Reviews are becoming more and more popular via the Internet and it may be the reason a consumer purchases a product, chooses another product, or remembers that brand for a long time. A wide range of retailers now offer reviews on their site if not most of them. If the business doesn't offer reviews, you can likely find them on Google or other online directories like Yelp.com. It's likely you can find at least one review about almost any local business or service in your area.

Can consumers find you? What are they saying about you?

Why is this important for real estate professionals?

Real estate is catching up, says 1000watt in their recent article "Taking the Fear out of Agent Reviews." And it's true, consumers are starting to share their experience – good and bad – and trust others' experiences, even those of complete strangers hundreds of miles away. It's quite the big deal to buy or sell a home, and consumers want a top-notch professional to represent them. And, what better testament to your reputation than good 'ol word-of-mouth promotions from a real, live person.

What happens if and when you have a bad review?

It's the reaction of the service provider and/or the brand that's important. So you, as the real estate professional, should address the concern. Consumers are searching for reviews from other users. However, it's also engagement from the brand that sparks interest. By seeing you express gratitude for kind words or acknowledge an unhappy experience, it shows that you have a human side to the brand and that you care about your customers and/or clients. This, often times, can be more important than the past experience itself.

#1 Rule: ALWAYS RESPOND TO REVIEWS.

Viewing your reviews as a threat is the wrong way of looking at it – embrace the review as a chance to reconcile and show that you truly care about their feedback and are taking the steps to fix the issue that they were unhappy with. Whether the review was one month ago or one year ago, still respond. Show engagement and show people searching for you that you are also looking at your own reviews and care about your reputation as much as they do.

See how the Good Life Team in Austin used their reviews to boost their online reputation.

Not sure how to boost your online reputation? Homes.com is here to help! With Social Impact, we'll help you manage all aspects of your online presence from Facebook posts, directory listings to online reviews.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.