This document summarizes a webinar on reviews and reputation management for local businesses. The webinar covered: 1. Evidence that online reviews have a strong influence on consumer trust and purchasing decisions, with over 70% of consumers saying positive reviews make them trust a business more. 2. Strategies for managing Google reviews, including understanding Google's guidelines to avoid filtered reviews, responding to negative reviews, and ways to get missing reviews republished. 3. The importance of diversity in reviews across multiple sites to help rankings, provide backup if one site filters reviews, and access customers using different sites. Easy ways to get reviews include focusing on paths of least resistance for customers and review sites. 4

1. Sept 25th 2013
‘Reviews & Reputation Management for Local Businesses’

2. ‘Reviews & Reputation Management’
Agenda:
Evidence & ammunition for reviews
Google+ strategies & advice
Strategies for getting more reviews
Best tools for managing reviews

3. House keeping…
Presentations and Q&A
Webinar is being recorded
Recording available on Monday
No webcam view (boo…)
Slidedeck uploaded to slideshare.net
Follow up email with all details

4. Speakers
Don Campbell
Expand2web.com
Phil Rozek
Localvisibilitysystem.
com

5. Hosts
Myles Anderson
BrightLocal.com
Linda Buquet
Localsearchforum.com

6. Section 1
The power of reviews
‘Reviews & Reputation Management’
Myles Anderson
BrightLocal.com

7. 2 sides to every review…

8. Ranking power of reviews is falling
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ranking Factor #
Source: Local Search Ranking Factors 2013
Lower # = More important the Factor

9. But ranking is only ½ the story

11. JAN-FEB 2013
2,100 CONSUMERS
17 QUESTIONS
ALL ABOUT REVIEWS
LOCAL CONSUMER
REVIEW SURVEY 2013

12. Do you read online customer reviews to determine
whether a local business is a good business?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Yes regularly Yes , occasionally No
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

13. %
OF CONSUMERS READ ONLINE
REVIEWS TO DETERMINE IF A
LOCAL BUSINESS IS GOOD

14. How many online reviews do you read before
you can form an opinion about a business?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2-3 4-6 7-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51+
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

15. %
CONSUMERS READ LESS THAN
6 REVIEWS BEFORE THEY
FORM AN OPINION

16. % of consumers reading more than 7 reviews
before they form an opinion about a business
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
2011 2012 2013
44%
35%
22%
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

17. How do online customer reviews affect your
opinion of a local business?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Positive customer reviews
make me trust a business
more
I read the reviews but
they don't influence my
decision on which
business to use
I don't take notice of
online customer reviews
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

18. %
OF CONSUMERS SAY POSITIVE
ONLINE REVIEWS MAKE THEM
TRUST A BUSINESS MORE

19. How do online customer reviews influence your
decision to use a local business?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
I tend to select a local
business based on other
factors such as location &
price
I read reviews but they don't
influence my decision on
which local business to use
Positive customer reviews
make me more likely to use a
local business
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

20. How do online customer reviews influence your
decision to use a local business?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
I tend to select a local
business based on other
factors such as location &
price
I read reviews but they don't
influence my decision on
which local business to use
Positive customer reviews
make me more likely to use a
local business
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

21. %
OF CONSUMERS SAY POSITIVE
ONLINE REVIEWS MAKE THEM
LIKELY TO USE A BUSINESS

22. Do you trust online customer reviews as much
as personal recommendations?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Yes, if there are
multiple customer
reviews to read
Yes, if I believe the
reviews are authentic
Yes, for some types of
business, no for
others
No
2011 2012 2013
Source: Local Consumer Review Survey 2013

23. %
OF CONSUMERS TRUST ONLINE
REVIEWS AS MUCH AS
PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

24. Full Survey Results
WWW.BRIGHTLOCAL.COM/?P=7539

25. Section 2
Understanding Google
Online Reviews
‘Reviews & Reputation Management’
Don Campbell

26. Google Reviews

27. Getting In The Carousel

28. Google is important… but not everything

29. Common Questions About Google Reviews
Where did my reviews go?
How do I get my reviews back?
What should I tell my clients?
How do I get more reviews?
What should I do about negative reviews?

30. Understand Google’s Review Guidelines

31. Understand Google’s Review Guidelines
It’s great reading… really!

32. Avoid The Google Review Filter
It can’t see you if…

33. Avoid The Google Review Filter…
Avoid getting lots of reviews at once
– Think “natural review profile”
Don’t use review stations
Don’t post similar reviews on other sites
Don’t put URLs in the reviews
Don’t review yourself
Don’t offer incentives for leaving reviews
DON’T BUY REVIEWS!

34. Avoid The Google Review Filter…
Phil’s Checklist:
http://goo.gl/KWvAvS

35. How To Get Missing Reviews Back!
Is the listing claimed in multiple accounts?
Move them (if you’ve moved recently)
Report it: https://support.google.com/places/

36. What Should I Do About Negative Reviews?

37. What Should I Do About Negative Reviews?
Identify them before they happen!
Provide a Business Response
– But what if I can’t respond!?
Flag if inappropriate
Showcase your customer focus!

38. How Negative Reviews Can Help Your Business
They create trust and credibility
They provide you feedback
They can improve your SEO
They are a golden opportunity!
Read Matt McGee’s Article:
http://goo.gl/nVdhHf

39. Responding to Reviews
Take Google’s Advice:
• Be nice
• Don’t get personal
• Feedback is helpful
• Keep it short and sweet
• Thank your reviewers
• Be a friend, not a
salesperson
More: http://goo.gl/RtmxXb

40. How To Get More Reviews Published
Be proactive and ASK for reviews
– Implement a process, train your staff
– Make it easy for your customers
– Be the kind of business people want to refer

41. How To Get More Reviews Published
Be proactive and ASK for reviews
– Implement a process, train your staff
– Make it easy for your customers
– Be the kind of business people want to refer
 Read this book!

42. Resources
What to tell your clients
– http://goo.gl/XsZd6o
Checklist for keeping out of the filter
– http://goo.gl/KWvAvS
Google Review Guidelines
– http://goo.gl/fcTKrr
Five Ways Negative Reviews Are Good For Business
– http://goo.gl/nVdhHf
Complete Guide To Google+ Reviews
– http://goo.gl/0fRcHx

43. How To Get More Reviews Published
64% of business owners say
they get over half their
business from referrals

44. Referrals
64% of business owners say
they get over half their
business from referrals
80% of businesses have no
system for referrals!

45. Customer Interaction Touch-Points

46. Thank You!
http://www.expand2web.com
http://www.getfivestars.com
@doncampbell
don@expand2web.com

47. Section 3
Less Resistance,
More Reviews
‘Reviews & Reputation Management’
Phil Rozek
LocalVisibilitySystem.com

48. Your Goal:
LOTS OF REVIEWS ON MULTIPLE SITES
- AKA DIVERSITY.

49. Why Diversity Wins at Reviews
Reason 1: Helps you cultivate
other visibility / customer sources
Little trickles add up.
Your competitors ignore them.
Can’t forget branded searches…

50. Why Diversity Wins at Reviews

51. Why Diversity Wins at Reviews
Reason 2: Seems to help your Google+
Local rankings
That’s been my experience with clients.
Quantity & diversity of 3rd-party reviews are
“Competititve” factors #12 and #18 on the
2013 Local Search Ranking Factors study.
It also just stands to reason.

52. Why Diversity Wins at Reviews
Reason 3: Keep eggs in more than
one basket
Google is unpredictable.
Yelp is predictably draconian.

53. EasierSaidThanDone
YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH
3 TYPES OF RESISTANCE.

54. 3 Forms of Resistance
Resistance 1: Review Sites
Filters (Google+, Yelp).
Bad design (Google+, CitySearch).

55. 3 Forms of Resistance
Resistance 2: Customers
Some aren’t computer-savvy
Many are lazy
All are busy and distracted

56. 3 Forms of Resistance

57. 3 Forms of Resistance
Resistance 3: You
Might be daunted / confused.
Might have had bad experiences.
Definitely pressed for time.
It’s so easy not to bother.

58. Howto getreviews?
TAKE THE PATH(S) OF LEAST RESISTANCE.

59. Avoiding Resistance – and Getting Reviews
From Review Sites
Don’t ask people who don’t use Yelp to
review you on Yelp.
Don’t ask people who don’t like Google
Plus to review you on Google Plus.

60. Avoiding Resistance – and Getting Reviews

61. Avoiding Resistance – and Getting Reviews
From Customers
Don’t make them think. Offer guidance.
Don’t make them remember. Remind.
Encourage them to use sites they like.
Say which ones accept Facebook login.

62. Avoiding Resistance – and Getting Reviews
Good review sites – and which ones accept other logins
 Yelp
 Google+
 InsiderPages
 CitySearch
 Yahoo
 YellowPages
 Angie’s List
 Industry-specific: Avvo, HealthGrades, TripAdvisor…

63. Avoiding Resistance – and Getting Reviews
From You
Aim low.
Don’t put it off. Make it a routine to ask.
Ask casually, as a favor to you. No pitching!
Give yourself time. Lots of time.

64. Thanks!
Phil Rozek | @PhilRozek | LocalVisibilitySystem.com

65. Section 4
Review tools
‘Reviews & Reputation Management’
Myles Anderson
BrightLocal.com

66. Overview of Review tools
Work out what you want!
Get more reviews online
Drive offline customers to leave reviews
Track reviews & get alerts
Track social mentions

67. Vendasta
Enterprise reputation tracking
Comprehensive feature set
Reviews, social, sentiment analysis
Designed for resellers (into SMBs)
x Complex & very involved product
x Expensive product
$60-$300 per month

68. ReviewPush
Simple & focused solution
Good single & multi-location features
Daily email alerts
Review request tool/page
x Manual set-up – lag time to reports
x Basic report visualization
x Just tracks reviews – not social
$29/month

69. ReviewTrackers
Monitors 50+ general sites & key verticals
Review request engine
Single location & multi location reports
Agency option - white-label dashboard
Free Trial for 1 location
x Just tracks reviews – not social
$27/month

70. ReviewsInc
Monitors over 150 review sites
Collects & publishes reviews
Feed of reviews onto your site
White-label platform - reseller options
x Has a set-up fee - $99-$199
x Just tracks reviews – not social
$49/month

71. Grade.us
Simple & focused solution
Focused on getting more reviews
Review request page & funnel
White-label landing pages
Free option (basic)
x Review monitoring costs extra ($10mo)
x Just tracks reviews – not social
$19 or $59/month

72. ReviewBiz
(from BrightLocal)
Badge for your website
Directs customers to profiles
Quick & easy set-up
White-label badges
Bundled with package

73. ReviewFlow(fro
m BrightLocal)
Simple, clean solution
Tracks main review sites
Email alerts
Pulls in review content
Clean, simple charts
White-label reports
$5/month

74. Get5Stars $29.95/month

75. Service Main Feature Cost/month Free Trial
Review tracking $5 Yes
Get more reviews $29.95 Yes
Review tracking $27 Yes
Get more reviews $19 or 59 Yes (basic)
Review tracking $49 No
Track Reputation $60 No
Review tracking $29 Yes

76. InsideLocal: upcoming webinars
Google+ Local Advanced Troubleshooting
– October/November – date tbc
– Linda Buquet + 2 more
Optimization for Service Area businesses
– November – date tbc
Mobile marketing for Local Businesses
– December – date tbc
Local Ranking Factors Debate – Panel Event
– December – date tbc

77. Keep track here…
www.brightlocal.com/insidelocal
www.localsearchforum.com/insidelo
cal-webinars

78. That’s all folks!