14 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 highlighted the top features of each company and added pros and cons for each.

1. Thryv – SEO Solutions

Thryv’s SEO experts specialize in helping small businesses grow their online presence. They’ll optimize your site and Google Business Profile so customers can more easily discover your brand. They do this by writing blog posts and articles for your website that build authority on search engines. They also provide week-over-week reporting so you can measure your performance over time. You can track keywords your brand ranks for and monitor key metrics in Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and your Google Business Profile. 

Pros:

• Complementary Monthly Highlights Report
• Designed specifically for small businesses
• Access to small business tools

Cons:

• Focus on local search – not as ideal for enterprise-level businesses

Pricing: Contact for Pricing

2. Go Fish

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

3. Affordable Reputation Management

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

4. WebiMax

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

Best Online Reputation Management Software

If you’re looking to manage your online reputation by yourself, I would recommend one of the following tools to get started.

1. Thryv – Reputation Management Software

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.

Key Features: 

• Enhanced local listings 
• Feedback collection
• Review management

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

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

2. Birdeye

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. GoReminders

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

4. Solutionreach

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

5. Sprout Social

Sprout Social can help you manage social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Its social listening tools track conversations and use AI to find mentions of your brand or other topics. It can visualize top keywords, hashtags, and mentions so you know what to include in your social media captions. Sprout might be a good choice for your business if your marketing strategy relies heavily on social media. 

Key Features:

• Social media management tools
• Influencer marketing programs
• AI and automation

Pros:

• Sprout sends notifications if it sees a sudden spike in engagement.
• AI assistants suggest responses to customer comments. 
• Employee empowerment tools give team members more opportunities to promote your brand.

Cons:

• Standard accounts are limited to five social profiles.
• Does not include any online listing tools. 

Pricing: $199/month for Standard plan; $299/month for Professional plan; $399/month for Advanced plan

6. Brandwatch

Brandwatch is a data-driven platform that offers social media management tools and consumer intelligence reports. The reports help you understand your customers, researching their behavior and preferences to craft stronger marketing campaigns. The social media tools help you create a content calendar to plan your social posts in advance without manually publishing them. One cool feature of Brandwatch is that it logs customer interactions with your brand on social media. That way, when a customer reaches out to you in the future, you can see their previous interactions with your company. 

Key Features: 

• Consumer intelligence reports
• Social media management
• Influencer marketing tools

Pros:

• AI assistants analyze your performance and provide insights about your social media content. 
• The social media inbox is customizable and easy to use. 

Cons:

• Some of these products are sold separately, so you may need to purchase multiple plans. 
• Does not include any online listing tools.

Pricing: Contact for pricing

7. Vendasta

Vendasta is white-label reputation management software designed for small businesses. White-label means the product is produced by one company and sold by another, typically under a trademark. This platform includes a CRM, social media marketing, and local SEO tools. It also has ad software for creating paid advertising campaigns. Vendasta typically caters to agency-based companies like marketing firms, social media teams, and other B2B brands.

Key Features:

• AI web chat
• Email and SMS marketing software
• Shared inbox

Pros:

• You can respond to customer reviews on Google and Yelp.
• You can survey customers using Net Promoter Score (NPS).
• Vendasta has geotargeting tools that track keyword ranking by location.

Cons:

• Starter accounts only come with one user.
• You have a limited number of snapshot reports each month.

Pricing: $79/month for Starter plan; $399/month for Professional plan; $799/month for Premium plan 

8. Determ

Determ tracks online mentions of your brand across 100+ million sources. The location or language doesn’t matter; this software identifies your company name whenever it’s listed on the internet so you can see what people are saying. There are also sentiment analysis tools that tell you if comments are positive or negative and summarize the overall perception of your brand. Determ will also alert you when activity spikes, making it easier to respond to crises or take advantage of viral trends.

Key Features:

• Campaign tracking & PR performance
• Media monitoring software
• Sentiment analysis tools

Pros:

• The media monitoring software tracks more than social media. It highlights mentions of your brand anywhere online.
• You can create and send reports in minutes using intuitive dashboard tools.

Cons:

• You have a limited number of topics and mentions for each account.
• This tool might not be as user-friendly for small business owners. 

Pricing: Contact for Pricing

9. NiceJob

NiceJob is a traditional online reputation management software that helps you respond to customer reviews. It’s easy to get started and built for small business owners, specifically in the professional and home services industries. While it has all the features you would expect (feedback collection, review management, social listening), it also has a gift-giving tool that you can use to reward loyal customers. You can send gift baskets, cards, food, and other things to show customers you appreciate them. It’s a unique feature that other providers don’t have. 

Key Features:

• Customer referral software
• Review management tools
• Website builder

Pros:

• NiceJob has automation features that encourage repeat purchases. 
• NiceJob will build you a website if you don’t have one.
• The social proofing tools help you share your reviews with potential customers. 

Cons:

• The website builder is an additional cost. 

Pricing: $75/month for Reviews plan; $125/month for Pro plan;

10. Grade.us

Grade.us sells what it calls a “review funnel.” In other words, it helps you create a landing page to collect customer reviews and direct customers to it. That way, you generate a steady stream of positive feedback that you can display on your website, social media pages, and online listings. Additional features include listings management and advanced analytics that track your digital presence over time. Grade.us also has flexible pricing plans, so it’s ideal for businesses of all sizes, industries, and needs.

Key Features: 

• White label review management
• Social Sharing
• Reporting & Analytics

Pros:

• Grade.us has a good onboarding plan, making it easy to set up and use. 
• You get email alerts whenever customers leave a new review. 

Cons:

• Each plan has a limited number of seats. 
• Text messages are included at an additional cost each month. 

Pricing: $25/seat/month for Partner plan; $40/user/month for Agency plan; $60/user/month for Professional plan; $110/user/month for Solo plan;

Small Business Reputation Management 

Every business needs to manage its reputation – but it’s particularly important for small businesses. Most people check review sites before choosing a local brand. So, your online reviews make a huge difference when customers consider your business. You’re more likely to make a sale if you have plenty of good reviews.

Good reviews will also help your SEO. Google and other search engines prioritize businesses that have multiple positive reviews. It indicates that your brand is trustworthy and people want to do business with you. Google will show your business at the top of search results because you have a good reputation.

What is the best online reputation management software for small businesses? 

The best online reputation management software for small businesses is a tool like Thryv. These platforms are built specifically for small companies and designed to help you grow. Using one of these tools will help you improve your reputation and collect more reviews that lead to repeat purchases and brand-new sales.

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.