Author: Amy Freeman | September 12, 2023

When you own a roofing company, you might spend most of your day meeting with clients or out on jobs. But there might be times when you find yourself behind a desk. During one of those times, you may fire up a search engine, type in your company's name and discover ... a one-star review! Or it could be that a link to your competitor's website is one of the first results when you search for your own business. What's going on?

If you haven't spent much time thinking about digital reputation management, it could be the case that your company's digital footprint — or what people see when they search for and interact with your business online — isn't as strong as it could be. It could also be that people are saying things about your company on review platforms that they might not say to your face. So, how do you deal with bad press?

Being proactive about your company's online presence is one of the first steps to take if you want to win more customers. Learn more about digital reputation management and why it's so important for your roofing company.

What Is a Digital Reputation?

Your company's digital reputation includes all of the information available about it online. Your business' website and its social media profiles help to shape your digital reputation. You have control over what you publish on Facebook or other channels and how your website looks and functions.

Some aspects of your digital reputation are somewhat out of your control. For example, customers can leave reviews on sites such as Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, or Google Reviews. Those reviews can be positive, which can help your reputation and lead to more clients. They can also be negative, which can adversely affect your reputation.

Why Does Your Online Reputation Matter?

Although word of mouth referrals from satisfied customers can help you grow your business, these days, people are also likely to search online and do some research before they contact a roofing contractor. Even if they've heard good things from their friends, a lead might be hesitant to work with you if they find multiple critical reviews. If your website isn't up to date, it can also affect people's impression of your business, and customers may hesitate to contact you.

Focusing on building up your online reputation can help you connect with customers and even give you a leg up in terms of search results — meaning more people are likely to come your way. For example, the algorithms of certain search engines favor websites that are updated frequently (meaning when customers search "roofers near me" or "roofing Northeastern Pennsylvania," your business website will be more likely to appear). Keeping your site current or adding blog posts or news updates to it from time to time can make your business more likely to appear on the first page of search results.

How to Manage Your Digital Reputation

Digital reputation management is all about communication. Keep the lines of communication open between your company and your current and potential clients. That can mean being easy to reach through social media, for example. If a client messages you on Facebook, try to respond as quickly as possible, as the social media network shares your response speed with visitors. If you have a contact form on your website, make sure someone from your company replies to any messages that come in.

Keeping communication open also means sharing updates about your company on as many channels as possible. Keep your business hours current on your social media profiles and website and on sites such as Yelp. You might also want to let people know what safety precautions you are taking during the pandemic, such as wearing masks and maintaining six feet of distance between workers.

Responding to Bad Reviews

If you do get a bad review, how should you handle it? Most sites let you respond to reviews but be careful with the approach you take. Be kind and courteous to anyone who complains, even if they were rude. Apologize and offer to follow up with them privately to try to right the wrong or come to an agreement.

It's advantageous to be the roofing company in your area with the strongest online presence. When you're proactive about your digital reputation, you'll spend less time putting out fires and more time following up on promising leads.