Feature Article
How to Manage Your Reputation Online These days, the reputation of an individual or a law firm can be enhanced or tarnished by what appears in search engine results. This is because so many people read online reviews. - 85 percent of consumers say that they read online reviews for local businesses to determine whether these businesses are good or not. (This is up from last year's 76 percent.)
- 73 percent say that high ratings and positive online reviews make them trust a local business more, while only 12 percent said that they take no notice of online reviews.
Your reputation is public. Having a presence online is one of the most important ways to grow your business and it is vital to make sure that presence is accurate and positive. Your reputation, and the reputation of your firm, is more public and more accessible than ever before. To stay competitive, attorneys need to act swiftly and positively to show they listen and care about what their clients think about them. Whether someone is searching for a restaurant for a special occasion, a new desk for their office, or a doctor, dentist, or attorney, they read the reviews. By reading about the experiences that other customers or clients have had, people can judge a business before they ever set foot in the office or meet you. Reviews are growing in importance.
There are so many places to read reviews on attorneys. Google and Yahoo have integrated reviews into how they operate. There are sites devoted to ratings such as Angie's List, Epinions, Yelp, Consumer Affairs, TripAdvisor, and OpenTable, not to mention legal websites like Avvo that offer their own reviews. Consumers have gotten into the habit of checking reviews before making a decision to purchase. Since these reviews are live and public, anyone can see them. More importantly, everyone can see how a business responds to praise and complaints. I'm always impressed when I see that a business has taken the time to write a quick note of thanks for a pat on the back. And I steer clear of businesses that let negative reviews sit without a response, an apology, or a reply that they are trying to help an unhappy customer. Your prospects do the same. Learn five things you can do to manage and protect your online reputation >> |
