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2024 Online Reputation Management Statistics

• By Kent Campbell
• Last updated: August 26, 2024
• 29 minute read

Online reputation management encompasses many disciplines. Search engines, reviews, Wikipedia, social media, CSR, and more. This article explores the statistics behind the various aspects of online reputation management.

Search Engine Optimization Statistics

• Search engine market share table
• The #1 result in Google gets 27.6% of all clicks
• 63% of consumers trust online search engines the most when researching a business.
• A page that ranks number one on Google generally gets 31.7 percent of the traffic.
• Google controls 81.95% of global desktop search traffic. Bing is number two at 10.51% of the search engine market share.
• The two most important factors used by Google to determine search rankings are high-quality content and link building. 
• “Best” and “right now” mobile queries have grown by over 125% in the last two years.
• Around 95% of traffic goes to the first page of search results.
• 71% of Bing users are 35 years old or older.
• 81% of marketers view content as a core business strategy.

Review Management Statistics

• 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
• Nearly 3 out of 4 consumers trust a company more if it has positive reviews.
• 60% of consumers say that negative reviews made them not want to use a business.
• 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews, compared to just 47% who would use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews at all.
• 49% of consumers need at least a four-star rating before using a business.
• Consumers read an average of 7 reviews before trusting a business.
• 97% of consumers search online for local businesses. 12% of consumers do so on a daily basis.
• Every additional one-star Yelp rating causes an increase in the business’s revenue as high as 9%.
• Reviews that only gave 1 or 2 stars failed to convert 86% of prospective customers. 
• Americans report telling more people about poor service (15 people on average) than about good experiences (11).
• 45% of consumers are more likely to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews.

Wikipedia Statistics

• Wikipedia is on the first page of Google search results more than 50% of the time. 
• Wikipedia ranks for as many as 99% of all search queries.
• Wikipedia appears in Google’s featured snippets 10 times more than any other website.
• Wikipedia articles have an accuracy rate of 80 percent compared with 95-96 percent accuracy within the other sources.
• Only 15% of Wikipedia contributors worldwide are women.
• 77% of all edits are done by 1% of Wikipedia editors.

Recruiting and Employment Statistics

• 95% of businesses use social media in their recruiting process.
• Online social recruiting is rising in HR departments, having grown 54% in the past five years.
• 73% of companies consider LinkedIn the most effective site for finding qualified candidates.
• Up to 69% of job seekers reported they would reject a job offered by a company with a bad reputation, even when unemployed.
• If offered an increase in compensation of as much as 100%, 30% of the job seekers would still reject a job offer from a company with a bad reputation.

Social Media Statistics

• The average consumer mentions brands 90 times per week. 
• 87% of people do comparative shopping for every purchase they make and shop on multiple channels.
• The purchase decisions of 78% of consumers are influenced by social media posts.
• 75% of people use social media to research products.
• 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
• 39% of customers only trust brands if they have interacted with them on social platforms.
• 76% of American consumers purchased a product after seeing a brand’s social post.
• Videos are the #1 branded content used by marketers. Nearly 93% of marketers say they’ve landed a customer thanks to videos on social media.
• 86% of B2B organizations prefer LinkedIn for social media marketing, while 98% of B2C companies report using Facebook.
• 66% of Gen-Z, 72% of millennials 49%, of Gen X, and 45% of baby boomers say social media impacts their buying decisions.

Corporate Social Responsibility Statistics

• 92% of consumers have a more positive image of companies that support social issues and environmental efforts
• 63% of the public would give socially responsible businesses the benefit of the doubt during a crisis
• 87% will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about
• 66% of consumers are willing to pay extra to patronize companies that are committed to CSR
• 3.2X increase in trust when a company’s reputation score goes from average to excellent
• 83% of consumers reported trustworthiness being the emotional factor that’s most aligned with their favorite brands.
• 62% of consumers said a company’s reputation is very important when considering their products, while 35% said somewhat important and 3% said not important at all.

Cybersecurity Statistics

• More than 75% of attacks are initiated by email.
• Most consumers have experienced cybercrime, with around one in three reporting cybercrime in 2020.
• The FBI received more than 2,000 cybercrime complaints daily in 2020.
• The healthcare industry expects to spend nearly $125 billion on costs related to cybersecurity between 2020 and 2025.
• 58% of adults are more worried than ever about being a victim of cybercrime.
• 53% of adults say they are unsure how to protect themselves against cybercrime.
• 41% of people don’t think their accounts are valuable enough to be worth a hacker’s time.
• 60% of users are willing to sacrifice their online privacy in exchange for the convenience of the internet.
• 25% of adults have admitted to carelessly posting sensitive information about themselves on social media.

Search Engine Statistics

Now more than ever, people search online to find information and formulate opinions on people and businesses.

Since people are constantly googling your name and your business’s name or queries like “best breakfast near me,” SEO is a key focus point of many reputation management campaigns. In light of the Internet’s power to make or break your reputation, here are some of the most significant SEO reputation management statistics.

Search Engine Market Share (Table)

From 2015 to 2023, Google’s market share in desktop search engines consistently led, averaging around 88%. Bing saw an increase, peaking at 8.61% in 2023. DuckDuckGo and Yandex also grew, reaching 0.72% and 1.87%, respectively, reflecting a trend toward more diverse search engine usage.

Related article: How to repair a damaged corporate reputation

The #1 result in Google gets 27.6% of all clicks

This dominance indicates that appearing at the top of search results can significantly enhance a website’s traffic, as most people only click on the first few listings they see.

For businesses and content creators, securing the top spot in Google’s rankings is not just a matter of prestige but a crucial driver of digital success.

Only 5% of people look past the first page of Google, so first impressions are even more important online than in real life. Miss your chance to make a positive impact, and you may never get another opportunity.

63% of consumers trust online search engines the most when conducting research on a business

People trust search engine results more than any other type of media. The Edelman Trust Barometer shows that 63% of consumers trust online search engines the most when conducting research on a business. You do it, and so do most people.

Traditional media ranked second, at 59%.

Image source  Edelman

The report dubs 2023 as the year of “Navigating a Polarized World.” Edelman credits four forces that led to this polarization:

• Economic anxieties
• Institutional imbalances
• Mass-class divide
• The battle for truth

The media landscape has evolved into echo chambers, where like-minded opinions resonate without challenge, complicating collaborative problem-solving efforts. Trust in media has declined, particularly in social media, where skepticism is notably high.

Past themes include the cycle of distrust, trust at work, and the battle for truth.

The “Trust at Work” report reveals that people have shifted their trust to relationships within their control, specifically with their employers. However, there is an urgent desire for change, as only one in five feels that the system is working for them.

This desire for change may be a result of last year’s sentiments. The same report labeled 2018 as the year of “The Battle for Truth,” sparked in part by the rise in “fake news.”

Google Trends shows a spike in “fake news” interest in early January 2018.

As a result, the “informed public” has experienced erosion in trust. And what is the nation with the greatest drop in overall trust? The United States of America.

Americans lost trust in NGOs (non-governmental organizations), business, government, and the media. The nation’s collective trust in government is the biggest victim of trust reduction.

Against this backdrop of the 2018 “trust crash,” consider that statistic again:  65% of consumers trust search engine results. In spite of it all, the Internet is upheld as the first source of trustworthy information for news, general business information, or to confirm or validate rumors.

A page that ranks number one on Google generally gets 31.7 percent of the traffic

The ideal for any business is to be number one on Google. If you’re not there, then it means you’re missing out on clicks because traffic dwindles the further down you are in search results. Not showing up for the keywords and searches that matter the most could be costing you business.

According to Backlinko, a page that ranks number one on Google generally gets 31.7 percent of the traffic, while a page that ranks 10th will get just 3 percent of the traffic.

As you can see, the #1 result in Google has a 10x higher click-through rate compared to the #10 result. Most people instinctively click the first search result in Google. Here are the stats: 

The two most important factors used by Google to determine search rankings are high-quality content and link-building

Creating and distributing good content is just as important as eliminating the bad. But what separates high-quality content from all of the amateur content on the Internet? According to a 2014 LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community report, the top three things that make content effective are:

• Audience relevance
• Engaging storytelling
• Writing that inspires action

Simply nixing the bad content simply won’t do. You must also generate quality content to capture customer attention and keep your brand image positive and relevant.

One of the reasons why content marketing is so popular is because it works. Most survey respondents in a Content Marketing Institute study affirm that their organization’s content marketing is somewhat effective.

What works in online marketing works with online reputation management as well. Today’s consumers are information consumers living in the information age. As such, the most potent tactic for online reputation marketing is the publication of valid, trustworthy, high-quality information that helps inform consumers.

“Best” and “right now” mobile queries have grown by over 125% in the last two years

People are searching for “best of” lists, and your content marketing plan should reflect that. Mobile queries for “best” and “right now” have grown by over 125% in the last two years. Think of how many times you’ve searched for something like “best cell phone out right now” or “best credit cards to apply for right now.” 

Around 95% of traffic goes to the first page of search results, which shapes people’s first impressions of a brand.

71% of Bing users are 35 years old or older.

Contrary to the stereotype of younger users dominating search engines, a surprising 71% of Bing’s user base is comprised of individuals aged 35 years and older, reflecting a diverse demographic seeking reliable search results.

The view search engines reflect of the Internet is simply a reflection of human bias 

Although mistrust towards media and institutions is at an all-time low, general trust in what we see in Google is at an all-time high. Convenience and speed, it would seem, are the arbiters of trustworthiness.

Do Google Auto-Complete results affect brand reputation?

Reputation integrity goes beyond if and how you’re seen on the search engine results page. Something far less overt holds sway: Google autocomplete. Autocomplete responses populated in Google’s search can give new customers pause or inspire them to learn more about your brand.

Autocomplete responses can even start to hurt you after just the first word. Just look at what happens when you simply type “Trump” into Google.

So even if you were planning to search something along the lines of “Trump is amazing,” you will see the autofill results above, and maybe click on “Trump booed Florida.” Then you’ll see this:

Wow. Looks pretty bad. This is just one example of the importance of your online reputation. Your Google search results can change people’s opinions of your brand, starting before they even finish typing their search phrases.

While you can certainly Google yourself to find out what your search results look like (and we do recommend doing so as a first step), developing a targeted reputation management strategy to keep tabs on your reputation as it changes over time is much more effective. There are both free and paid tools to help you manage this.

Related article: Tools to manage online reputation

It’s important to think (and search) like your customers would to determine what your online presence is saying about you. Remember that online reputation management best practices are founded on the principles of online human behavior and the tactics of search engine optimization and content marketing.

The major player in the SEO world still stands — Google. When optimizing your brand’s reputation, understanding Google’s algorithmic principles is crucial, but understanding human behavior is even more important. 

81% of marketers view content as a core business strategy

Content has firmly established itself as more than just a tool—it’s the foundation of a winning marketing strategy. With 81% of marketers viewing content as a core component of their business approach​, it’s clear that content isn’t just important; it’s essential.

Content is the key to engaging with your audience in a meaningful way. Quality content doesn’t just push products; it tells a story, solves problems, and creates connections. In a world where consumers are bombarded with information, content is what helps your brand stand out and resonate​​.

Review Management Statistics

Few places on the Internet reflect a company’s online reputation more clearly than review pages. 

Reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, BBB, and other sites represent customers’ honest (and often emotionally charged) opinions.

Reputation management mitigates the effects brands experience against the storm of public opinion. It is just as significant for businesses and organizations as it is for individuals. Most businesses lack an awareness of the risks of a compromised online identity and the degree to which online reputation predicts their success or failure.

Online reviews are more easily controlled than a full-blown media problem, though. A single misstep can result in the closure of a multinational organization. For example, Peloton lost about $1.5 billion in value due to a single holiday advertisement, although the COVID-19 pandemic will probably turn that around.

A mismanaged reputation crisis management fiasco can hurl a company into a financial free fall. Sometimes, damage control by PR professionals can make things even worse. 

A 2017 article in the Financial Times puts the issue starkly:

“Unexpected crises can destroy businesses and reputations. Boards, chief executives and their managers may believe they have a firm grip on the risks they face. They should think again.”

All of us in the online world, from individuals to businesses to public organizations, have two identities — the one that exists in real life and lives online. Marketing professionals and scandalized CEOs realize this to the greatest degree. The Internet can be fickle, and your reputation can plummet overnight faster than a dissatisfied customer can strike the “submit” button on a review site.

85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, which should be an eye-opener. Put another way, people trust strangers almost as much as good friends. 

This means that the overall sentiment of your online reviews can make or break your business.

Studies show that most people will not do business with a company once they read a single negative review. Online customer reviews and personal reviews are nearly equivalent in their trustworthiness.

Nearly 3 out of 4 consumers trust a company more if it has positive reviews

People trust a business more after reading positive online reviews. Positive reviews make 74% of consumers trust a local business more. One study found that nearly 3 out of 4 consumers trust a company to a greater degree if the reviews for that company are positive.

60% of consumers say that negative reviews made them not want to use a business

Conversely, research shows that 60% of consumers say that negative reviews made them not want to use a business.

One of the primary markers of trust is a business’s mere appearance in the search results. But a business can’t depend on its appearance alone. Here’s why:

• 49% of consumers need at least a four-star rating before using a business.
• Consumers read an average of 7 reviews before trusting a business.

If a person possesses a high degree of trust in a brand, then they’ll buy from them. Online reviews can make or break that trust.

88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews

Only 47% would use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews.

Transparency and responsiveness are more than just courtesy; they are integral to a business’s reputation.

When companies actively respond to customer feedback, they address individual concerns and project a message of reliability and customer value.

This engagement transforms passive viewers into potential customers by demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

Not responding to reviews can be seen as a silent but potent form of negligence that may deter nearly half of potential customers.

97% of consumers search online for local businesses. 12% of consumers do so on a daily basis.

Almost everyone is reading online reviews. According to research from BrightLocal, 97% of consumers search online for local businesses. 12% of consumers do so on a daily basis!

As online reputation statistics go, this number shouldn’t be too surprising. It’s safe to say that using the Internet to find local businesses is a universal practice in the developed world. What is significant is the degree to which potential customers trust what they read.

34% of consumers use Instagram, and 23% use TikTok as alternative local business review platforms.

When people research businesses online, they are reading customer reviews and business responses to those reviews. Responding to reviews gives businesses a chance to demonstrate their customer service and can actually change a potential customer’s mind if they are negatively influenced by a review they read. 

Every additional one-star Yelp rating causes an increase in the business’s revenue as high as 9%

Good Yelp reviews mean more business. According to a Harvard Business School Working Paper, every additional one-star Yelp rating causes an increase in the business’s revenue as high as 9%.

I want to make sure you understand how big of a deal this is.

First, we’re talking about those little stars on Yelp reviews. You don’t have to try hard to find them. You can see them on Google’s search results page when you’re searching for a taco restaurant, for example.

You may also see these reviews on Yelp.com or within the Yelp app.

Second, we’re talking about a 5-9% increase in revenue for every additional star.

To put some numbers on that, let’s say that Speedy’s Tacos in Sunnyvale has an annual revenue of $1m and a 3-star Yelp rating.

The following year, they had a 4-star Yelp rating. (Great job, Speedy’s!) As a result, Speedy’s annual revenue is now $1,090,000. They made $90,000 more.

What changed? Who knows. A “Review us on Yelp” sign at the cash register? A “Please give us five stars!” on customers’ receipts. You’d be surprised at how much these small efforts can impact your reviews. 

The point is Speedy’s is pulling down an extra $90k because of the boost in reviews.

Related content: Improve your online reviews

The third point I want to make is the causal nature of the star ratings and revenue increase. Many times, statistics are merely correlative. The Harvard study, however, conveys a causal relationship. Here’s how the researcher, Michael Luca, reported his findings:

I can identify the causal impact of Yelp ratings on demand [i.e., customer demand or revenue] with a regression discontinuity framework that exploits Yelp’s rounding thresholds.  [Emphasis my own.]

It is logical to assume that a reduction of positive online reviews, such as a loss of a star rating, causes a decline in revenue. More stars, more revenue. Lower stars, lower revenue.

Let’s whittle this down to a fine point. A higher star rating puts more money in your business bank account.

Your business’s online reviews matter. A lot. Whether you own a small business, run a non-profit organization, or care about your online presence in any way, those little Yelp stars make a big difference.

Reviews that only gave 1 or 2 stars failed to convert 86% of prospective customers.

Bad reviews can damage conversion rates – a lot. So much so that reviews that only gave 1 or 2 stars failed to convert 86% of prospective customers. Clearly, this scenario is a major potential loss, particularly for startups, which need the initial momentum to get their businesses off the ground.

Americans report telling more people about poor service (15 people on average) than about good experiences (11)

No matter how good a business’s customer service is, there will always be someone whose expectations weren’t met for whatever reason. And that person is more likely to share their experience in a review than someone who had a positive experience.  According to this site, “Americans across the board report telling more people about poor service (15 people on average) than about good experiences (11).“

This is why both businesses and consumers have become more skilled at reading reviews with a critical eye. Consumers are also getting better at sorting the real reviews from the fake reviews, and they’re more likely to take a recent review seriously than an older one. Consumers will catch on when businesses hire people to write fake reviews or resort to other automated, non-organic means of cultivating a positive reputation. Only authentic reviews will do.

45% of consumers are more likely to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews. Addressing issues professionally enhances trust.

Online reviews and reputation: risks and rewards

If online reputation management was an afterthought before reading this article, these statistics might change your disposition. A company that does not exist online does not exist at all in the view of the modern customer. And how that company appears — with or without stars, positive or negative reviews — is equally important.

Although the data above focuses on local businesses, regardless of their physical location or presence, the principle holds true for any business.

When trying to make sense of your online reputation, it is important to realize this key truth: Your online reputation is your reputation. And if you don’t appear online, you don’t exist.

Wikipedia Statistics

According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia develops at a rate of over 1.9 edits every second, performed by editors worldwide. Currently, the English Wikipedia includes 6,296,307 articles, and it averages 594 new articles per day. 

There is a ton of data flowing through Wikipedia every day. But why is it such a dominant force in search engines? It has to do with technical performance and user experience. On the technical side, Wikipedia is fast and lean.

When was the last time Wikipedia loaded slowly or was it experiencing downtime?

It’s also frequently updated since individuals are allowed to update content. This keeps it fresh and deserving of Google’s blessing. The following statistics show just how prevalent Wikipedia is in search results. 

Note: See our Wikipedia editing case study here

Wikipedia is on the first page of informational Google search results at least 60% of the time

Wikipedia dominates search engine results so much that in one study, researchers found that Wikipedia appears on the first page of Google for as many as half of all search queries.

Wikipedia ranks on the first page more often for commercial queries than informational queries, meaning that Wikipedia has ranking dominance regardless of query intent.

Wikipedia ranks for as many as 99% of all search queries

Researchers conducted a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and found that Wikipedia ranks for as many as 99% of all search queries. (The study is dated 2009, but informal research corroborates the current validity of those findings). 

One caveat, the study was performed with 1000 one-word nouns; some believe the stat may be a little skewed because of the method used. 

Wikipedia appears in Google’s featured snippets 10 times more than any other website

Google’s position zero, or featured snippet, is an answer that appears right in search results that are pulled from relevant websites. It’s displayed on top of Google’s search results – above all other ranking pages for that search query.

According to a study by Ahrefs, Wikipedia is the top-ranked website in the U.S. by the number of featured snippets at 11.2%.

How accurate is Wikipedia?

Despite its dominance in search results, Wikipedia is not the most accurate source. This is mainly because of its crowdsourced editing model.

When compared against comparable articles in Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Dictionary of American History, and American National Biography Online, Wikipedia articles have an accuracy rate of 80 percent compared with 95-96 percent accuracy within the other sources.

Do consumers trust Wikipedia?

Yes. On the user side, consumers have a general attitude of acceptance towards Wikipedia’s crowdsourced information.

The alleged purpose of the website is to provide unbiased information on virtually any topic. It takes little time and effort to access this information. As an Internet user who searches for anything from the common cold (Wikipedia has position 3 in Google) to carburetor icing (Wikipedia has 1 in Google), Wikipedia is the most prevalent and convenient source of information and trust.

What’s the takeaway, then? Any inaccurate or negative information about you or your company on Wikipedia is a major reputation risk. A reputation management strategy must always have a Wikipedia plan woven into it.

Only 15% of Wikipedia contributors worldwide are women

The content on Wikipedia is crafted and distributed by volunteers globally. Yet only 15% of these contributors are female.

This gender disparity isn’t just a statistic; it significantly influences the coverage and presentation of information on the internet’s largest encyclopedia. Referred to as the “gender gap,” this issue is widely recognized within both Wikipedia and the expansive Wikimedia movement.

The Power of the Few: 77% of Wikipedia Edits Made by 1% of Editors

When it comes to editing Wikipedia, a small fraction of the community holds significant influence. Remarkably, 77% of all edits on Wikipedia are made by just 1% of its editors. This elite group of contributors plays a crucial role in maintaining the quality and accuracy of the vast information on the platform. Their extensive knowledge and dedication ensure that Wikipedia remains a reliable source of information for millions of users worldwide.

However, this concentration of editing power also raises important questions about diversity and inclusivity in content creation. While these editors bring expertise, the limited pool of active contributors may inadvertently lead to biases in the content.

Recruiting and employment statistics

Hiring managers seek out negative content. Companies pass over potential employees based on things they see online, whether they’re accurate or not. These days, hiring managers spend far more time online in the search for potential candidates; therefore, it is inevitable that they are likely to come across anything that may be negative or incriminating.

This means that your personal Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube pages need to be as polished and professional as your LinkedIn page should be if you wish to appeal to hiring managers.

95% of businesses use social media in their recruiting process

Social media plays a huge role in the hiring process. According to survey results and data from Jobvite, Capterra, and Career Profiles, a whopping 95% of recruiters rely on social media information in their recruiting efforts. Of course, they do. Wouldn’t you?

Online social recruiting is on the rise in HR departments, having grown 54% in the past five years

In the case of job seekers, online social recruiting is on the rise in HR departments, having grown 54% in the past five years, according to a SHRM report.

Virtually all major companies are employing social recruiting in one form or another, and the momentum is not expected to slow down. Each year, it is predicted to occupy an even more significant role.

73% of companies consider LinkedIn the most effective site for finding qualified candidates

While most social recruiting is done via LinkedIn (73% of companies consider it the most effective site for finding qualified candidates), companies aren’t just using career social networks.

66% of companies report recruiting through Facebook, and 53% state recruiting via Twitter.

As the statistics suggest, most companies recruit through more than one of these sites.

Up to 69% of job seekers reported they would reject a job offered by a company with a bad reputation, even when unemployed

Unemployed job seekers would say no to the opportunity for a job if the offer came from a company with a bad reputation – especially in an economy where the unemployment rate is low. According to a Corporate Responsibility Magazine / Allegis Group Services survey, the percentage of rejections from job prospects could be as high as 69%!

If offered an increase in compensation of as much as 100%, 30% of the job seekers would still reject a job offer from a company with a bad reputation

Job seekers are confident in their decision to work for a company with a positive reputation. If offered an increase in compensation of as much as 100%, 30% of the job seekers would still reject the offer!

The cost of a bad reputation is enormous – companies with good reputations get better candidates, while those with questionable ones get what’s left. The separation of rich and poor companies continues apace. 

Social media statistics

Most people understand how online reputation works from an individual perspective. Brands use social media to gain social capital, a form of reputation.

Social media can also drive views to important content, which we hope will convert into buyers. But social media is like a two-sided sword – it can cut both ways. 

There is conflicting information regarding whether consumers are more likely to share positive or negative experiences on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms. Research suggests it’s about equal.

The average consumer mentions brands 90 times per week

One thing is certain: people pay close attention to social posts from friends.

And with the average consumer mentioning brands 90 times a week to their friends, family, and co-workers, you can never underestimate the necessity of providing positive experiences.

87% of people do comparative shopping for every single purchase they make, and they shop on multiple channels

A very large percentage of people always comparison shop. According to Mckinsey, 87% of people do comparative shopping for every purchase they make and shop on multiple channels.

Cross channel marketing

Brand reputation development relies heavily on a business’s ability to reach customers with compelling content through several channels. It’s not enough to simply launch a paid advertising campaign and wait for the masses to respond. Most companies use a blend of marketing channels to reach customers in the broadest way possible.

You can improve your online reputation and reduce your reputational risk by reaching out to Internet users intelligently and across as many channels as possible.

The purchase decisions of 78% of consumers are influenced by social media posts

People are using social media for more than checking in on their friends. More people are engaging with brands on social media, which means that brands that produce custom content are more likely to influence potential customers to commit to a purchase. 

75% of people use social media to research products

People rely on social media for research into purchasing decisions. Like ratings and reviews, what people see about your brand on social media will influence how they perceive it. 

71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family

Brands responding to customer comments, mentions, and messages show they care about building meaningful relationships.

These responses hardly go unnoticed, and 71% of consumers will recommend a brand that they’ve had a positive experience with to friends and family. In fact, most people are even willing to overlook negative reviews or comments if the company responds. 

39% of customers only trust brands if they have interacted with them on social platforms

Likewise, some customers will only trust a brand that they’ve interacted with on social media. This drives home the point that being active on social media is a necessary piece of your overall brand strategy. 

76% of American consumers purchased a product after seeing a brand’s social post

Social media impacts purchasing decisions so much that 76% of American consumers purchase a product after seeing a brand’s social post. 

Videos are the #1 branded content used by marketers. Nearly 93% of marketers say that they’ve landed a customer thanks to videos on social media.

Not all social media posts are effective. Research shows that videos are the top branded content used by marketers. 

86% of B2B organizations prefer LinkedIn for social media marketing, while 98% of B2C companies report using Facebook

Trying to create a huge presence on every social media outlet is unnecessary. Instead, focus on the 2 or 3 platforms where your target audience spends the most time. 

83% of consumers reported trustworthiness being the emotional factor that’s most aligned with their favorite brands.

Brands seen as trustworthy engender more loyalty.

62% of consumers said a company’s reputation is very important when considering their products, while 35% said somewhat important and 3% said not important at all.

Consumers value reputation: 62% prioritize a company’s reputation when choosing products, underscoring its pivotal role in decision-making. While 35% find it somewhat important, only 3% disregard it entirely

25% of adults have admitted to carelessly posting sensitive information about themselves on social media.

A quarter of adult internet users have admitted to sharing sensitive information about themselves (ex. address, full name, phone number) on their social media accounts.

66% of Gen-Z, 72% of millennials, 49% of Gen X, and 45% of baby boomers say social media impacts their buying decisions

Social media exerts a considerable influence on the purchasing choices of different generations. Surveys reveal that 66% of Gen Z, 72% of millennials, 49% of Gen X, and 45% of baby boomers attribute their buying decisions to social media interactions.

Conclusion

Online reputation management statistics may be scary, but they are not misleading. More companies are facing crisis management issues, seeking reputation management services, scrambling for public relations agencies, and trembling at the cost of reputation risk.

Don’t get lost in the swarm of statistics. The truth holds. Digital marketing has changed. It’s no longer just the process of measuring click-through rates, tweaking case studies, and publishing infographics. All of those may be important tactics in the digital marketing universe. But there is an angle to modern marketing that is potentially more important than any of this — online reputation management.

Review sites, complaint sites, Wikipedia, news agencies, Facebook, Twitter, Google search results — all of it matters, and it matters more than it did even six months ago.

Online reputation marketing is the new PR. Reputation curation is most companies’ first step, whether a small business or a Fortune 100.

ORM companies do what most public relations agencies and digital marketing shops can’t do — defend a business’s online reputation against decline and repair your online reputation.

With an eye on the trends in user behavior and an experienced reputation management partner supporting you, you can cultivate ongoing trust and respect for your online identity.

Call Reputation X at 1-800-889-4812 and contact us for more information and a complimentary consultation.

About the author

Kent Campbell is the chief strategist for Reputation X, an award-winning online reputation management agency. He has over 15 years of experience with SEO, Wikipedia editing, review management, and online reputation strategy. Kent has helped celebrities, leaders, executives, and marketing professionals improve the way they are seen online. Kent writes about reputation, SEO, Wikipedia, and PR-related topics, and is an expert witness for reputation-related legal matters.

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Tags: Online Reputation Management Services.