographies and company texts presented on the site. In most cases, claiming your profile allows you to monitor reviews and respond to comments, providing an essential gateway to more effective review management.

The process for claiming your business varies from site to site. But knowing each approach and knowing how to take advantage of a claimed profile can pay off when managing customer reviews and mitigating the impact of negative feedback.

3. Develop your business review management strategy

With a list of relevant review sites and claimed review profiles in hand, it's time to develop a review management plan that anchors your approach. Creating a global strategy provides a framework for dealing with positive and negative reviews as soon as they go live. This should include a roadmap of how and when to respond to feedback, collect reviews from happy customers, and choose who will oversee your review management process.

Such a strategy helps establish a central location to manage all of your reviews and limit the fallout of negative customer feedback, regardless of the source. It allows you to focus your efforts and define a crucial element of your plan.

Related: Creating a Review Response Policy

4. Learn how and when to remove negative reviews

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