No matter what type of business you have these days, it can be online or offline, big or small. You must manage your reputation online. Here’s why your online reputation matters.

Most people will “google it” before buying

You know you do, so of course most others do too. If you want information about a company or product, Google to see if you can find it. You don’t care if it’s a local business or not – you go to Google, type in the name, and then read reviews and other information about that business.

People buy from those they trust

Finding good information during the search process helps build a feeling of trust in your customer. If instead they find bad information, low ratings, or other negative things about you or your business, they can choose a competitor, even if they can’t find information about that competitor.

Good reputation gives a competitive advantage

The goal is to build such a good reputation that when someone searches for your name, a search term, or your product or industry, you will appear in searches in a healthy and uncontroversial way. In this way, you will have an advantage over your competitors who do not exist online or have a bad reputation online.

Nothing is a secret anymore

One thing you have to accept about our new tech world is that nothing is secret anymore. You cannot be anonymous online if you expect to have an impact on your business. Instead, you should be yourself taking control of your reputation by appearing on discussion boards, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and more. Even if you have a negative event, you can ensure that the positive outweighs the negative by making a concerted effort.

Unscrupulous competitors may try to trash you

By watching and working to improve your online reputation, when and if a competitor tries to trash you, you are good to go. Believe it or not, some very misinformed and bad people will actively seek to destroy you online. How you respond makes all the difference.

Every action you take, for better or for worse, will affect you

One thing you should know about going online and running an online business is that everything you do will be scrutinized and vetted by everyone. It is imperative that before posting that photo of yourself hanging from the ceiling at that convention, you consider how it will affect your future. Before talking to a rude customer on social media, consider how you can change things in a positive way because even if you are ultimately right, how you respond is important.