Do you know how your brand is viewed by your customers and prospects? Don’t worry if you don’t – a lot of business owners lack this intel. The good news is that you can work with local SEO companies to have your online reputation analyzed by professionals. But beware, what you learn may be troubling, especially if you haven’t implemented an online reputation management strategy yet.
If your Los Angeles business doesn’t feel online reputation management is important, you will find the following data to show otherwise.
Consumers Trust the Internet as a Source
Few people will visit a website or see a promotion and make the buy without doing any prior research. Consumers today are savvier and are looking to make the best purchases with their money – a bang for their buck, if you will. So these consumers head to Google to research the product or service, along with the brand that’s selling it. Stats show that 65 percent of consumers believe online search is a trusted source of info (according to the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer).
An Internet marketing agency can analyze the online reputation of your Los Angeles business and offer management services, so that you can have more control over what consumers find about your company online.
Online Reviews Are Equal to Personal Recommendations
Word of mouth is still a great way to get people to give your brand a try. But what we’re actually seeing is more people giving equal weight to online reviews. To consumers, this is like receiving a personal recommendation from a good and trusted friend. Numbers show this is true for 79 percent of consumers (according to the 2013 BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey).
Local SEO companies can help generate a plan to boost authentic positive reviews and drive down negative reviews.
Customers Use the Web to Make Purchasing Decisions
This is especially true for people that are using mobile devices. Some even use their smartphones to look up products they see while shopping in stores. So even after you get foot traffic into your shop, you still have to worry about the Internet. Numbers show that 85 percent of consumers conduct research before they make a purchasing decision (according to Yelp).
Local SEO is a driving factor for the online reputation management services. Companies work with an Internet marketing agency to put together a strategy to boost their online image.