This post has been modified to reflect new information since its original publication.
For individuals and brands alike, the things that other people are saying about you on the Internet can have a profound effect on your real-world life. While a positive online reputation can be a boon—both personally and professionally—a negative online reputation can lead to a host of issues, including:
- Lost employment
- Relationship problems
- Not getting into the college you wanted
- Reduced revenue
- Lack of customers
- Staffing difficulties
We update this article annually. In 2023, the number of people with access to the internet grew to 4.95 billion (or 64.4% of the world’s population), which means your online audience is larger than ever before. This makes the following statistics about how your online reputation impacts specific areas of your life and business even more relevant.
Career
Employers are searching for you online. To ensure you are marketable, you need to construct a positive and professional online reputation.
1. 98% of employers research candidates online. (The Manifest)
2. 90% of employers consider a candidate’s social media activity. (The Manifest)
3. 79% of employers have rejected candidates due to things they’ve posted on social media. (The Manifest)
4. 55% of employers have chosen not to hire a candidate based on something they found in his or her social media profiles. (The Harris Poll)
5. 78% of hiring decision-makers think employees should keep their social profiles work-appropriate, even after they are hired. (The Harris Poll)
6. 72% of recruiters check candidates on LinkedIn. (Jobvite) (PDF)
7. 1 out of 5 (21%) of hiring managers are less likely to interview someone they can’t find online. (The Harris Poll)
8. 34% of Americans have posted on social media while high (and 21% regret it). (Center for Drug Use and HIV Research)
Education
Your social media posts are now part of your transcripts. Make sure that your online activity gives you a boost—and not a black eye—when it’s time to apply for college. The best way to do this is to avoid posting anything controversial or inappropriate.
9. 36% of admissions officers incorporate a search of a person’s social media into their application process. (Kaplan)
10. 46% of American teens say they are online nearly all the time. (Pew Research Center)
11. 35% of American teens are on a social media platform “almost constantly.” (Pew Research Center)
12. 38% of admissions officers report that what they found online had a positive impact on a candidate’s application. (Kaplan)
13. 32% of admissions officers claim that the things they found negatively impacted a candidate’s chances. (Kaplan)
Dating
Your prospective dates will likely check you out online before meeting you. Will they be impressed by what they find? Review all of your social media profiles to be sure they present the best version of you.
14. 44% of people search their matches’ names before meeting IRL. (YouGov)
15. Roughly 30% of singles who researched their matches decided not to meet up with someone due to what they found (or didn’t find) online. (Avast)
16. 23% of online dating app users have done a reverse image search on a picture. (Avast)
Revenue
People are searching for your company online and making purchasing decisions based on the information they find. Therefore, it’s important to have a strategy for generating good reviews and responding effectively to bad ones.
17. 82% of consumers have either purchased, researched, or considered purchasing a product or service after seeing friends, family or influencers post about it. (Matter Communications)
18. 21% of people search online daily for a local business. (BrightLocal)
19. 86% of executives say reputation risk is a potentially crippling business liability. (Willis Towers Watson)
20. A company’s reputation is responsible for 63% of a company’s market value. (Weber Shandwick)
21. 71% of consumers claim that brands that appear to value profits over people will lose their trust forever. (Edelman Trust Barometer)
22. 54% of consumers won’t patronize a business that has fewer than four stars. (BrightLocal)
23. A 1-star rating increase leads to a 2.2–3.0% rise in hotel monthly revenues. (Yong Chen and ATM Sayfuddin)
24. 3 out of 4 respondents said online reviews were “extremely or very important” when making travel decisions. (TripAdvisor)
25. 30% of the top 500 US [public] companies’ overall market performance can be attributed to the non-financial factors associated with their respective corporate reputation. (Reputation Dividend)
26. 77% of consumers “always” or “regularly” read reviews when browsing for local businesses. (BrightLocal)
27. Roughly 50% of consumers will pay more for a product if the business has positive reviews. (Podium)
28. Only 9% of people would patronize a business with a 1- or 2-star average rating. (Podium)
29. 45% of consumers are more inclined to visit a business that responds to negative reviews. (ReviewTrackers)
30. 56% of people trust search engines the most when researching a business. (Edelman Trust Barometer) (PDF)
31. 79% of consumers believe online reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations. (BrightLocal)
32. 70% of consumers use rating filters while searching for businesses. (ReviewTrackers)
33. Just 3% of consumers said they would consider using a business with an average star rating of two or fewer stars. (BrightLocal)
34. 94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business. (ReviewTrackers)
35. Over half of consumers feel that trust is second only to price when it comes to deciding to do business with a brand. (Edelman Trust Barometer)
36. 92% of people won’t want to use a business because of its bad reviews. (BrightLocal)
37. 55% of consumers say that once a company has violated their trust they will NEVER give it their business again. (Adobe)
38. 31% of individuals go to a business’s website after viewing a positive review. (BrightLocal)
39. There’s a 108.3% lift in conversion among consumers who interact with reviews on product pages. (PowerReviews)
40. Consumers read an average of 10 reviews before they consider a business trustworthy. (BrightLocal)
41. 44% of people won’t buy a product if it has zero ratings or reviews. (PowerReviews)
42. 70% of individuals are more likely to patronize a business that responds to negative reviews. (BrightLocal)
43. 82% of people are willing to pay more for a hotel with a 4-star rating over one with a 3-star rating. (Medallia Zingle) (PDF)
44. Companies with less than a 5-star rating stand to lose 12% of their customer base. (BrightLocal)
45. 98% of consumers feel that reviews are an essential resource when making purchase decisions. (PowerReviews)
Staffing
If your company has a bad online reputation, it will be harder to hire new employees. Investing in reputation management techniques can help you make your business more attractive.
46. 82% of job seekers take an employer’s brand and reputation into account before applying to a job. (CareerArc)
47. 86% of employees and job seekers research company reviews and ratings to decide on where to apply for a job. (Glassdoor)
48. 86% of women and 67% of men in the United States wouldn’t join a company with a bad reputation. (Glassdoor)
49. A strong employer brand can reduce the cost per hire by as much as 50%, and a negative reputation can cost a company as much as 10% more per hire. (Glassdoor)
50. 50% of candidates say they wouldn’t work for a company with a bad reputation, even for a pay increase. (Glassdoor)
“Strategically cultivating and maintaining a strong reputation, both internally and externally, has to be a top priority for all business leaders today.”—Leslie Gaines-Ross chief reputation strategist-in-residence at Weber Shandwick