Review sites have some of the highest page ranks on all major search engines, so knowing what they say about your business is a critical component of any reputation management strategy. If you search “AltaVista Strategic Partners” on Google, Yahoo, or Bing, our Yelp Page is one of the first 5 results. On Google, a link directly to our Google reviews appears underneath our name and Yelp is our second result. When a potential customer searches for your business, chances are review sites appear on the first page of Google, whether you like it or not. As business owners we need to be concerned with what type of information and reviews populate on these sites that will be so closely related to a search for the name of our businesses. Consider the following 5 statistics from a recent local consumer survey by Bright Local:

• 73% will NOT use a local business that has a rating of 2/5 or lower
• 39% reported searching for a local business online at least once a month
• 88% read online reviews to determine the quality of local businesses
• 72% will take an action (call or visit website) after reading a positive review
• 88% trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations

Simply put, review sites rank extremely high on search engines and what review sites say about your business is influential on your customers buying decisions. As a result, the importance of a reputation management strategy is going to continue to increase as online reviews become more influential and commonplace. For more information on how AltaVista Strategic Partners can help your business build and execute a reputation management strategy please fill out the contact form on this page, email us, or call us at 410-760-6680.