Best Review Management Software for Small Businesses – This is How Top Rated Local® Helps You Build a Strong Online Reputation
October 1, 2018
What’s the best way to capture and manage reviews that give you a positive reputation and help your business grow? We believe it’s Top Rated Local®. Here are 7 reasons why you should look into using this reputation management software and review platform.
#1. It’s Like a Personal Assistant That Asks For Reviews
It’s important to have reviews across multiple platforms. A prospective client might check your Google My Business listing during a search, or on Facebook if they happen to be there. They may search for your “business name + reviews” and read through several review sites. If they’re searching for something specific like a contractor or a doctor, they may check industry-specific review sites.
Top Rated Local® makes it easy to turn one review into several across multiple platforms. Even better, it only does this for reviews that are better than 3-stars. If the review is critical of your work, the system asks for feedback so you get more info on the issue without it staining your reputation across multiple review sites.
This email is sent to reviewers with links to other review sites they can leave content on:
You need a lot of reviews, they need to be fairly recent, and you want to favor positive ratings. Top Rated Local® does all this for you.
#2. Display Review Badges and Widgets
Top Rated Local® has an excellent feature that lets website visitors get an almost instant view of your overall online reputation. Here’s what it looks like:
When a website visitor clicks on this widget, it opens a window with all your review totals:
If these reviews are positive, that will be enough for many website visitors. Instead of leaving your site to check on your reputation, they’ll go forward with learning about your service. And we know for a fact that if you keep prospects on your website, you have a much better chance of converting them into solid leads.
#3. You Can Challenge Fake Reviews
The single biggest issue with reviews – since their earliest onset on sites like Yelp – has been fake reviews left by competitors or disgruntled ex-employees. These people use online sobriquets, making them hard to identify.
These reviews are usually scathing and can be difficult to remove on most platforms. Unfortunately, prospects checking reviews have no way of knowing the purpose of the content is to mislead, so these fake reviews can do real damage.
Top Rated Local® gives you more control over the review commentary about your business. If you believe a competitor left an invalid review about you, you can ask for a challenge verification:
Now, the reviewer must provide proof that they actually did business with you. If they don’t, you have the option to remove the review.
This is the most effective method out there for removing fake, nefarious reviews.
#4. You Have the Ability to Keep Comments Private
User-generated reviews have their advantages. And their disadvantages.
The honest first-person voice of an actual customer is what people love about reviews. This is an authentic referral where the person speaking has no reason to pitch the business or make fluffy claims.
However, you are talking about public commentary here from amateur critics. Because of the relative anonymity people can assume when writing reviews, you may get comments that are vague, nonsensical, or simply unprofessional.
On Top Rated Local®, you can elect to hide these comments. The rating of the review will still count unless you challenge it, but if the comments are not helping other consumers, this platform lets you make them private.
#5. You Can Request a Re-Rate
There are two great things about online reviews. The first is that they help prospects understand what to expect from a business, assisting in their buying decision.
The other is that they provide feedback that helps businesses improve. Not all negative reviews are a bad thing. Some are legitimate constructive criticism that a business can use to improve their performance.
Top Rated Local® takes this into account. You can get that feedback, act on it, the request that the reviewer re-rate your work.
Now an updated review that reflects your professionalism replaces the low-rated review.
#6. Top Rated Local® is Your Reputation Management Command Center
Top Rated Local® is reputation management software that lets you see all your reviews and ratings – from all the platforms you’re getting reviews on – in one dashboard. In an instant, you see the latest ratings from all these review platforms, where you can click through to those sites and take action as needed.
One problem many businesses have is that they simply can’t keep track of everything that’s being said about them on review platforms. Using Google search is not an efficient way to get this done.
To manage your online reputation, you must be able to get a comprehensive view of what it is – in real time. Top Rated Local® is designed for this very purpose.
#7. See How Your Reputation Compares to the Competition
Top Rated Local® provides the fastest way to see how your overall reputation stacks up against your local competition.
For example, say you’re an auto repair service in Denver. You go to Top Rated Local® and search for auto repair services in the Denver area.
The results are ranked according to the businesses’ Rating Score™. If you’re at the top of the list, you know your overall reputation is strong compared to your immediate competition; if you’re buried at the bottom, you know you need to work on your reputation as a matter of marketing and lead generation.
Claim your listing on Top Rated Local® and start exploring these features today. Reviews and reputation now have a direct connection to your lead generation and sales. Make sure this content is working in your favor.