How to Get 5-Star Auto Repair Reviews

Imagine that it’s a busy Monday morning, and your auto repair shop is bustling with customers. Sarah walks in, feeling frazzled after her car broke down on the highway. She’s anxious, and she wants her car fixed as soon as possible. You confidently tell her not to worry, and that she’s come to the right place. 

Two days later, she picks up her car, feeling relieved and impressed by your efficient service. A week later, she leaves you a glowing five-star review online. 

Sound like a dream? It doesn’t have to be.

These days, online reviews can make or break your business. This is especially true in the auto repair industry, where customers often seek trustworthy and reliable service. The key to attracting more customers and driving business growth lies in getting five-star auto repair reviews. 

In this article, we will guide you through a step-by-step process to achieve this goal, with a focus on auto repair marketing and reputation management.

Step #1: Provide exceptional customer service

The first step to getting five-star auto repair reviews is providing top-notch customer service. When a customer walks into your shop, greet them warmly and listen attentively to their concerns. Ensure your team is well-trained, knowledgeable, and courteous. 

Going the extra mile to make customers feel valued will pay off in the long run, as they’ll be more likely to leave positive reviews.

Step #2: Offer clear and transparent pricing

When it comes to auto repair, customers often worry about being overcharged or encountering hidden fees. To ease these concerns, be transparent with your pricing. 

Provide customers with detailed estimates and explain the costs associated with each service. Make sure to get their approval before moving forward with any repairs. This will help build trust and increase the chances of receiving five-star reviews.

Step #3: Keep customers informed

Effective communication is critical in the auto repair industry. Keep your customers informed about the progress of their vehicle repairs, and let them know if there are any unexpected delays or issues. 

This transparency will not only make them feel more comfortable but also help prevent negative reviews stemming from miscommunication.

Step #4: Ask for reviews

Sometimes, all it takes to get a five-star review is simply asking for one. Once you’ve provided exceptional service, politely ask your customers to share their experiences online. 

Make it easy for them by providing links to popular review platforms, like Google, Top Rated Local®  or Facebook. Remember, timing is crucial — ask for reviews when your customers are most satisfied, like right after they pick up their freshly repaired vehicle.

Step #5: Leverage auto repair marketing strategies

To get more five-star reviews, you’ll need to attract more customers. This is where auto repair marketing comes into play. 

Utilize a variety of marketing channels, such as social media, email campaigns and local search engine optimization (SEO), to reach your target audience. 

By increasing your online visibility, you’ll attract more potential customers who are likely to leave positive reviews after a great experience.

Step #6: Respond to reviews (both positive and negative)

Engaging with customers through reputation management is essential for any business, especially in the auto repair industry. Respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative, in a timely and professional manner. 

Thank customers for their feedback and address any issues they may have raised. By doing so, you’ll demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction, which can lead to even more five-star reviews and a loyal customer base.

Step #7: Monitor and analyze your online reputation

Keep track of your online reviews across different platforms and look for trends or areas where you can improve. Use this data to inform your auto repair marketing strategies and enhance your reputation management efforts. 

By continuously monitoring and analyzing your online presence, you’ll be better equipped to identify opportunities for improvement and maintain a positive reputation.

Step #8: Create a referral program

Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool for any business, and it’s especially effective for auto repair shops. Encourage your satisfied customers to refer their friends and family by offering incentives like discounts or free services. 

This will not only help you gain new customers but also increase the likelihood of receiving more five-star reviews from satisfied clients.

Step #9: Showcase your five-star reviews

Don’t be shy about sharing your positive reviews with potential customers. Display your five-star reviews prominently on your website, social media channels and even in your shop. 

This will help build trust with prospective clients and reinforce your commitment to excellent customer service.

Step #10: Continuously improve your services

Lastly, never stop striving for excellence. Regularly evaluate your processes, services and customer interactions to identify areas for improvement. 

By constantly working to enhance your auto repair services and customer experience, you’ll keep your current customers happy and attract new ones — which will ultimately result in more five-star reviews.


Getting five-star auto repair reviews requires a combination of exceptional customer service, transparent pricing, effective communication, strategic marketing and continuous improvement. 

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a thriving business built on a foundation of satisfied customers and stellar online reviews. 

Are you ready to take your auto repair shop to the next level? Learn more and see our plans and pricing.

Tips for Creating Content More Consistently

Consistent content creation is an important part of the online reputation management puzzle

There are many things that go into an effective online reputation strategy. You’ll need to claim your listings and keep them updated, consistently check in on review sites for new reviews, and respond to your reviews on a regular basis — just to name a few of them.

However, reputation management isn’t just about exercising some level of control over what people are saying about your brand online; it’s also about controlling the results people find when they look up your brand online.

When someone googles your business online, are they inundated with negative reviews and bad press, or do they find your website, social media profiles, press releases, and more?

Ensuring that, when people google your business, they find what you want them to is all about SEO (search engine optimization), and when it comes to SEO, there’s almost nothing more important than creating content consistently.

Google recognizes businesses that provide their customers with content that’s original, high-quality, and valuable on a regular basis, but creating content consistently isn’t always easy. What do you write about every day? How do you come up with fresh, new ideas?

5 tips for creating content more consistently

#1. Share your own unique knowledge

As a local business owner, chances are, you have a lot of knowledge to share. Whether you’re a chiropractor, a plumber, or an arborist, you know a thing or two that the rest of us don’t, and that kind of knowledge makes the perfect content to put on your website and to share on social media.

When Google ranks sites, it’s not looking for who can regurgitate the same information the most over and over and over again; it’s looking for content that’s original and authentic. And, as an industry expert, you’re in the best place to provide that kind of content.

How do you figure out what kind of knowledge to share? Pull examples from your day-to-day. If you’re an arborist, and a lot of your clients have been asking how often they should get their trees pruned or why it’s important to get them pruned, share that information in a blog or on social media!

#2. Save ideas for future content as you find them

If you wait until you’re ready to sit down and start blogging to think of a topic to write about, it’s going to make the whole process a lot longer and a lot harder than it has to be. You’ll be a lot better off (and you’ll be able to produce content a lot more consistently) if you have a few ideas socked away for future topics.

Oftentimes, when you’re doing research or on a job, you’ll come up with a great idea for a blog or a social media post. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of believing that you’ll remember it later. As a business owner, you have a lot going on, and the reality is that you’re probably not going to remember it.

Instead, take a minute to jot down any ideas you have in the moment, and keep them saved somewhere you can reference them later on. This way, you’ll always have something to write about.

#3. Let feedback guide you

There are all kinds of content that you could be creating for your audience, but not all of it will be effective or helpful for your brand. Luckily, you can use feedback on the content you’ve created so far to guide you when it comes to the type of content you’ll be producing in the future.

There are many places you could go to get feedback into the type of content you’re creating. One way to go about this is by using social analytics to find out which of your social media posts get the most engagement and clicks. On your website, you can keep track of how your content is ranking. It’s also a good idea to pay attention to feedback in any comments.

Another way to go about gathering feedback about your content is to simply ask for it. When you talk with your clients, it doesn’t hurt to ask them what they would like to learn or about any questions they may have that your content could answer.

#4. Outsource some of your content

No matter how much knowledge and experience you have, and how many sources of fresh topics you have at your disposal, keeping up on consistently producing content can be a lot of work. It can also get old quickly and easily become something that gets put on the backburner when your schedule starts to fill up.

But, there’s no rule that says that you have to produce all of your own content. In fact, if you are able to outsource some of your content to others, it will stay more fresh and interesting for your audience.

One great resource for content might be other businesses that you partner with. Ask them to publish content on your blogs in exchange for publishing content on theirs. This is also a great way to earn backlinks to your site, which will help with your organic rankings.

#5. Remember that there are many different types of content

Traditionally, when most people think of creating content, they think of publishing new blogs on their website or giving followers tips on social media. However, it’s important to remember that content creation goes far beyond text, and whether you’re sharing a video tutorial, an infographic, or even photos of your team volunteering or celebrating at your annual company party — it all counts as creating content.

If you limit yourself to text-based content, it’s going to feel like consistent content creation is an uphill battle. But, when you open yourself up to all kinds of content, it will help you tap into your own creativity and make it easy for you to consistently produce new content.


Consistently creating content is an important part of SEO, which is an important part of building and maintaining a strong online reputation for your business. And, the good news is that there are lots of things you can do to make creating content on a regular basis easier and less time-consuming.

Originally published on 1/31/20

Why Your Local Business Needs a Website

Does your local business really need a website?

It used to be that the only way for your business to be online was to have a website, but all of that has changed. These days, there are lots of ways to have an online presence, from social media to review sites and directories. However, regardless of whether or not you’re on Facebook or Google My Business, you need a website. It’s simply non-negotiable when it comes to the future success of your business.

Here at Top Rated Local®, we have an awards program that recognizes the businesses with the best reputations in each state across a variety of industries. While auditing our award winners, I’ve been struck more than once by just how many contenders still don’t have websites, and they’re not alone.

Did you know that fewer than two-thirds of all small businesses have a website? The reasons for this may vary, with some businesses believing that they’re too small to need a website, some business owners citing the cost of building a website and some believing that a website is irrelevant for their industry, among other things. But, the fact of the matter is that, no matter what size your business is, what industry you’re in, how many clients you have or how many word-of-mouth referrals your clients give you, having a website isn’t optional for your local business or, for that matter, your business’s online reputation.

5 reasons why a website is a must for your local business

#1. To build an online presence

The first and most essential reason to build a website for your business is that it’s the first step toward establishing its online presence. Don’t get me wrong, if you have a Facebook page and a Google My Business listing, you’ve got an online presence, but without a website, it’s missing its main hub.

Think of your business’s presence on review sites, social media and directories as the introduction to your business online. Often, these are the places where people can find your business online, but they’re not their final destination. In most cases, when someone finds you on one of these sites, and they’re interested in the possibility of working with you, they’ll go to your website to learn more about who you are, what you do and if you have what it takes to meet their needs.

#2. To establish credibility online

When someone finds your business on a directory or a review site, the next logical step in determining whether or not they want to work with you usually consists of visiting your website. As a result, if you don’t have a website, it can turn visitors off, and many of them will move on to the next business on the list.

Although there are still a large number of small businesses that don’t have a website, consumers still expect that you have one, and if you don’t, it can lead to questions about the credibility of your business. In fact, a majority of people won’t trust a business without a website.

Think about it from a consumer’s perspective. First, they find your business on a directory — let’s say Google My Business. They then spend a few minutes reading your reviews, and you seem like a decent company to work with. Now, they’re at the stage where they want to learn more about your business, but there’s no website to visit. Without a website, they’re left wondering if you can meet their needs or if your business is even legitimate. Finally, they decide to move on to the next listing.

#3. To gain more control over your online presence

There’s a lot that goes on online that’s totally out of your control as a business owner. You can claim your business listings, write your own business description and respond to your customers’ reviews, but you have no control over what those reviews say. On social media, too, you can start the conversation, but you can’t control it. You have some measure of control over your online presence across the web, but your website is the one and only place where you’re totally in control.

On your website, you decide which testimonials to highlight, which images to use, how to describe your business, etc. It’s the one place where you get to fully decide what kind of impression you make on your visitors and what they come away with.

#4. To inform consumers about what you have to offer

Too many businesses make the mistake of believing that having a Facebook page or a Google My Business listing is the only thing they need to do online. And, while these sites are great for helping people find your business online, they don’t tell people a whole lot about your business or what you have to offer.

Let’s say someone is looking for a specific service, like the dry foam method of carpet cleaning. They know enough to know that they don’t want a typical carpet cleaner, but there’s no “dry foam” category of carpet cleaning on Yelp. So, when they find a carpet cleaner that looks like they have decent reviews, they go to their website to ensure that they offer what they need.

Directories and listing sites often allow businesses to write their own descriptions, but it’s not always easy or possible to give consumers the information they need to confidently choose their business in a few sentences. Your website is the perfect place to go into more detail about what you offer and how you can help.

#5. To get your name out there

Staying competitive online means making your business as visible as possible online. That means, regardless of whether someone is searching Google, Facebook or Top Rated Local for a local business, your business needs a presence.

Having a website is just one more avenue for people to find your business online, and what’s more is that there are a lot of things you can do on your website that you can’t on your Facebook page or Google My Business listing that will help it rank higher in the organic search results, and for lots more keywords.


Online reputation management is important for every business to think about, but your presence online will never be as strong as it could be unless you have a website. If you’re interested in building your own local business site, the Marketing 360® Websites app can help.

With an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a library of beautiful design templates to choose from, Marketing 360 Websites makes it easy to build your own website, no matter how much design experience you have. Get started! 

Originally published on 2/7/20

Your Guide to Managing Your Business Listings

There are so many local directories that your business could be listed on.

You never know how someone might find your business in this day and age.

While Google is, by far, the most common place where people search for local businesses, they could also find your business listings on many different local directories, apps and sites.

This is a double-edged sword for many businesses.

On one hand, when your business is listed on a plethora of review sites and directories, it means that there are a plethora of avenues for people to find your business online.

This potentially means more customers and more sales, which is the end goal of any marketing effort.

But, on the other hand, when your business is listed on multiple review sites and directories, it means that you have listings on multiple review sites and directories to manage, and that can quickly become overwhelming.

If someone finds your business on a directory that you haven’t updated in a while, it’s possible that they’ll get an old phone number or an old address.

If people can’t get ahold of you, it may lead them to believe that either you have gone out of business or don’t care enough to keep your business information up to date — neither of which is a good thing for your business’ online reputation.

Another reason why it’s important to ensure consistency in your business information is that, if you don’t, it could hurt how your website ranks organically in the SERP (search engine results pages).

Google rewards businesses that diligently take care of their online presence, and that means managing your listings.

Today, I’m going to break down a few steps you can take to make managing all of those local listings easier.

How to manage your business listings across the web

Step #1. Figure out where you’re listed

Sometimes, your business is listed on directories and review sites because you signed up for them. Other times, your business information gets pulled in by an algorithm. Either way, the first step to managing your business’s listings is finding out where they are.

There are lots of tools out there that you can use to determine where your business is listed.

Yext even offers a free scan of business listings online across more than 50 services, including Google, Yellow Pages, Bing and many, many more.

Step #2. Pick your most important listings

Once you run a listings scan for your business, there’s a good chance that you’ll find that your business is listed on dozens of sites across the web.

The idea that you’d be able to manage all of them is nice, but not practical for most small business owners.

There is a fast way to, at least, ensure that your business information is accurate across all listings, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

There are only so many listings that you’ll really be able to manage, so it’s important to figure out what your top priorities are, as well as how much time you’re willing to spend on managing your listings.

A good place to start is by choosing 10 or 15 listings that are your highest priorities. You can always manage more listings in the future if you find you have the time, or fewer if you’re feeling pressed for time.

When you’re selecting your top listings to manage, be sure to consider both popular sites and sites specific to your industry.

For example, if your business has anything to do with weddings — like if you’re a photographer, caterer, event planner, etc. — you’ll want to make sure that you’re listed on The Knot.

And, if you’re a home contractor, you’ll want to make sure you’re listed on HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List.

Step #3. Claim your listings

Now that you have a good list of your high-priority listings, it’s time to claim those listings.

Claiming your listings gives you greater control over the information people find on them, and it allows you to optimize listings for increased conversions and better representation of your brand.

When you claim your listings, it allows you to update your contact information, which will ensure that people can always get ahold of you when they need to.

It will also allow you to upload photos and a more personalized business description, which you can optimize with your most valued SEO keywords.

Claiming listings and optimizing them will also help your listing to stand out! When people find accurate business info, images and branding on your listing, it helps to make the right first impression.

Step #4. Update your contact information

There’s a lot of business information that you’ll want to keep secure and protected, but any information that can be used to get ahold of you or visit your business, like your phone number, address and business hours, needs to be shouted from the mountaintops.

And, that means updating that information on all of your listings across the web.

Ensuring that your business is listed correctly establishes trust in your brand, makes it easier for people to contact you when they need you and is even helpful for your organic rankings on search engines.

However, if the idea of updating dozens of listings one at a time seems daunting, that’s because it is. Luckily, though, there’s an easier way.

Listings from Marketing 360® helps you get listed and manage your listings across more than 50 of the most popular local directories, sites and apps without the arduous task of updating them one at a time.

It’s a program that will save you time — which means that it will save you money — and it will give you peace of mind knowing that your information is listed exactly the same way across the web.


Managing your listings across the web takes some time, but it’s an important piece of the online reputation management puzzle. A great place to start managing your listing is by claiming your Top Rated Local® profile! Get started today!

Originally published 2/3/20

Simplifying SEO for Local Businesses

Local SEO isn’t as complicated as you may think

Being visible online isn’t something any local should take lightly in this day and age, and there are two basic ways to ensure that your website is visible online — paid ads and organic results. Paid search ads are a great way to get your name out there when you’re just starting out, but when you’ve dominated the organic search results, you’ll save money with each and every lead that you get.

SEO (search engine optimization) is all about increasing both the quality and the quantity of the organic traffic that your website gets from search engines. And it’s something that every local business should think about. After all, a business that learns how to dominate local search results through SEO not only saves money on paid search ads but also benefits from better, more qualified traffic to their website.

As important as SEO is, it’s often an overlooked piece of the online reputation management puzzle for many business owners. That’s because SEO can seem like an overly complicated thing, and while it’s true that it takes time and hard work, it’s actually a lot more simple than you probably think.

The basics of SEO for local businesses

Keyword research

Keywords are what people type into Google, Bing or other search engines to find the topic they’re searching for. Identifying the appropriate keywords to optimize your website for is done through keyword research, and it’s the first — and arguably the most important — aspect of your entire SEO strategy. The bottom line is that you need to be able to identify which terms you want your website to rank for, and once you do, you’ll be able to base the entire rest of your SEO strategy off of it.

The keywords you choose will have a direct impact on both the quantity of the traffic your website gets and the quality of that traffic. Choosing broader, more general keywords will mean more competition, and choosing irrelevant keywords will hurt your ranking and diminish the quality of your organic leads.

Learn all about how to find the best keywords for your business.

Content

If you’ve talked to many people who work in digital marketing, there’s a common saying about SEO you’ve probably heard — “content is king.” Everything in SEO has to do with content, and it’s one of the easiest and also one of the most challenging aspects of SEO for local business owners.

The good news is that SEO won’t require you to have a whole lot of technical knowledge or marketing savvy, but the bad news is that it requires you to create original, high-quality content on your website, social platforms and beyond on a regular basis. That can be daunting for business owners who may not exactly think of themselves as writers or already have an over-flowing schedule to contend with.

Luckily, Google doesn’t expect every business owner to be Hemingway, but they do expect them to create content that adds value. And for the benefit of your website’s SEO, that content should be built around your keyword research. Keep in mind that it’s more important to use keywords naturally than it is to force them into your content as many times as possible.

As a business owner, you have a lot of knowledge about your industry that the average consumer does not, and a great strategy is to use that knowledge to create content for your website. Tips, how-to articles and client testimonials are the perfect things to put in your blog.

It’s important to know that content isn’t just text. There are many different types of content that should be added to your website, and when optimized correctly, videos and photos can be valuable commodities when it comes to organic rankings.

Not many businesses think of them this way, but reviews are actually another type of content that can help a business rank higher organically in the SERP, and the best part about reviews is that you don’t have to write them yourself! Google also weighs what other people say about your business more heavily than what you say about yourself, and reviews can be a major benefit for your SEO.

In addition to adding content to your website consistently, posting on social media should be a regular part of your SEO strategy. Excerpts from blogs on your site, tips and tricks, photos of your team and client testimonials are just a few examples of the kind of content that works well on social media.

Links

The other major aspect of SEO is link building. Link acquisition can be challenging, and it will take a solid investment of time and hard work to achieve it. One of the most straightforward ways to acquire it is to email website owners directly, and ask if they would allow you to publish a guest post on their blog.

Contacting website owners directly is just one aspect of earning links; you also need to have link-worthy pages on your website to link to. What makes a page linkable? Here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to determine linkability:

  • Is the content useful? – Link-worthy pages are informative and useful. How-to guides, advice and concept explanations are just a few examples of the kind of pages that are linkable.
  • Is the content original? – In order for a page to be link-worthy, it can’t have the same information that’s available everywhere else. Use your industry expertise by taking a new perspective on something, or share original data or research to create link-worthy content.
  • Is the content entertaining? – There are a lot of ways to make an impact with your content, but the best way is by creating content that entertains. Humorous content, as well as interactive content, like quizzes or games, can be very entertaining and link-worthy.

In general, the most linkable pages appeal to a wider audience, which means that they probably won’t be your highest-ranking pages. But as long as your content is strong enough, you’ll earn links to those pages anyway through your manual efforts to reach out to site owners. And when you do, those links will add credibility and authority to your website and your brand.

SEO often gets a bad reputation for being overly complicated, but it really doesn’t have to be. Neglecting SEO can hurt your business’ visibility and online reputation, so it really isn’t something you should overlook.

The Marketing 360® Content app can help you monitor your organic performance, including keyword rankings, traffic and more. Work with a dedicated Content Marketing Specialist to reach your organic goals. See plans and pricing.

Originally published on 1/14/20

Build a Strong Reputation for Your Local Business

Every business needs a strong reputation, and having the right reputation management software on your side can go a long way toward building one. Here’s how.

Build a strong reputation for your local business with Marketing 360® Reputation

Request reviews

Reviews are the bedrock of your online reputation, and every small business needs them. But, the downside is that people don’t often write reviews without being prompted — that is, unless they are upset about their experience.

Because people who are unhappy are more likely to write reviews, it can leave you with a skewed reputation without any kind of management on your part. Since most people are happy to write reviews when asked, requesting reviews from all of your customers means a more accurate reflection of your business.

The Marketing 360 Reputation app makes it easy to request reviews. Because it’s integrated with the rest of the marketing platform, you can easily automate review requests through email and text.

Monitor reviews

Getting reviews is important, but it’s just one part of reputation management. People often expect a response to their reviews, especially negative reviews, and they expect you to respond quickly — within a day or two.

Your small business likely has a presence on lots of review sites, like Top Rated Local®, Yelp, Facebook, Google, etc. You need to know when someone posts a new review on any of these sites so that you can monitor your reputation and respond in a timely manner.

Keeping track of your reviews on multiple websites can be a challenge. But with Marketing 360’s reputation management software, you can monitor your reviews on all of the most popular review sites — all from one place.

Build trust with a reviews widget

Trust plays a huge role in the average consumer’s purchasing decisions online. There’s a lot of competition out there, and people want to know that they’re buying a high-quality product or working with a trustworthy business.

Your reviews and online reputation play a big part in building that trust with new and potential customers, and by embedding a reviews widget on your website, you can harness the power of a strong reputation on your website itself.

With the Top Rated Local widget, visitors can check out your reviews from across the web, see your overall ratings and even write reviews — all without having to leave your website.

Gain more control

A small business’s online reputation is incredibly important, but it can be a tough piece of the marketing puzzle because it’s centered around what other people say about your business, which is largely out of your control.

Sure, you can do your part to build a strong reputation by providing great customer service, requesting, responding to and monitoring reviews, keeping your business information up to date, etc., but there’s a lot that’s still out of your control.

Marketing 360 Reputation and Top Rated Local give you more control by allowing you to challenge potentially fake reviews, make some reviews private, make comments on reviews and more.

Streamline your marketing

Reputation management is not an island and shouldn’t be treated as one. It’s a key part of your overall marketing strategy, and it needs to be integrated with the other parts of your strategy, like social media management, local listings management and more.

One of the biggest benefits of building your reputation with the Marketing 360 reputation management app is that it’s built into an all-in-one marketing platform that has everything you need to grow your business, plus a marketing team that can help you maximize your efforts.

With Reputation, not only will you have everything you need to build a strong reputation, but you’ll also have access to a CRM where you can manage your contacts, a social media scheduling tool to keep you active on social media, an easy-to-use website builder and so much more.


Marketing 360 Reputation is the comprehensive reputation management software a small business needs to build a strong, impressive online reputation. Learn more and see plans and pricing.

The Importance Of Reputation Management For Plumbers

Online reputation is vital to a plumber’s success

The world of online reputation management may seem a bit too much for your local, family-owned plumbing company, but it definitely should not be overlooked or brushed off as being only helpful for younger generations.

Let us fill you in on why your online reputation matters and what you can accomplish by taking control of it! By understanding and managing your online reputation, you can gain valuable insight into the minds of your customers, see where your reputation is shining or lacking, and communicate with your current and potential future clients!

What your reviews tell people

Whether for last-minute emergency services or a long-awaited planned project, when it comes time for the average consumer to choose a plumber, most people are going to turn to the internet before deciding who to hire.

As a local business, your online reputation can make or break you. Today, your online reviews hold as much weight as word of mouth has in the past.

In fact, 88-percent of consumers trust online reviews just as much as they would trust a personal recommendation. While positive reviews can help get your name out and grow your business, negative reviews can result in a bad reputation, which will undoubtedly harm your business.

Your loyal fans, your current customers and an untold number of future potential customers are using online reviews every day to make their purchasing decisions.

Think about it. From the most mundane household products, like sponges and hand soap, all the way up to important services, like optometrists and family doctors, people almost never choose a product or service without doing some research first.

That means that it is more important than ever to stay on top of and manage your online reputation. Think of your reviews as the new word of mouth or referral.

Imagine a potential customer searches for local plumbers and comes across your page and a competitor’s page. Your page has no reviews and theirs has a few positive reviews scattered across Facebook and Google. That customer is most likely going to go with the business that people have recommended through their reviews!

Many times, people are looking for a plumber with some level of urgency, and the average person doesn’t have much, if any, plumbing knowledge. They really rely on those reviews to help them know which business to trust!

Plumbing is a competitive industry, and you can be the best plumber in the city, but if potential customers aren’t told as much by someone other than yourself, they have no reason to believe you.

Check out your competition

Not only can your online reputation give you a leg-up in the industry, but it can also give you some good insight into what customers care about.

Browse through the reviews of some of your competitors. What are the top compliments and criticisms being made about other businesses in your field?

Maybe you hadn’t thought to really focus on communication, but you’ve noticed that that’s one of the things people complain about the most. You can help your business to stand out even more by going out of your way to be the best when it comes to communication!

You commit to responding to all voicemails by the end of the day, you start to send out follow-up emails, and maybe you even set up your employees with a texting service so they can let the customer know when they are on their way. Soon enough, excellent communication skills become something you are known for!

By seeing where others are struggling, you can get a good idea about what is going on in the minds of the consumers, as well as what they value and what tends to bother them the most.

You can also see where you might be outshining your competitors! By reading through the reviews, you might notice that you’re the only local company that keeps getting compliments about your friendly technicians.

You can lean into that when it comes to your branding. Start by saying that customer service is something you’re known for, because at this point, it is, and you have the reviews to back that up!

Make yourself more visible

It is crucial for you to show up as one of the top results when someone searches for businesses in your industry. In fact, it’s been shown that 75-percent of people never scroll past the first page of search engine results!

If you don’t show up on that first page, it’s almost as bad as not showing up at all. If you’re trying to buy your way to the top with keywords and paid ads, get ready to shell out the big bucks.

An easier, and significantly cheaper, way to boost your visibility is through reviews.

Your SEO (search engine optimization) is boosted when you provide original, fresh content, and new customer reviews are a form of content that not only helps by giving you precious feedback, but also helps to get your brand noticed by those algorithms that can push you to the top!

Communicate with your customers

Online or off, there’s no doubt that communication is valued in the service industry.

Online reviews give you a unique platform where you can communicate with your consumer base quickly and publically.

If a negative review comes in, you can quickly address the issue, showing potential customers that you are not only communicative but that you also value customer feedback. In some cases, you can even turn around a bad review by addressing the customer’s concerns and showing them that you care about their experience.


Make managing your reputation easy with Top Rated Local

Plumbers who have been in business for a while will and have a long list of clients probably also have reviews across many different platforms, like Yelp, Home Advisor, Angie’s List, Facebook, and Google — Top Rated Local can help you keep track of where your reputation is by bringing them all to one place!

It has never been easier to take control of your online reputation, and with some help from Top Rated Local, you can quickly get the shining reputation you’ve dreamed of.

Originally published 10/21/19

3 Reasons to Make Customer Service Your Top Priority

Great customer service goes hand in hand with a strong online reputation.

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, then you are probably aware that building and maintaining a strong online reputation is a multi-faceted process that involves managing a number of moving pieces.

But, at the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than providing great customer service.

You can get your business listed on every review site and every directory. You can check in on your online reputation every day. You can earn more reviews and respond to them religiously. You can make it a point to follow up with your customers after every service or purchase.

All of these things can go a long way toward building the kind of online reputation for your business that will speak for itself, but unfortunately, none of it matters if your customer service isn’t where you need it to be.

When all is said and done, no matter what you do online to manage your online reputation, it’s always going to be a reflection of the kind of service you provide your customers face to face.

3 reasons to make customer service your top priority

#1. It gives consumers a reason to choose your brand

Most businesses in this day and age have quite a bit of competition, and that’s true for businesses in every industry and businesses of all shapes and sizes.

So, how do you ensure that your business stands out when there are 20 others in your area that offer the same services or products? By focusing on fantastic customer service!

A whopping 70% of consumers say that they’ve already made the commitment to support a brand because of great customer service. And, 52% of consumers say that they’ve made an additional purchase after a positive customer service experience. 

On the other hand, 33% of American consumers say that they will consider switching to a new brand after just one negative customer service experience, and more than 50% have abandoned plans to go through with a purchase or transaction due to poor service. 

People value customer service highly, and they loathe poor service just as vehemently.

With so much competition out there, making customer service a top priority is one of the best things you can do to make your brand stand out.

#2. It leads to brand loyalty

While it’s always a positive thing to get your name out there and gain new customers, nothing beats customer loyalty.

Building customer loyalty leads to repeat business and lifelong customers, resulting in a healthy bottom line and an increase in profits.

In fact, by increasing customer retention by just 5%, you could increase your profits by anywhere from 25% to 95%. 

And, how do you ensure that your customers will turn to you time and time again when they have a need for your products or services? By making customer service one of your top priorities!

After having an excellent customer service experience, 93% of consumers will make a repeat purchase. Furthermore, customers who are “totally satisfied” generate more than twice the revenue as customers who are only “somewhat satisfied.”

In addition to earning repeat business and loyalty, if you can prove your customer service chops to your existing customers, they’ll also be more likely to spread the word about your business. After just one positive experience, 77 percent of customers say they would recommend a brand to a friend.

#3. It helps you avoid the pitfalls of poor customer service

Poor customer service can have just as much of a negative impact on your business’s online reputation just as much — if not more so — than great customer service can have a positive impact.

Did you know that the number one reason why someone decides to switch to a new brand is feeling unappreciated?

It can take as many as 40 positive experiences to make up for just one negative experience. So, even if you do the right thing most of the time, all it takes is one slip-up to lose a customer’s loyalty for good.

The effects of poor customer service can be long-lasting, and sometimes, it can take companies years to recover. In fact, 51% of consumers say they will never do business with a brand again after a negative experience.

Not only can poor customer service lead to lost customers; it can also lead to negative reviews for your business online, which can hurt your chances of attracting new customers.

Consumers in the U.S. will tell an average of 15 people about a negative experience they’ve had with a brand, while they’ll an average of only 11 people after a positive experience. 

What does great customer service mean to you?

Understanding the importance of focusing on customer service is one thing, but understanding what exactly great customer service means is a whole other ballgame.

Is great customer service greeting your customers by name and remembering their order? Is it always having someone there to answer the phone when they call? Is it following up after a service is performed to ensure satisfaction?

Customer service can mean all of this and more, and it can mean different things to different people. But, in general, customers expect quick responses to inquiries, knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives, the ability to be contacted in a variety of ways and to enjoy a consistent experience.

How do you translate great customer service into a strong online reputation?

Like I said, people are more likely to share negative experiences than positive ones only. Sometimes, no matter what you do to please your customers, only a few of them will actually end up writing a review for you.

But luckily, it’s easy to get glowing reviews for your business; you just have to ask!

So, the next time one of your customers is going on and on about how satisfied they are with your work or how happy they are with your customer service efforts, do yourself a favor and ask them to share their experience online!

Originally published 2/5/20

A Roofer’s Guide to Reputation Management

Originally published 1/7/20

Every roofing company needs a solid online reputation management strategy

The fact of the matter is that it can be difficult for a roofing company to acquire new clients. After all, it’s not like anyone needs a new roof on a monthly basis or even needs roofing repairs or maintenance all that often.

Roofing companies are unique in how seldom clients need their services, which means that, when someone is searching for a roofer online, you absolutely want your business to show up.

Making sure that your roofing business is visible is just the first step, though. There are a ton of different roofing companies consumers could choose from, and they need a reason to choose your business over the many others out there.

Give them a reason to choose you by building a strong online reputation.

5 reputation management tips for roofers

#1. Claim your listings

First and foremost, a roofing company absolutely must claim ALL of its business listings online. It’s not enough to just claim your Google My Business listing.

You want all of your information to be accurate across the web so that, no matter how someone finds you, they’ll always have the right contact information.

Ensuring that your contact information is accurate will help to establish trust with consumers and make your listings appear more legitimate.

If someone finds your listing on a directory or a review site and ends up calling a number that is no longer in service or visiting an old location, they’re going to think that your business is either invalid or has gone out of business. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for your business.

Another big reason why consistency across business listings is important is that Google looks at consistency when determining whether a business is valid or not. If there are multiple addresses and phone numbers across Yelp, Facebook, Angie’s List and other listings and directories, Google isn’t going to rank your business as high because it appears less legitimate.

Finally, when you claim your business listings online, it gives you more control over them. In addition to giving you the ability to update your contact information, you’ll also be able to update and optimize your business description, add photos and respond to reviews.

#2. Get more reviews

Reviews are the number one thing consumers will look at when determining whether or not they want to work with a roofing company.

Let’s face it, there’s a lot at stake when hiring a roofer. It’s not like going to a nail salon or finding a jewelry store.

Your roof is the only thing standing between you and the elements, and you want to be able to trust the company you’ve hired to take care of it.

If your business doesn’t have a solid average star rating — or worse, if you don’t have any reviews at all — it doesn’t bode well for your chances of attracting new customers online.

It also means that you should start working on generating more reviews for your business.

Although you should never bribe your clients for reviews or presume to tell them what kind of a review they should leave you, simply asking for reviews is perfectly acceptable.

Asking is a super-effective way to generate more reviews. While many people won’t write reviews on their own, believe it or not, the vast majority of people will write a review if you just ask.

#3. Generate content

A big part of online reputation management is controlling what consumers see when they find your business online.

When someone searches for your business name, ideally, your website should be the first thing that pops up, along with your listings on directories and reviews sites and your social media pages.

What you don’t want to pop up is bad press about your business, and that’s where SEO (search engine optimization) comes in handy.

By optimizing your website, business listing and social media profiles, you can ensure that consumers will find what you want them to when they search for your business online. And although SEO can get pretty complicated if you let it, the most basic and powerful strategy you can have is to simply publish content consistently online.

As a roofer, you have a lot of valuable knowledge to share with consumers. Your average Joe Blow won’t understand why a metal roof may be a better option for their needs than an asphalt shingle roof, or how important regular maintenance is for the longevity of your roof.

This is the perfect kind of content to publish on your website and social media profiles.

#4. Respond to reviews

Generating more reviews is a great step in the right direction toward maintaining your business’s online reputation, but your job isn’t done yet — you also need to respond to those reviews.

It’s important to respond to all reviews, whether they’re one-star, five-star or somewhere in the middle; however, you especially want to make it a point to respond to any negative reviews you get.

When you respond to negative reviews, it gives you a chance to share your side of the story with not only the person who left the review but with anyone who may happen to read it.

Unhappy clients often don’t understand why something happened the way that it did, and by simply explaining your side of the story, you might be able to effectively defuse the situation.

It’s important, though, that you always take ownership of the situation, even if you feel that it’s not your fault.

This doesn’t mean that you have to claim responsibility, but you should at least apologize that their experience with your business wasn’t what they expected or wanted.

Never argue with a reviewer or insult them. And, if necessary, give yourself a little time to cool off if you’re upset before responding to a negative review.

One of the best things you can do when responding to a negative review is to invite the reviewer to discuss the matter offline.

This will save you from having to argue or set the record straight with a client on such a public forum, and it shows other people that you’re willing to work to correct a bad situation.

#5. Sign up for Google Alerts

When it comes to your business’s online reputation, you can’t effectively manage it if you set it and forget it.

A good online reputation management strategy means ongoing, real-time management, which means that you have to be in the know about what people are saying about your business online.

One of the best ways to stay on top of what people are saying about your business online is to sign up for Google Alerts.

Google Alerts are totally free, and you can use them to monitor all kinds of things, including brand mentions.

You can even use Google Alerts to monitor what people are saying about your competition online, giving you a much-needed leg up.


Become a Top Rated Local® roofing company!

There are a lot of things that go into building and maintaining a strong online reputation, and it can all seem overwhelming when you already have so much going on.

Luckily, it’s easy to get started — sign up or claim your Top Rated Local listing.

Becoming a Top Rated Local business means that you’ll get real-time notifications when you get new reviews, the ability to reply to your reviews, a monthly breakdown of your online reputation overall and so much more. Get started today!

Reputation Management Tips for Lawyers

Every law firm needs an effective online reputation management strategy.

Regardless of whether your law firm specializes in family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, estate planning, or anything else, there’s a strong possibility that you have more than a little competition online.

With so many different law firms out there claiming to be the most experienced, the most dedicated, the most reliable, and the most communicative, how do you make yours stand out online?

Your law firm’s online reputation is what makes it unique, what makes it stand out, and what gives its visitors a reason to stick around and learn more about it. However, if your online reputation isn’t what you need it to be, it can have the opposite effect.

These days, most people trust online reviews just as much as they trust a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend, neighbor, coworker, or family member. So, for the sake of your future success, it’s critical that you learn how to manage your online reputation properly.

4 Online Reputation Management Tips for Law Firms

#1. Get listed/claim your listings.

The most common place people look for lawyers and law firms is Google, but there are plenty of other places people could be looking. You never know where someone could be searching for a law firm online, and to ensure that your business is as visible as possible to all potential clients, you need to be listed on a variety of review sites and directories.

Whether someone is looking for a law firm on Google, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau’s website, it’s critical that your business is listed — and that the information listed is up to date. Not only should your law firm be listed on the most popular review sites and directories; there are several others out there that have been made specifically for law firms, including Findlaw.com, Lawyers.com, Avvo, and Legaladvice.com

You may find that, on some of these sites, your law firm is already listed. However, even if you already have a listing, your job isn’t done yet. You should also claim the listing, which will make it possible for you to update your business’ information and respond to future reviews.

If you’ve found listings that you didn’t create, they’ve probably been pulled in by an algorithm, and they may not contain accurate information about your business. These listings may have inaccurate or out-of-date contact information, and if someone tries to get ahold of you and ends up calling a number that’s no longer in business or visiting your old law firm, it does nothing good for your online reputation. But, by claiming your listing, you can keep this information up to date.

#2. Earn more reviews.

People don’t often seek the help of law firms when everything in their lives is peachy keen. Most of these people are stressed, under a lot more pressure than they’re accustomed to, and in need of professional and compassionate legal advice. There’s a lot on the line for your clients, and when they can read reviews about your business, it will help to give them peace of mind and confidence.

If the majority of your law firm’s reviews are negative, or if it only has a handful of reviews online, it can greatly damage its online reputation. In cases like these, it’s critical that you start earning more reviews. However, even if your law firm has dozens of five-star reviews and a solid average star rating, earning more reviews should always be a focus for you, especially because people expect recent, up-to-date reviews.

The fact of the matter is that people put a whole lot of stock in online reviews. People looking to work with you have a lot at stake, and the decision to hire you or not might come down to your online reviews. Make sure that you have plenty of them for people to read and reference by making it a point to ask your clients for reviews.

#3. Respond to your reviews.

Asking for reviews is a great way to start earning them for your business. However, you should never ask your clients to say anything specific about your law firm in a review or hint at how many stars they should give you.

While you can start generating more reviews by asking for them, the one thing that’s completely out of your control is what your clients will say about you online. Even if you provide the best possible experience for your client, there’s no guarantee that they’ll leave you a positive review. It’s, unfortunately, out of your hands what people say about your law firm online, but what’s not out of your hands is how you respond to it.

Responding to your law firm’s online reviews demonstrates to your client just how grateful you are that they took the time to write reviews for your business. And, in the case of negative reviews, it also gives you a chance to soothe an upset client and share your side of the story to anyone who might be reading the review and your response to it.

For most types of local businesses, responding to reviews is a lot more straightforward, but as a law firm, you have a code of conduct to consider, as well as binding agreements with your clients on privacy. Make sure that you always keep this in mind and that you never share anyone’s private information online.

#4. Closely monitor your online reputation.

An effective online reputation management strategy is ongoing, not a one-time thing. You can’t just claim your listings, ask one client to leave you a review, and respond to a single review, expecting your online reputation to be what you want it to be. It takes time and consistency to maintain your law firm’s online reputation, and that requires close, regular monitoring.

One of the best ways to stay on top of your law firm’s online reputation is to sign up for/claim your firm’s Top Rated Local® listing. Unlike any other review site, Top Rated Local compiles your reviews from a variety of verified sites across the web, and it offers lots of great tools to help you manage your online reputation as a whole.

A few of the Top Rated Local monitoring tools that you can take advantage of when you claim your listing include real-time notifications of new reviews, an up-to-date Rating Score™ that reflects your reputation across review sites, and a monthly overview of your online reputation as a whole.

Don’t leave your law firm’s online reputation up to chance. Sign up/claim your Top Rated Local listing today!