Sep 28, 2011

7 Ways to Combat a Negative Online ReviewBy Jason KeithBoston.com

Online review sites like Yelp, Zagat, and Citysearch have in many ways become too influential in determining the reputation of businesses everywhere, especially on a local level. With the increased importance of online search, review sites are consistently popping up in local searches. So are reviews on Google Places, which always shows up on a Google search. If you’ve got a website or established web presence as a small business owner, chances are it will show up in a local search query. But what happens when a negative review about your small business pop up?

Being committed to an online marketing plan should mean showing up in a local search. The problem is, actively monitoring for mentions of your business takes time, and if not done well, a negative review or poor experience could be waiting for everyone to see. A potential customer could then think twice about doing business with you. And with so many review options online, chasing them all down could be a burden. Ignore them if you wish, but statistics show that 70 percent of consumers online trust opinions of unknown users.

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