Having a strong online presence is key to maintaining a competitive edge over your competitors. Positive online customer reviews can not only help your company stand apart from your competition, they can also impact your search engine rankings,  and strongly influence many buyers’ decision making process.

Knowing which review sites matter depends on the type of industry you are in and which sites are used by your current and potential customers.

Here is a List of the Most Popular Consumer Review Websites

• Amazon
• Angie’s List
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Bing Places
• Citysearch
• Consumer Reports
• Demand Force
• Dex Knows
• DoneRight.com
• Epinions.com
• Google+ Local / Google Places
• Home Advisor
• Insider Pages
• Judy’s Book
• MerchantCircle
• Trip Advisor
• Yahoo! Local
• Yellow Pages
• Yelp!

Reviews on Social Media Sites

In addition to Google+ Local,  LinkedIn and Facebook both offer review and endorsement opportunities.

Industry Specific Review Sites

Many industry specific associations, organizations, and directories offer reviews on their sites.  Conducting queries on search engines can quickly produce a list of industry specific review sites for you to consider in your review strategy.

Next Step:  Create a Review Strategy for Your Company

Once you have identified the review sites that are important for your business, create an account on these sites and complete your business profile.

Make it as easy as possible for your satisfied customers to post to these sites.  For example, provide customers with links and step-by-step instructions on how to post reviews.  Send review requests on a regular basis and incorporate it into your company’s procedures and methodology.

Building up your online reputation and generating positive reviews on a consistent basis can have an explosive impact on the success of your marketing strategy and bottom line.

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A 5-Step Process to Grow Your Company’s Online Reputation with Reviews