Look, if you're running a small business today, your reputation isn't just living on your street corner anymore—it's scattered across dozens of websites, platforms, and forums. And let's be honest: most customers have already formed an opinion about you before they ever reach out.
The folks over at BrightLocal found that 87% of consumers checked online reviews for local businesses last year. Even more concerning? About 94% said negative reviews convinced them to walk away completely. Yikes.
I've spent the last decade helping businesses (and fixing my reputation mess-ups), so I'm sharing eight actual, practical ways to handle your online reputation—specifically tailored for small business owners and tech-savvy entrepreneurs who don't have endless marketing budgets.
1. Monitor Your Online Presence (But Don't Obsess)
You'd be shocked how many business owners have no clue what people are saying about them online. I learned this lesson the hard way.
True story: I was working with a local IT firm last summer who swore their reputation was spotless. When we did a proper audit, we found a 3-month-old Reddit thread where an angry customer had shared screenshots of a tech support conversation gone wrong. It was the fourth result when searching their company name! They had no idea it existed.
Some practical monitoring options:
- Set up Google Alerts (free and takes like 5 minutes)
- Brand24 is worth the money if you're in a sensitive industry
- Mention works well for social media, specifically
- Don't forget to check those industry-specific forums where your customers actually hang out
Pro tip that saved one of my clients: Don't just monitor your exact business name. People misspell stuff constantly. The coffee shop "Bean There" needed to track "Been There" and "Bean Their" too.
2. Actually Claim Your Business Listings
I'm constantly amazed by how many smart business owners leave money on the table here.
Last year, I met a brilliant software developer at a conference who had built an incredible product with thousands of users. When I looked him up later, his Google Business Profile was unclaimed with the wrong hours listed, and someone had added "Permanently Closed" to it. He was literally losing customers because he hadn't spent 10 minutes claiming his free listing.
At a minimum, you need to own your:
- Google Business Profile (an absolute must)
- Yelp (even if you hate it)
- Better Business Bureau (especially if you're in home services)
- Those random industry directories everyone forgets about
- LinkedIn company page
Don't just claim them—fill them out completely. The repair shop down the street from me saw walk-in traffic jump 32% after they finally added actual photos of their work to their Google listing instead of those sad, gray placeholder images.
And please, please make sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is the same everywhere. The SEO nerds at Moz have data showing inconsistent information massively hurts your local search visibility.
3. Create Stuff People Actually Want to Read
I'm not going to give you that tired "content is king" speech. But here's the reality: when someone searches for your business, something is going to show up in those results. Wouldn't you rather control what that something is?
My favourite example: A local accountant I know was dealing with an upset former client who wrote a novel-length negative review. Instead of fighting it, she wrote an incredibly helpful guide called "10 Tax Deductions Most Small Businesses Miss" and got it published on a respected business site with a link back to her website. Now, that's what shows up first—not the angry review.
Some content that tends to work well:
- Answers to questions customers actually ask (not what you think they should ask)
- Step-by-step guides that solve specific problems
- Behind-the-scenes stuff that shows you're human
- Case studies (but only if they tell a story—not just "we're awesome")
One client of mine—a one-person IT shop—started recording 5-minute videos explaining tech issues in plain English. Nothing fancy, just him at his desk with a whiteboard. Four months later, those videos rank higher than his website and bring in 3-4 new clients every month.
The Content Marketing Institute isn't just blowing smoke when they say 96% of successful marketers are viewed as trusted resources. It works because it's true.
4. Respond to Reviews (Even When You Really Don't Want To)
We all know we should respond to reviews. But let's be real—when someone trashes your business, your first instinct isn't exactly to thank them for their feedback. Take a deep breath. Walk away from the keyboard. Have a drink. Then respond anyway.
Research from Northwestern University found businesses that respond to reviews see about 12% more reviews overall and slightly better ratings over time. But the stats don't capture the full impact.
I witnessed this transformation personally with a restaurant client in Portland. They got absolutely destroyed in a review about a botched anniversary dinner. The owner was furious and wanted to fire back. Instead, we crafted a genuine apology, explained the staffing challenges they'd had that night, offered to make it right, and provided the owner's direct contact info.
Not only did the customer update their 1-star to a 4-star, but they specifically mentioned, "The owner's response showed me what kind of business this really is." They've been back six times since.
For positive reviews:
- Be specific in your thanks—reference something they mentioned
- Add a personal touch when possible ("Hope to see you Tuesday for trivia night!")
- Keep it brief—nobody wants to read a novel-length response
For negative reviews:
- Never respond when you're still angry
- Acknowledge their specific frustration
- Avoid corporate-speak like "We apologize for your experience."
- Take responsibility when it makes sense
- Offer a particular resolution when possible
- Move detailed discussions offline
5. Actually Ask for Reviews (But Not from Everyone)
A hard truth: Most perfectly satisfied customers will never leave you a review unless you ask.
But here's what nobody tells you—you shouldn't ask everyone. The flooring contractor I worked with last year made this mistake and got three mediocre reviews from people who were satisfied but not thrilled. Be strategic.
Instead of mass-blasting review requests:
- Identify customers who had noticeably positive experiences
- Ask in person when you see positive signals (like when they're already complimenting you)
- Send personalized follow-ups to particularly happy clients
- Create natural moments for review requests in your process
A physical therapy office I advised tried something simple: they added a "Happy with your progress?" text message that went out after the 5th session. If the client responded positively, they'd get a follow-up with a direct review link. Their Google reviews tripled in two months.
And for heaven's sake, don't offer incentives for reviews. It violates most platform policies, and the fake-looking reviews can actually hurt more than help.
6. Have a "When Stuff Hits the Fan" Plan
Nobody wants to think about reputation disasters, but they happen. The businesses that survive them aren't necessarily the ones with the best PR firms—they're the ones who had a plan before they needed it.
Your plan doesn't need to be complicated, but you should know:
- Who speaks for the company in a crisis (hint: probably not your most technical person)
- What your actual values are so responses align with them
- How to communicate internally during problems
- Where to acknowledge issues (which platforms matter most)
- When to bring in outside help
I've seen this play out in real-time. Two competing tech retailers had similar product failures in the same week. One went silent for three days while "crafting the perfect response." The other immediately acknowledged the issue, explained the steps they were taking, and offered hassle-free replacements. Guess which one maintained customer trust?
MIT Sloan's research backing this up is solid—companies with crisis plans in place recover from reputation damage about 4 times faster. In my experience, the response in the first 24-48 hours largely determines whether you'll have a week-long crisis or a month-long nightmare.
7. Use Social Proof Without Being Obnoxious
We're all influenced by what others do—it's human nature. But there's a fine line between effective social proof and coming across like a desperate car salesperson.
Some approaches that actually work:
- Customer stories that feel real (with specific details, not generic praise)
- Behind-the-scenes posts showing customer interactions
- Community involvement that reflects your values
- Selective sharing of unsolicited positive feedback
- Industry recognition when relevant
A home services company I work with tried something different—they created a physical "Wall of Thanks" with printed customer messages and photos of completed projects. It lives in their office, but they regularly share pictures of it on social. It feels authentic because it is authentic.
Be careful, though—those generic "trusted by thousands" claims with stock photos of smiling people fool absolutely no one in 2025.
8. Remember That SEO Is Your Friend (Even If It's Complicated)
When someone googles your business name, the first page of the results is your actual reputation in many ways. You need those results to tell your story.
Here's something counterintuitive I've learned: SEO for your brand name is often more important than SEO for your products or services. Why? Because people who search your name are already interested—they're just doing final verification.
Focus on:
- Make sure your main properties (website, social profiles) are technically sound
- Creating content that naturally ranks for your brand terms
- Building relationships that might lead to mentions on other sites
- Addressing specific reputation issues with targeted content
I worked with a service provider who had an angry former employee leave scathing reviews everywhere. We couldn't remove them, but we could outrank them. By creating helpful industry resources and getting them published on authoritative sites, we diluted the negative content until it barely appeared in the results.
According to Advanced Web Ranking, the top Google result gets around 32% of clicks, while positions below #5 get less than 5%. The goal is to own as much of that first page as possible—or at least the parts you can influence.
FAQs About Online Reputation Management
What is online reputation management?
It's the ongoing process of monitoring, influencing, and controlling what shows up when people look for you online. This includes everything from Google search results to review sites to social media mentions. Think of it as the digital version of word-of-mouth management—except this word-of-mouth lives forever and is visible to everyone with an internet connection.
What is ORM in SEO?
ORM in SEO specifically focuses on using search engine optimization techniques to control what appears in search results for your name or brand. Unlike regular SEO (which is about ranking for what you sell), ORM-focused SEO aims to ensure positive or neutral content ranks for your brand name searches while pushing negative content down where fewer people will see it.
How should we manage our online reputation?
There's no one-size-fits-all approach, but effective reputation management typically involves consistent monitoring across platforms where your audience spends time, prompt and professional responses to feedback (good and bad), creating content that shows your expertise, actively collecting reviews from happy customers, maintaining an authentic social media presence, and having a plan for when problems arise.
What is an ORM strategy?
An ORM strategy is your game plan for building and protecting your online image. A solid strategy includes which tools you'll use to monitor mentions, how you'll respond to different types of feedback, what content you'll create to shape perceptions, how you'll handle review collection, and what you'll do if a reputation crisis occurs. It should be tailored to your specific business, industry, and current reputation status.
How to fix your online reputation?
First, assess the actual damage—is it one bad review or a systematic problem? For isolated issues, focus on generating new positive content and reviews while addressing the specific complaint. For deeper problems, you'll need to identify the root causes, make genuine business improvements, create content that directly addresses the concerns, encourage advocates to share their experiences, and potentially work with professionals for serious situations. There's no quick fix—rebuilding trust takes time.
How to create a positive online reputation?
Start by doing good work—no reputation management strategy can overcome bad products or services. Beyond that, make it easy for satisfied customers to share their experiences, create helpful resources that showcase your expertise, engage authentically on platforms where your audience spends time, be transparent when mistakes happen, and consistently monitor how you're being perceived so you can adjust your approach as needed.
Which of the following is used to improve online reputation?
The most effective reputation improvement comes from a combination of review management systems, social listening tools, content creation, SEO techniques, proactive customer service, media outreach, community engagement, and sometimes professional ORM services. The right mix depends on your specific situation, industry, and the nature of any reputation challenges you're facing.
How do we preserve our online reputation?
Preservation comes down to consistency and vigilance. Monitor mentions continuously, maintain high service standards, address problems quickly before they escalate, train team members on how their actions reflect on the business, create regular positive content, engage authentically with your community, and stay alert to changing online platforms and behaviours. The best preservation strategy is prevention—it's always easier to maintain a good reputation than to fix a damaged one.
Your Reputation Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Here's the thing about online reputation management that consultants don't always tell you: it's never really "done." There's no finish line where you can dust off your hands and say, "Well, that's taken care of forever!"
Your online reputation is built day by day, interaction by interaction. The businesses that thrive aren't necessarily those with perfect 5-star ratings—they're the ones that consistently show up, listen to feedback, make improvements, and communicate honestly.
I've seen businesses recover from true reputation disasters, and I've seen seemingly successful companies sabotage themselves by ignoring warning signs. The difference usually comes down to whether they view reputation management as a core business function or just another marketing task.
What reputation challenges have you faced in your business? Have you found strategies that worked particularly well in your industry? Drop a comment below—I respond to everyone, and your experience might help another business owner who's in the spot you were in last year.