Your online reputation can be your strongest asset or a huge liability. We know what you’d prefer it to be, because a strong online reputation = success. Here are 35 online reputation facts and stats that prove the value of online reputation management for businesses, brands, and individuals.
Online reputation facts and stats – online search:
- Did you know that Google controls 92% of all search engine traffic?
- And the first page of a Google search for your name, your company’s name or any search term attracts 95% of traffic from an average search.
- 90% of people (in the whole world) only look at the first page of search engine results to form their impression.
- 64% of people trust online search engines the most when they’re conducting research on a business.
This is why, when people search for you online, you want them to get a positive first impression at a glance on page 1.
If the results are positive – you have positive press articles, reviews, comments, endorsements, star ratings, websites, profiles, positive press articles, etc – they’ll make you appealing. People will want to do business with you, hire you or work for you – or at least take a step towards it.
But, if you have bad press, negative reviews, low star ratings poor online presence. Or even nothing much of note, they’re less likely to believe that you’re right for them and they’ll look elsewhere.
The power of online reviews is massive in today’s world:
- 93% of people say online reviews impact their buying decisions, which is huge!
- 90% actually take the time to read online reviews before visiting a business.
- 91% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- Consumers read an average of 7 reviews before trusting a business.
- And positive reviews make 73% of consumers trust a local business more.
- 68% of consumers also say they are actually willing to pay up to 15% more for the same product or service if they are assured they will have a better experience. Never underestimate how much customer experience matters.
Consumer behaviour is driven by star ratings too:
- Nearly 3 out of 4 consumers trust a company more if the reviews are positive.
- 49% of consumers need at least a 4* rating before they choose to use a business.
- Every 1* increase in Yelp rating means a 5 to 9% increase in revenue.
Negative press, content, reviews, and trolls really harm businesses:
- Companies risk losing 22% of business when potential customers find 1 negative article on the first page of their search results and 70% of potential customers with 4 or more negatives.
- 51% of businesses say their company has been negatively affected by unsubstantiated online reviews or targeted by trolls.
- 1 in 5 companies surveyed by Igniyte are unhappy with the way they’re portrayed on their Google page 1.
- 70% of consumers will avoid buying a product if they don’t like the company behind it.
- 1 in 3 businesses (31%) say negative content has damaged their business.
- 1 in 3 businesses worry about the impact of negative content on their business and its value in future.
- 46% of companies have been damaged or are worried about negative press coverage, (up 29% since 2014).
- 1 in 3 (31%) businesses say negative social media posts pose the greatest reputation threat.
- Damaging content has cost 1 in 20 UK companies more than £500,000, 5% have lost £100,000-£500,000, 1 in 7 have lost up to £50,000.
- 82% of shoppers seek out negative reviews.
Negative results are a huge worry for businesses as well as individuals. But highly visible positive search results on page 1, really influence perception, reputation, consumer behaviour, and business and individual success, which is why it pays to look after your online reputation.
Read 30 essential online review facts and stats here.
Online reputation facts and stats – did you know that…
- 97% of consumers search online for local businesses, 12% do it daily.
- 87% of customers comparison shop for every purchase.
- 75% of businesses say online reviews, comments, and forum posts are important to the financial and reputational status of their business.
- Executives say that, on average, 49% of the reputation of their company is attributable to their CEO’s reputation.
- 45% of consumers will post about a positive interaction if a brand responds well to a complaint on social media and 37% will share their story with their friends online.
How individuals appear in search results also has a big impact on their appeal to prospective employers and recruiters:
- Social recruiting is fast-growing and virtually all companies are employing social recruiting in one form or another.
- 93% of recruiters state that LinkedIn is the most popular in-house digital recruitment platform.
- 73% of recruiters successfully place people identified via social media platforms.
- 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates.
- 57% of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online.
- 54% decide not to hire a candidate based on their social media profiles.
And on how candidates perceive companies:
- 69% of job seekers are likely to reject a job offer from a company with a bad reputation.
The benefits of online reputation management are that you can influence all the above and:
- Gain more credibility – positive links, comments and high visibility online makes you credible in the eyes of customers, stakeholders, employees, influencers and peers.
- Instil more trust – people trust a company, brand or person with a good reputation.
- Make more profit – companies with higher star-ratings, reviews and positive content and PR get more business.
- Attract and retain top talent – brands with a positive reputation earn better employees.
Igniyte is a leading online reputation management company, working with businesses, brands, and individuals around the world to build, repair and maintain positive reputations. All facts and stats from Igniyte and the sources cited in this article’s online reputation facts and stats are correct at the time of publication.
