7 Best Online Reputation Management Services (ORM) for Small Business

Do you need an online reputation management service?

75% of customers read online reviews, and 67% use more than one website to research a local business. People aren’t just Googling your company and stopping at the first review they see. They’re comparing star ratings, filtering for recent comments, and using directories to find trusted providers in their area.

If you want to get discovered online, your business can’t just have a Facebook account or a Google Business Profile. You need to add your information to multiple review sites and keep it updated over time.

Here’s where an online reputation management (ORM) service comes into play. Let’s talk more about what these services do and why your business needs one in the sections below.

Some ORM providers are full-service, meaning they’re a service offered by an agency that runs your local marketing for you. They’ll update your local business listings, flag comments needing review, and provide general marketing advice to help your business grow. The benefit is that you get hands-on service, but the catch is that you’re likely paying for it, too. That might be preferred if you have a larger budget and don’t want to spend time managing online reviews.

A more cost-effective option is an online reputation management tool. These platforms connect business channels to one place so you can review everything people say about your company without jumping between devices or screens. You can also update your company information across all channels without logging into each one manually. Not only does this save time when setting up each account, but it also provides an efficient way to keep company info updated over time.

Let’s look at a few other reasons to use an ORM service, according to an expert who uses one every day.

Benefits of Online Reputation Management Services

Here are five reasons to use an online reputation management service, courtesy of Hannah Wagner, Senior Account Manager at C-4 Analytics.

1. Manage communication channels in one place.

One of the best benefits of an ORM service is connecting all your communication channels to one place. Your social media, your customer reviews, your Google Business Profile – all of these platforms are housed on one screen. You can interact with each and update listings in bulk, all from one place.

2. Discover listings you didn’t know existed.

There are hundreds of websites that your business can be listed on, making it easy to overlook ones that might be valuable. An ORM service can help you identify listing platforms that you might have forgotten about or didn’t know existed.

3. AI can save you time.

Most ORM providers offer AI tools that help business owners respond to customers. For example, Thryv’s social media feature has a built-in AI that helps you write copy. It can even suggest hashtags for different posts. You save time from having to come up with catchy taglines that resonate with your target audience.

4. Boost your accuracy and SEO.

An online reputation management service keeps your company information updated so customers always see accurate and reliable information about your business. That makes your business more trustworthy and helps you rank higher on search engines, because Google knows your business is active and customers are looking for you.

5. Quickly respond to customer reviews.

It’s a lot easier to manage customer communication when all of your comments and reviews are funneled to one place. You don’t have to switch between platforms or risk missing a comment because you haven’t logged in for a while. Instead, an ORM service alerts you when someone leaves a new comment, and you can respond directly from the same screen.

Online reputation management services come in all shapes and sizes – and what you pay for them depends on what they provide.

In the section below, we’ve listed the best online reputation management services for small businesses. We’ve designated whether they’re full- or self-service, and added pros and cons for each.

1. Thryv

Self-Service

Thryv is an all-in-one business platform designed to help business owners save time. Its enhanced local listings tool connects all your social media channels and business listings in one place, and you can respond to comments and reviews from the same screen.

Thryv also offers a library of reputation management resources from experts like Gabe Vasquez and Stephanie Love. You can discover new tools to help manage your reputation or learn how to turn a bad review into a positive recommendation for your business.

Pros:

• Designed for small business owners
• Offers both social media and local search optimization tools
• Includes free Command Center subscription
• Compatible with over 40 review sites and directories

Cons: 

• Plus account is limited to 5,000 monthly marketing SMS or email messages
• Most features aren’t intended for enterprise-level businesses

Price: $228/month for Plus, $382/month for Professional, $533/month for Unlimited

2. Birdeye

Self-Service

Bird-eye is a reputation management tool for medium- and enterprise-level businesses. It’s ideal for organizations with multiple store locations and owners who need help managing each one’s online presence.

Birdeye has tools for social media management, webchat, and collecting customer referrals. It also integrates with over 3,000 apps, so you can connect it with tools like a CRM or payment software.

Pros:

• Excellent customer service
• AI features for multi-location businesses
• Compatible with most Google Business products

Cons: 

• Enterprise-level tools may be unnecessary for small business owners
• No freemium or free version available

Price: Contact for pricing

3. Go Fish

Full-Service

Go Fish is a marketing agency that helps businesses manage their online reputations. It offers services like search engine optimization, social media management, and search suppression, which can help your business manage public relations issues. Search suppression pushes negative news and articles down on search engines, protecting your brand’s reputation from harmful press (like in those rare but damaging instances where a rogue review has a lasting domino effect).

Pros:

• Services for removing customer reviews
• Builds a custom report for your online reputation
• Real-time monitoring that flags time-sensitive comments and issues

Cons: 

• Not ideal for businesses looking for quick solutions
• Caters primarily to WordPress users

Price: Contact for pricing

4. GoReminders

Self-Service

GoReminders sends text and appointment reminders to customers. It also has an automated review request system that asks customers to leave a review whenever they have a good experience with your business. If they have a bad experience, the software encourages customers to share feedback directly with your business via email, rather than posting it online.

Pros:

• Automatically prompts customers for reviews
• Unlimited phone and email support
• Customize messages and reminders

Cons: 

• Does not provide a local listing management tool
• Does not provide social media management tools

Price: $30/month for Starter, $60/month for Business, $240/month for Premium

5. Affordable Reputation Management

Full-Service

This marketing agency brands itself as a low-cost ORM solution for small businesses. They claim to be “honest, straightforward, and less expensive than most of the corporate reputation management companies.“

Affordable Reputation Management offers traditional services that most ORM agencies will provide. They also have backlinking services and search engine optimization (SEO) features, making your website easier to find on Google.

Pros:

• Cost-effective reputation management agency
• Link-building services can improve website rankings on search engines
• Press releases written by professional copywriters

Cons: 

• Few customer support options
• Small team with limited resources

Price: Contact for pricing

6. Solutionreach

Self-Service

Solutionreach is an online reputation management service created for healthcare providers. It works to build stronger online reputations for medical practitioners, helping their businesses gain credibility among patients looking for a new provider. Like other solutions on this list, this tool assists with collecting patient reviews, responding to negative comments, and comparing your business with other competitors in your area.

Pros:

• Built specifically for the healthcare industry
• Can detect duplicate and missing business listings
• Automatically categorizes reviews based on location and satisfaction

Cons: 

• Online reputation management features are only offered with enterprise accounts
• Some enterprise features may be unnecessary for smaller practices

Price: Contact for pricing

7. WebiMax

Full-Service

WebiMax is another ORM agency that specializes in crisis management. They start by assessing your online reputation and then create a custom strategy to improve it over time.

What’s great about this service is that it provides a timeline for when you can expect results. Not only does this give you an idea of when you’ll meet your goals, but it also holds the agency accountable for helping you achieve success.

Pros:

• Identifies your unclaimed business profiles
• Free reputation analysis
• Pay-per-click marketing services

Cons: 

• Takes time to onboard and setup
• Must have at least a $10K/month budget for advertising services

Price: Contact for pricing

Managing Your Online Reputation

There’s a lot that goes into reputation management. You have to collect customer reviews, analyze their meaning, respond courteously, and constantly be on the lookout for the next comment about your business. Oh, and don’t forget to provide an amazing product or service, or else you’ll have a whole new mess on your hands.

Reputation management is hard work, but you need to do it to protect your business online. Fortunately, the tools and services above will save you a ton of time responding to customer reviews and keeping your company information up to date. Take advantage of this technology, and you’ll keep your online reputation fresh without having to add more work to your day-to-day schedule.