Reputation Management Checklist for Australian Businesses

Quick-start reputation checklist

This reputation checklist is designed to be printed and actioned. Tick off each item before moving to the next section.

• Claim, verify and fully complete Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect for every location.
• Ensure NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent across your website, GBP, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn and key Australian directories.
• Create a simple, always-on review request flow triggered after each sale, service or appointment.
• Publish response templates for positive, neutral and negative reviews; train staff on tone and timings.
• Set up monitoring: Google Alerts for brand + key people; check GBP reviews and messages daily.
• List top industry review sites (e.g., ProductReview.com.au, Trustpilot if relevant) and refresh profiles.
• Create an escalation path for serious complaints or legal concerns; document who responds and when.
• Add a “Reviews” page to your website with embedded GBP reviews and guidance on how to leave one.
• Track monthly: new reviews, star rating, response time, review distribution by platform.

Baseline presence and profile completeness

Strong reputation starts with accurate profiles that customers actually see. Focus on search-first assets, then expand to industry sites.

• Google Business Profile (GBP): complete every field, add services, categories, opening hours, attributes, logo, cover and 10+ high-quality photos.
• Apple Business Connect: ensure categories, hours and photos mirror GBP for iOS users and Apple Maps.
• Facebook and LinkedIn: correct NAP data, About copy aligned with your positioning, contact details, website and UTM-tagged links.
• Key Australian directories: Yellow Pages, TrueLocal, Hotfrog and relevant industry associations.
• Website alignment: contact details match profiles; embed a map and clickable phone; add schema (LocalBusiness/Organization) where appropriate.

Tip: Create a single source of truth for NAP data and brand assets to prevent drift.

Review generation system

Steady, recent reviews increase trust and improve local rankings. Build a lightweight system that runs every week.

• Identify review moments: completion email, SMS after job, or front-desk handover.
• Automate requests via CRM or email tool; send within 24–48 hours of service.
• Use a single, direct GBP review link with UTM parameters for tracking.
• Rotate gentle reminders at 5 and 14 days if no action.
• Collect private feedback first for complex or regulated cases, then invite public review where appropriate.
• Do not gate reviews or filter only happy customers; follow ACCC guidance.

Response policy, tone and templates

Public responses are part of your brand. Aim for calm, timely and specific replies that show you listened and acted.

• Publish response SLAs: within 1 business day for reviews and messages; 4 hours for urgent issues.
• Positive reviews: thank the customer by name, reference the service and invite them back.
• Neutral reviews: acknowledge, clarify next steps, and offer a direct contact channel.
• Negative reviews: apologise where appropriate, avoid defensiveness, move to private resolution fast, then close the loop publicly.
• Sensitive cases: avoid sharing personal or health information; follow privacy obligations in Australia.

Create short templates for each scenario and personalise before posting.

Monitoring and alerts

Detect issues early and protect your search results. Assign owners and check daily.

• Set Google Alerts for brand, website, key people and trademark terms.
• Check GBP reviews, Q&A and messages daily; respond or route internally.
• Track brand SERP: knowledge panel, site links, Top Stories and People Also Ask.
• Watch social mentions: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn comments and DMs.
• Industry sites: monitor ProductReview.com.au or other sector platforms if relevant.

Fix root-cause issues

Reputation management is not only comms. Use feedback to fix operations and prevent repeats.

• Tag reviews by theme: speed, price, quality, communication, billing, follow-up.
• Create an internal feedback loop with owners and due dates.
• Publish improvements where appropriate to show progress.
• Use CSAT/NPS surveys to validate changes and reduce negative surprises.

Control the first page of Google

What people find matters as much as what you say. Strengthen assets that can rank for branded searches.

• Website: add a Reviews page and key proof pages (Case Studies, Awards, Media mentions).
• Content: publish answers to common objections and service quality questions.
• Profiles: keep LinkedIn, Facebook and industry listings active and accurate.
• PR: capture and optimise any legitimate media coverage; add schema where suitable.

Crisis and escalation plan

Prepare for low-probability, high-impact events. Decide in advance who acts and how.

• Define severity levels and decision-makers.
• Prepare holding statements for service outages, data issues or safety incidents.
• Escalate legal/privacy matters to qualified Australian advisors as needed.
• Keep an incident log with timestamps, channels and actions taken.

Measurement and reporting

Track progress and prove impact on visibility and conversion.

• Volume: new reviews per month per location and per platform.
• Quality: average star rating and sentiment themes.
• Velocity: review recency and consistency over 90 days.
• Response: median time-to-respond and percentage responded.
• Distribution: share of reviews across GBP, Facebook and industry sites.
• Outcomes: organic calls, direction requests and website clicks from GBP; lead conversion rate lift after reviews improve.

Weekly, monthly and quarterly routines

• Weekly: process new reviews and messages, send review requests, check alerts.
• Monthly: refresh photos, post to GBP, review metrics and fix recurring issues.
• Quarterly: audit NAP consistency, update templates, re-check branded SERP and competitor benchmarks.

Australian considerations

• Follow ACCC guidance on online reviews: no misleading conduct, no review gating, disclose any incentives.
• Respect privacy obligations; avoid sharing personal details in public responses.
• High-regulation sectors (medical, legal, financial) may have extra rules—seek sector-specific guidance.

Reputation Management pages

Related pillar pages

FAQs

• What is a reputation management checklist? A practical list of steps that helps you set up reviews, responses, monitoring and crisis plans so your business is fairly represented online.
• How often should we ask for reviews? Aim for every completed job or purchase, with weekly batching to keep volumes steady and recent.
• Can we offer incentives? Only if offered regardless of sentiment, with clear disclosure, and never tied to positive reviews. Follow ACCC guidance.
• How do we deal with fake reviews? Respond once, report with evidence on the platform and keep records. Seek legal advice for serious defamation or privacy concerns.
• What metrics matter most? New reviews per month, average rating, response time and distribution by platform—plus calls, directions and site clicks from GBP.