If there was a simple way for you to find out, before you bought a business’ product or service, whether you would be happy or disappointed with what you received and with the level of the business’ customer service, would this affect your decision about whether to buy? Of course it absolutely would, and you’re not alone. Every consumer would love to have the ability to predict whether their money will be well spent. Unfortunately, there is no way to see into the future, so one must predict as best they can with the tools we have. Today, this usually translates into running a search on the Internet, where an individual can quickly learn how businesses represent themselves, whether they appear to provide the products or services that are desired, how other customers feel about them, and much, much more. And when you run an Internet search today, you are most likely to run it on Google.

Google Search Results and Businesses

“Google it,” is uttered so often these days that it’s essentially become synonymous with running any sort of search on the Internet, and for good reason–Google is currently the largest and most reputable search engine currently in existence. A search on Google is how many people learn about businesses they are considering doing business with, which means that Google search results have enormous power. It’s no wonder then that many businesses will Google themselves in order to keep track of and improve their online image.

Digimax, a web design and marketing agency, recently conducted a survey wherein thirty-seven percent of businesses admitted that they believe Google search results affect them enough to make or break them. This survey also revealed that:

• Ten percent of businesses are surprised by what they find when they Google themselves.
• Sixty-nine percent of businesses are interested in discovering what users will find when they run searches for their kind of business.
• Just over sixty percent of businesses evaluate their competition based on their Google search results–with a primary focus on competitor visibility.
• Fifty-seven percent of businesses find customer reviews through Google.
• Forty-four percent of businesses admitted that they use Google in order to discover what users will see if running a search for their business name.
• Twenty-six percent of businesses used Google in order to find negative comments about them.
• Forty-three percent of businesses indicated that their Google search results were pleasing.

Marketing professionals and online reputation management companies both recognize the power of Google, using it to expand a business’ reach and improve their reputation so that they can realize their goals in expanding their customer and client base. Not only are businesses becoming increasingly aware of their ranking in Google search results and interested in improving their ranking, they are also learning how Google search results affect their overall image and what users think of them. This is partly due to the fact that businesses today must establish and maintain a strong online presence in order to meet with success in our current, tech-savvy world.

SEO Reputation Management

In essence, and whether it was ever intended to work out this way, Google search results have become the primary way for users to get a good feel for businesses, and for businesses to demonstrate their worth to users.

So can Google search results make or break your business? The simple answer is yes, they absolutely can. It’s up to you to ensure that the power of Google search results aids you in building and stabilizing your business through proper search reputation management. For professional help with your search engine reputation management needs, contact us today.