Let me tell you a quick story about a friend of mine who runs a small MSME business. His story highlights the importance of online reputation management.
He once thought, “Reviews? Eh, who cares!” But a few bad reviews piled up, and slowly, fewer people started walking in to buy from him. His customers just… stopped coming after some time.
People were seeing negative comments and no replies, and they just went elsewhere.
He paid a big price for ignoring reviews. He didn’t lose to competitors. He lost to silence.
This situation can be avoided with “online reputation management”. I know it seems like a big task, but this blog will give you a way to get started with ORM.
Let’s start with basics…
To put it simply…
The online reputation management definition refers to how your business appears online, what people say about you, the reviews they leave, and how you respond.
Here’s why you need online reputation management –
Let’s understand this with a simple example –
Before –
An MSME business owner running a manufacturing business. His work was great, but he had just a few online reviews, some even very outdated.
New customers weren’t calling much. He felt stuck, wondering why his business wasn’t growing.
After-
He decided to focus on his online reputation. She encourages customers to leave reviews, responds to every single one, even to the tough ones, and keeps his online presence fresh.
After 6 months, his revenue increased, and new customers started trusting his business even before using any products!
Here’s what business owners gain with good business reputation management:
Online Reputation Management (ORM) and SEO work in parallel with each other. If you have a strong online reputation, it tells Google you’re trustworthy and popular. This increases the website’s rank in search results.
This synergy highlights the importance of reputation management in digital marketing.
When people search online, they use specific words, which we call “keywords.” Using the same keywords your customers search for on your website helps Google or any search engine connect your business with the right audience.
Bad reviews can hurt your reputation and ranking. However, publishing high-quality, useful, and positive content about your business can actually push those bad reviews further down the page.
If you want to attract local customers, you need to show up in local searches. Make sure your address, phone, and hours are listed everywhere online, especially on Google Maps.
Google trusts businesses with lots of positive reviews and active engagement. So, make sure your happy customers leave reviews and you reply to them. More good reviews and replies mean a higher ranking and more trust from potential customers
.
First, you need to set up your business profiles on important platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and any website related to your industry
Once your profiles are set up, make sure they are complete and accurate.
Include your working hours, services, phone number, and good photos of the office or shop or products. People trust what they can clearly see and understand.
Use the same name, logo, and tone across all online platforms. Keep your brand message consistent on all platforms.
This helps avoid confusion and also boosts your local search ranking.
An incomplete online profile is like a shop with a broken board and no lights. It can really hurt your credibility.
So, keep your online listings neat and updated so people feel confident to visit or call you. Treat your online store like your physical store.
Make your profiles look their best. Most customers decide in seconds based solely on what they see online.
A strong profile also helps you show up in “zero-click” searches where Google answers a question directly without the user needing to click on a link. Following these basic reputation strategies will set a strong foundation.
First, priotize giving amazing service and top-notch products consistently. Happy customers are the ones who want to talk about you.
When a customer smiles or says “thank you,” that’s your cue! Politely ask for a review right after that positive moment.
Don’t make them search at all! Share a direct link to your Google or Facebook review page.
Add a “Review Us” button in your thank-you emails, on your digital receipts, or even in a WhatsApp or customer support chat after a service.
A small QR code at your counter, on your business card, or on packaging makes it easy to scan and take them right to your review page.
Train your staff to feel comfortable and confident asking for reviews after a good experience.
Put great testimonials on your website, share them on social media, or even display them in your physical store. People trust what other customers say.
Start by addressing negative reviews promptly, as it’s important to prevent further damage to your brand reputation.
Try to reply within 24-48 hours. It shows customers you care. When you respond, stay calm and professional. Don’t get defensive, no matter how unfair it feels.
Start by thanking them for their feedback, even if it’s negative.
Then, understand their pain, take responsibility, show empathy, and apologise for their experience. Apologise for their experience, even if the issue wasn’t directly your fault.
Once you’ve acknowledged the issue. Offer a clear solution if you can, like a refund, a replacement, or a call to sort things out.
If it’s a complicated issue, politely suggest taking the conversation offline. Share with them a direct phone number or email so you can talk one-on-one.
Never delete negative reviews. Sending a response to those reviews publicly shows honesty and builds trust with customers.
Also, analyse the patterns in negative feedback if multiple people are complaining about one thing. That’s a sign you need to fix the root problem.
Once you’ve resolved the issue, follow up with the customer.
Sometimes, they’ll even update their review to a positive one if they’re happy with the resolution, which is good for your online reputation.
You can use this as a “repair kit” when your business reputation takes a hit.
| Steps | What to do |
| Accept Mistake | Admit mistakes, say sorry sincerely, and share your plan to fix it. |
| Control the Narrative | Monitor what people say online and respond early before things get out of hand. |
| Understand and Address Complaints | Respond to unhappy customers and clear up any confusion. |
| Adjust Social Media Response Strategically | Clarify misunderstandings on social media. Use any data you have to make smart decisions in tough times. |
| Monitor Employee Feedback Platforms | Check reviews on sites like Glassdoor to fix internal issues. |
| Be Ready Always | Create a plan for how to respond to online problems. |
| Limit Surprises | Secure different versions of your website name (URLs) to prevent misuse. |
| Take Complaints Offline | Move online public complaints to offline via phone or email. |
| Prompt Apologies | Be proactive in apologising when something goes wrong. |
| Transparency | Explain problems clearly and honestly |
| Fix What Can Be Fixed | Respond to complaints quickly and use their feedback to improve |
| Leverage Testimonials | Use positive reviews from happy customers |
| Create Quality Subpages | Make quality, helpful and informative content on social media and website |
| Reward Loyal Customers | Show appreciation to your loyal customers with discounts and special offers. |
| Patience | Understand that rebuilding a reputation takes time and consistent effort |
While you can follow these steps, sometimes the damage is significant, and you might need professional ORM services to help manage the crisis effectively.
This repair kit is effective, but constantly fixing problems can feel like you’re always firefighting. If you’re tired of reacting to problems and want to start building robust systems, there is a structured way forward. Our business coaching for entrepreneurs is designed to help you build the systems that give you back your freedom.
Now that you have strategies to build and repair your reputation, let’s look at some of the most common mistakes that businesses make.
If someone writes negative feedback, don’t stay quiet. Always respond! Ignoring it just makes things worse. Even if it’s just to say you’re sorry for the bad experience they had, it shows you care.
Don’t say you’ll do more than you can. If you over-promise and then under-deliver, you’ll lose trust, and that can damage your reputation.
Yes, ask for reviews, but don’t go overboard and spam your customers. It feels pushy and unprofessional.
Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are exactly the same everywhere online. Or people get confused.
Actively monitor your online reviews on all platforms. They affect your image and search results.
Always be clear and honest about the products and services you offer. Lack of transparency hurts your credibility, and honest info builds trust.
If your social page looks empty, visitors might think your business is closed. Stay active on social media, post often, and connect with your audience and show you’re open for business.
People trust what others say. Post good reviews and customer stories. If you have a lack of social proof, like positive testimonials, you’re missing out.
Most people don’t look past the first page of Google. If your negative reviews are showing up high in search results, try to fix or respond to them.
Now that you understand the strategies and potential mistakes, you need ORM software to streamline the process and ensure you never miss a thing. Here’s what to look for when choosing an ORM tool.
Online reputation management works like the “Snowball Effect”!
When you have a great online reputation, it creates a positive “snowball effect.” Happy customers leave good reviews, which brings in more customers, who then leave more good reviews, and this way your audience reach increases and business revenue as well.
Even small things like your star rating, how many reviews you have, how recent they are, how many are positive and negative in those and how many you have responded to can make a big difference to your business growth.
So, let’s make sure your online reputation is taken care of by you and your team!
Now that you’ve mastered your reputation, what’s next? Find your answer in our collection of articles for MSME business owners.
None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise, none can destroy a person, but their own mindset can.
Former chairperson of the Tata Group
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