Guide
Online reputation: what it is and how to improve it in a local business
A business's online reputation is what people find when they look it up online: above all its reviews, its average rating and how it replies to them.
For a local business, most of it is decided on the Google listing and on platforms such as Tripadvisor, Booking or TheFork. The good news is that a few habits are enough to look after it.
Where your reputation is formed
- Your Google listing (Business Profile): reviews, rating, photos and opening hours.
- The platforms for your sector: Tripadvisor and TheFork for restaurants, Booking and Airbnb for accommodation, Doctoralia for healthcare.
- Social media and review sites such as Trustpilot or Facebook.
Five habits to improve it
- Reply to every review, positive and negative, consistently.
- Ask satisfied customers for reviews in a simple way (for example, with a QR code on the counter).
- Read which topics come up again and again: if several people criticise the wait, that is the priority.
- Fix what is criticised and say so in your replies once it is sorted.
- Keep your Google listing up to date: opening hours, photos, phone number and website.
Measure what your customers say
The average rating says little on its own. What is useful is knowing what is praised and what is criticised, and whether that is getting better or worse over time. That way you can decide what to change this month instead of guessing.