Tag: management

Best Online Reputation Management

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You’re already doing so much for your business. How do you successfully manage your online reputation, too?

You can do it and do it well. But if you’re already managing a lot, your best bet is outsourcing it to an ORM, or an online reputation manager. 

Your online image can determine how long you stay in business and if your profits grow year after year. The problem with that is that you can’t always control what customers say about you online, or even when a damaging business mishap gets out in the open. 

To help you put your best image out there, I’ve reviewed and done extensive research on online reputation managers, so you don’t have to. Finding the best ORM for you is easy once you know exactly what you need. 

The Top 4 Options For Online Reputation Management

  1. Go Fish Digital – The best ORM for managing reviews 
  2. Reputation Rhino – The best for individuals and small businesses
  3. Reputation Resolutions – The best ORM for crisis management
  4. Big Leap – The best for SEO and content management

How to Choose The Best Online Reputation Management For You

Unfortunately, there isn’t a singular “best” reputation manager that fits every business like a glove. If there was, then this guide wouldn’t be necessary. 

Different ORMs cater to different services. This can mean some are better than others at crisis management, online monitoring, online review management, SEO focused branded content strategy, or even supplying attorneys to advocate on your behalf.

First, are you building a new online reputation from scratch? Maybe you’re trying to improve a negative reputation? Or are you being proactive and investing in maintaining a good one?

You have to determine where you are on your reputation management journey. Then you can think about a few factors that can refine your search even more.

Business Size and Type

Your company size generally correlates with the size of your reputation. Obviously, the bigger and more varied your sales channels, the more work you’ll have managing how you look online.  

Your business’s size can also dictate the amount you’ll want to invest in ORM services. Some questions to consider are: What is your estimated current business reach? What types of distribution channels do you sell through or publish content on? Are you a service-based business, an organization, or an e-commerce store?

When choosing the best ORM for you, these are some key questions to consider before moving forward. If your business isn’t a complex enterprise, you won’t need a costly ORM that specializes in litigation, video removal, or a team of expert attorneys. 

Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy also determines the type of online reputation management you need. 

Do you primarily sell via a content creation strategy? Do you sell on multiple e-commerce platforms? Is your business big enough that it sells through on-air advertising? Do you already have a strong social media presence that drives sales?

Outlining how you primarily reach your customers is another way to narrow down your search. If you don’t, it might affect how well your ORM can deliver results. 

Long-Term Crisis Management

Think about the future of your business and its reputation. Sure, at some point you might need to put out a reputation fire that caught you by surprise ASAP. Or maybe you’re only getting started and want your name out there in the short-term in a positive light to drive more sales.

But do you have a long-term plan for managing reputation crises that will inevitably come up in the future?

This will determine which ORM can deliver on either your short-term or long-term goals. Each one is built differently to cater to your business goals, as we’ll see further in this guide. 

The Different Types of Online Reputation Management

There are tons of online reputation managers out there that offer a lot of the same services. But most of them fall into three main types. Most reputation management companies will provide an initial analysis and general monitoring of your reputation’s current state. 

After that, they start to get a little more specific in how they specialize.

Crisis Management

Crisis management usually takes more than a one-off approach to managing any brand’s reputation. You might need more than image takedowns, burying negative reviews with positive ones, or generating positive content. 

How an ORM handles a crisis can mark the difference between a business that survives through it or one that suffers those losses and ultimately closes its doors. 

ORMs that handle crisis management usually approach them from all angles, meaning deploying a long-term reputation management strategy and additional costs. 

Online Review Management

Online reputation management specializing in managing negative reviews tends to be a great fit for service-based businesses and e-commerce stores. 

Those terrible product reviews you read first on any product you find online? The right ORM can be effective in either removing them with their own set of tools and contacts or burying them with positive reviews over time. 

Businesses with reviews on Yelp, Amazon, or their own storefronts can benefit significantly from hiring an ORM effective in negative review management. 

Though, if you’re an enterprise-grade business that needs review removal as part of a broader strategy, you’ll want to go with a more varied ORM. 

Content Management

ORMs can focus on content creation as a reputation management strategy, surrounding your business with tons of positive branding.

They don’t necessarily have attorneys at your beck and call ready to take down negative media propaganda. But their laser-focus on SEO strategies that put the best reviews and mentions of you out there can be worth it if it means you’ll make a great first impression. 

This also improves your new and returning customer experience. 

A majority of your customers are using Google to search for your products or services. Making sure search results show the best content about you online is the way to go if you’re a content-focused business. 

#1 – Go Fish Digital — The Best ORM For Managing Reviews

I’ve listed Go Fish Digital as the best agency for managing reviews, and while that’s true, Go Fish Digital also wows with the option of full-service reputation management used by the likes of Geico, Ford, and Airbnb.

With Go Fish, you can gain thorough insight into your customers’ reviews and comments online. 

They work closely with huge review sites like Yelp to manage negative reviews by advocating for review removal on your behalf through their agency tools. They also work to get your best Yelp reviews to the top for more visibility. 

They’re exhaustive in their brand monitoring abilities and monitor all corners of the internet like Wikipedia and Reddit threads to create a plan of action in your favor.  

Go Fish’s review management works by pushing positive content to higher visibility with SEO, adjusting copy in public places where you’re mentioned, cleaning up Google autocomplete, and even promoting positive information about your business wherever your target audience is. 

As they create results, they keep you up to date with a relevant score you can see on their dashboard. 

To be clear, Go Fish is a reputable ORM that does not post false reviews for you. Still, their Yelp review management service is one of their strong suits.

Some of their best review management features are:

  • Managing negative Google reviews
  • Negative auto-complete cleanup often generated from those reviews
  • A dashboard that keeps you updated on your brand’s daily search results
  • Crafting a strategy for your business to encourage the best reviews possible
  • Creating and delivering a strong case on your behalf for negative review removal to the Yelp team

For pricing, you’ll have to contact them directly to get a quote. 

As with most ORMs, their prices change depending on the size of your business and the specific services you’re looking for.

Get in touch with Go Fish to get an initial quote. 

#2 – Reputation Rhino — The Best For Individuals and Small businesses

If you’re wondering who exactly needs reputation management, Reputation Rhino’s answer is ‘everyone.’ That’s why it’s the best ORM for solopreneurs and small businesses.

Reputation Rhino is a leading online reputation manager based in New York with clients like Disney, Microsoft, and Nestle. They offer a number of reputation solutions for almost any scenario imaginable, including ones that cater impressively to an individual and their personal brand.  

It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, university, hotel, or contractor, Reputation Rhino helps you with Glassdoor, Yelp, and YouTube review removals, social media management, and even an SEO strategy to put the best parts of your brand (or yourself) front and center. 

Do you have terrible images that need to get removed from Google? They can do that. Do you need to fight against libel and personal defamation? Their team of public relations specialists can do that, too. These are services an individual or small business may not know how to do or not have time to take care of.

Their best ORM services for individuals include:

  • A personalized strategy to defend against smear campaigns
  • Suppressing negative online search results
  • Adding an extra layer of protection to your personal privacy
  • Eliminating news articles, forum comments, and negative content

As an individual or SMB, you might be nervous about investing money into an ORM. To help, Reputation Rhino offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that can ease your worries about whether they’ll deliver. If you need a more personal approach to reputation management, Reputation Rhino is happy to work with you individually. 

Their pricing starts at $1,000. But you’ll have to contact them for a personalized package. 

Get started with Reputation Rhino and request more information.  

#3 – Reputation Resolutions — The Best ORM For Crisis Management

Unlike other ORMs out there, Reputation Resolutions is the go-to agency for crisis management that can start working on your behalf in 24-72 hours.

A combination of their speedy response, team of attorneys, wide array of solutions, and seasoned professional team makes them the best ORM for enterprise-level reputation and crisis management. 

Maybe your business is an established corporation, but there’s been a sudden increase of negative reviews, you’re dealing with a handful of loud, angry customers online, or there is negative propaganda about you in the media. Ouch. Reputation Resolutions provides everything you need to turn a crisis around. 

Here’s a quick rundown of their top-tier crisis management features:

  • Cyber forensic investigation
  • News article removal
  • Court record removal
  • Thorough and ongoing reputation monitoring
  • Private information removal
  • Unwanted image removal

If you’re an smaller or mid-sized business looking for a management agency to simply take care of negative reviews, Reputation Solutions isn’t the agency for you. 

Alternatively, if you’re an established, well-known business in need of comprehensive PR management, attorneys, or copyright infringement services, then look no further than what Reputation Solutions can offer you. 

To get a pricing quote, email or call them for a free consultation, and they will learn more about you and tailor their services to your specific needs. 

#4 – Big Leap — The Best For SEO And Content Management

Big Leap’s ORM services are designed around one thing: content management. Their award-winning content marketing strategy centers around burying the negative and growing the positive.

This is fantastic news for you if you’re looking for an ORM that cares deeply about gaining customer trust through a long-term strategy. 

If your marketing strategy is mainly through content, you’re not as concerned about a sudden PR crisis, or Yelp reviews are mostly irrelevant to your sales success, then Big Leap’s trust-building approach can help you create results. 

They begin by scouring the internet for every mention of your business.  They do social media and search audits, along with a competitive analysis, to give them the bigger picture of where your reputation lies. 

Then they create a positive content strategy tailored specifically for you through brand-strengthening content and social media campaigns. As they execute their content strategy, Big Leap regularly reports back to you with updated results.

Some of their best ORM content management features include:

  • Brand name monitoring
  • Content strategy, creation, and promotion
  • Site optimization
  • Constant workflow updates on content strategy execution

Big Leap doesn’t list their prices publicly, but you can request a quote on their site. 

Conclusion

You don’t have to suffer from a bad reputation that only seems to be out of your hands. There are plenty of agencies out there that can help lighten your reputation management load once you’ve reached out and established a relationship with them. 

Online reputation management agencies can indeed offer a lot of the same services. But look closer to find what they specialize in. Hopefully, this in-depth guide helped shed light on which of the top ORMs can work for you.

Check out each agency on this list and get a quote from the one that fits you best to start managing your online reputation now. 

The post Best Online Reputation Management appeared first on Neil Patel.

Best Content Management Systems

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

A content management system—CMS for short—gives you the ability to publish content on the Internet. 

These systems make it possible for everyday users to build websites and post content without having to write code or learn programming languages. Without a CMS, you’d have to write web pages using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.  

There are tons of different content management systems available on the market today. So naming just one as the definitive “best overall” option is impractical. 

With that said, there are definitely CMS platforms that are better than others, depending on your specific use cases and unique scenarios. This guide will help you choose the best content management system for your website. 

Here are my top picks:

The Top 6 Options For Content Management Systems

  1. Wix
  2. Shopify
  3. WordPress
  4. Drupal
  5. Squarespace
  6. TYPO3

How to Choose the Best Content Management System For You

There are specific elements that you need to consider as you’re shopping around and evaluating various CMS platforms. Use the following factors as a buying guide to help narrow down your options and choose the best option for your site:

Usability

The primary factor that you need to consider is the usability of a CMS. What will you be using it for? Who specifically will be using it?

Marketers and writers might be creating the content, but those people may not have the skills to manage it online, format it, and write lines of code. If this sounds like your scenario, make sure the CMS is easy enough for non-technical users to manage. 

Look for solutions with a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, drag-and-drop building tools, simple publishing features, and the ability to embed third-party content or add rich media. 

The type of website you’re creating will also fall into this category. For example, blogs, ecommerce sites, and portfolio sites won’t have the same needs. 

Security

Security should always be a top concern when you’re looking at CMS software. 

Some platforms will have built-in safeguards and security features to fight off malicious attacks and hackers. Other tools rely on third-party plugins and extensions for security. Generally speaking, popular and open-source CMS platforms are more vulnerable to attacks. You’ll have to install your own security plugins to adequately keep your site safe. 

But these platforms typically have an extensive marketplace with a plethora of plugins—so it shouldn’t be too difficult, even though it requires an extra step. 

SEO

The best content management systems will come standard with features and tools to boost your SEO efforts.

Examples include XML site maps, meta descriptions, custom permalink structures, alt text, title tags, etc. In addition to these out-of-the-box SEO features, you should consider using CMS software that will let you add third-party plugins or extensions to better serve and enhance your SEO strategy. 

Support

Find out what type of technical support is provided by the CMS platform you’re using. 

What happens if you have a question, run into a problem, or need help? Will you be stuck to figure it out on your own? Or can you seek assistance from a support agent?

If you’re using an open-source CMS, you probably won’t have the luxury of dedicated support. You’ll have to rely on tutorials, self-help articles, and forums. But if you’re using a site builder or SaaS CMS, you can usually expect 24/7 support. 

Custom Capabilities

Some CMS software will restrict what you can do with your website.

For many people, this is a non-issue. But for those of you looking for complete customization with no restrictions, you’ll have to go with an open-source CMS system. 

These platforms let you customize everything using the HTML code of your site. So it’s a great choice for developers and tech-savvy users. With that said, even non-technical users can benefit from customization by leveraging third-party plugins or extensions. 

If you can’t find a custom function from a feature marketplace, you’ll need to have a developer build one for you. Make sure your CMS is compatible with this level of customization if you plan to go this route. 

The Different Types of Content Management Systems

CMS platforms come in all different shapes and sizes. Before we dive into the reviews for my top picks, I want to quickly explain the different options you’ll come across as you’re shopping around. Understanding the differences between these systems will make it much easier to find the best CMS for your website. 

Open Source CMS

An open-source content management system can be for any purpose. Anyone can use these without a license. These platforms can be fully customized without the need to request special permission.

An open-source CMS will be cheaper than other platforms that require subscriptions. Developers and users who want full custom capabilities without restrictions will benefit from using an open-source CMS. 

It’s usually fairly easy to optimize your content for search engines with open source CMS platforms. Adding plugins and other extensions to extend the functionality is fairly simple as well.

Website Builders

Site builders are great for beginners. They make it possible for non-technical users to build a website without writing code or dealing with the backend requirements. 

These will usually have drag-and-drop or WYSIWYG editors. 

Website builders are easy to use and allow you to publish content quickly on the web. But they are a bit restrictive in terms of what you can customize. You’ll eventually run into limitations with site builders. 

For many people, that’s fine. If you don’t need to create anything complex, a website builder should be more than suitable for your needs. 

Ecommerce Platforms

As the name implies, ecommerce CMS platforms are built specifically for online stores.

These platforms come out of the box with everything you need to manage your ecommerce content. You can still run an online store using an open-source CMS or website builder with ecommerce capabilities. However, if you’re starting a new ecommerce site from scratch and don’t want to do a ton of heavy-lifting, look for an ecommerce-specific CMS. 

Proprietary CMS

A proprietary CMS will require a license to use. 

In short, this means that someone else owns the rights that CMS. You’ll need their permission to use it. Even if you obtain a license, you probably won’t be able to duplicate the CMS. You might also encounter restrictions related to what you can customize and alter within that license. Some proprietary CMS platforms will offer developer licenses for these scenarios. 

If you’re using a proprietary CMS to build your website and decide to move it somewhere else down the road, you could run into some serious problems. Some sites only work if they stay within the proprietary CMS that they were built with. So use caution if you go this route. 

SaaS CMS

SaaS (software as a service) CMS are typically cloud-hosted subscription-based tools. Many of these tools come with CMS, tech support, and web hosting, all from a single provider. 

The rates are usually offered on a per-site or per-user basis. Pricing is also based on storage levels, bandwidth, and support level. These systems can be offered as fully managed or partially managed solutions. The best option for you will depend on if you want to manage updates, security, backups, and other customizations on your own. 

#1 – Wix Review — The Best CMS For Building New Websites

Wix is one of the easiest website builders available on the market today. Its simplicity makes it a popular choice for non-technical users who want to create a website from scratch.

I like Wix because it offers an intuitive drag-and-drop building tool. So you can add elements to your site and manage your content without writing a single line of code.

Aside from Wix being an excellent choice for beginners, here’s a quick overview of the other highlights that make this CMS stand out from the crowd:

  • 500+ free templates
  • Optimized for SEO and mobile
  • Create password protected membership pages
  • Contact management tools for subscriber lists
  • Ecommerce capability with product pages, payment acceptance, and store management
  • Bookings and calendar management
  • Blog management tools with multiple writers and contributors
  • Photography, video, and media management tools
  • Free hosting and free SSL certificate

Overall, Wix’s content management system is extremely versatile. It’s trusted by restaurants, musicians, online stores, small businesses, bloggers, and sites in virtually every industry.

The platform is free to use with a Wix subdomain, but that’s not really practical for most users. Premium plans start at just $14 per month. 

#2 – Shopify Review — The Best CMS For Ecommerce Sites

If you’re starting an online store and need an ecommerce-specific CMS, look no further than Shopify. 

Businesses of all shapes and sizes have been using Shopify to sell online. Whether you’re building a new site from scratch or switching from your existing CMS, Shopify can accommodate your needs.

Let’s take a closer look and see why Shopify’s CMS platform ranks so high on my list:

  • Manage products and sell from your site, social media, and online marketplaces
  • Built-in marketing tools
  • Simple dashboard to manage products, orders, payments, and shipping
  • 4,100+ apps to add features and functionality to your site
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Unlimited products
  • 24/7 support

Shopify even has a marketplace of experts for hire. So if you need assistance with SEO or getting your store setup, you can find a qualified expert directly within the platform. 

Another reason to consider Shopify as your CMS platform is because it’s built to scale. Plans start at $29 per month, and you can try it free for 14 days. 

#3 – WordPress Review — The World’s Most Popular CMS

WordPress powers 38% of the Internet, making it the most popular content management system on the planet.

The platform supports everything from small personal blogs to some of the biggest news websites in the world. 

As a free and open-source CMS, WordPress is virtually limitless. You’ll have total control over every aspect of your site, with no restrictions on customizations. This makes WordPress a popular choice for developers and tech-savvy users.

But even non-technical users can take advantage of WordPress. It has an extensive library of 57,000+ plugins, which makes it easy to add functionality to your site. 

Other top features include:

  • Fully customizable designs
  • Mobile responsive content
  • SEO friendly
  • Powerful media management tools
  • High performance and easy to access

The downside of using a free and open-source CMS is that you don’t have dedicated support. But WordPress has an extensive network of developers, content creators, and site owners who are active on community forums. 

You’ll also have to get your web hosting plan and domain registration on your own from third-parties. 

#4 – Drupal Review — The Best WordPress Alternative CMS

Drupal is another free and open-source content management system.

If you need multiple page templates and content types, Drupal is a viable alternative to WordPress. It’s also more equipped to handle advanced user permissions. 

Drupal is a popular choice for developers, marketers, and agencies alike. It’s used to manage content across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, ecommerce, retail, FinTech, travel, media, government, and more.

Some of the top features and noteworthy highlights include:

  • Content authoring
  • Content as a service
  • Marketing automation
  • Robust security
  • High performance, scalability, and accessibility
  • Advanced personalizations

So if you’re looking for open-source functionality but don’t like WordPress, I’d go with Drupal for content management. 

#5 – Squarespace Review — Best CMS For Creative Professionals

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder. But unlike other similar CMS platforms on the market, Squarespace has a unique differentiator—beautiful designs.  

The award-winning templates offered by Squarespace are second to none. These can be fully customized to fit your site’s needs.

These modern designs make Squarespace a popular content management choice for creative professionals, musicians, artists, and portfolio sites. Let’s take a closer look at some of the other noteworthy highlights available with this CMS:

  • Free domain for the first year
  • Intuitive website builder
  • Free logo making tool
  • Ecommerce and blogging capabilities
  • Third-party extensions for expanding functionality
  • Built-in marketing tools
  • SEO tools and mobile optimized
  • 24/7 customer support

Squarespace plans start at $12 per month. If you’re looking for a simple way to manage your portfolio site, this will be a top content management system to consider. 

#6 – TYPO3 Review — The Best Enterprise CMS

TYPO3 isn’t the most well-recognized name in the CMS space. But it’s not for everyone.

It’s another free and open-source platform (like WordPress and Drupal), but it’s branded as an “enterprise-class CMS.” Global leaders like Mercedes-Benz and Sony rely on TYPO3 for content management. 

In addition to being used by large corporations, TYPO3 is actually a popular choice for European-based websites. Here are some of the reasons why this CMS platform made my list:

  • Ability to support corporate environments
  • Fully scalable multi-site management
  • Multilingual installations
  • Easy to set up on your existing infrastructure
  • High speed and performance

The average user will likely lean towards WordPress or Drupal. But global organizations with complex content management needs should consider an alternative like TYPO3.

Summary

With so many CMS systems available on the market today, there are really only six that I can recommend with conviction. 

Personally, I use WordPress. But there are plenty of other viable options to consider based on your personal needs. 

Just refer to the buying guide and reviews outlined in this post to find the best content management system for you.

The post Best Content Management Systems appeared first on Neil Patel.

Best Agile Project Management Tools

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Running an agile team effectively is nearly impossible without the right software. 

But agile project management tools can make your life much easier. It’s the best way to collaborate with your team, manage changing tasks, and keep track of various projects at scale. 

In addition to the managerial perks of agile project management software, your entire team will benefit as well. These tools will make it easier for everyone to work efficiently, communicate, and meet deadlines. 

Recognizing you need to invest in agile project management software is only half of the battle. Finding the right software for your business and team is a different story entirely—which is why I created this guide.

After extensive research and testing, I narrowed down the top five agile project management tools available on the market today.  

The Top 5 Options For Agile Project Management Tools

  1. Forecast
  2. Monday
  3. Mavenlink
  4. Jira
  5. VivifyScrum

How to Choose the Best Agile Project Management Tools For You

There are certain factors that must be evaluated as you’re shopping around and assessing different tools. By following the buying guide I’ve outlined below, you’ll know exactly what to look for and what’s important in an agile project management solution. 

Agile Framework Preferences

The very first thing you need to consider is the agile framework you plan to use. For those of you who are already familiar with the concepts of agile management, you probably have a preferred methodology.

Do you want to use Scrum or Kanban? Lean? Crystal? Are you using agile framework variations such as Scrumban?

Depending on the answer, you’ll be able to find an agile tool that specializes in your preferred framework. It’s worth noting that not every agile project management software supports all agile management frameworks. So make sure the options you’re considering offer the methodology you need to implement. 

Collaboration Features

Team collaboration is a crucial component of agile management. You want to make sure the software you’re considering comes out-of-the-box with collaboration tools. 

Most solutions should come standard with features like team tagging, comments, file sharing, and other basic tools. Some software will have more advanced features, depending on your project type, industry, and team needs. 

Team Size

Just because an agile project management tool offers collaboration features, don’t assume that the tool will be robust enough for your specific team.

There are solutions on the market made for small teams with a handful of users. Those won’t be ideal for businesses that have multiple teams, hundreds of users, and multiple projects across several departments. 

It should be relatively easy to determine if the tool in question is built to scale. If not, you can always express those concerns with the sales team during a free trial or demo. 

Project Type

The complexity of your projects will also play a significant factor in choosing the best software for your team. 

For example, software development teams and internal IT departments typically have more advanced needs since these projects have a higher level of complexity. In these cases, you should avoid beginner tools and look for industry-specific solutions tailored toward your project needs. 

On the flip side, managers and teams who are just starting out with agile project management should be seeking basic solutions to manage simple projects. 

Reporting

The best agile project management software will provide you with detailed reports and advanced analytics about your projects. 

You can use these dashboards as a way to learn more about your team’s productivity, find out if the project will be completed on time, and if you’re staying on budget. As a project manager, this information is crucial to the big-picture operation of your business. 

Usability

The usability of an agile management tool is often overlooked during the evaluation process. But it’s definitely something that needs to be taken into consideration.

What is your technical experience? How tech-savvy is your team?

If you choose a rigid solution that’s tough to use, it can do more harm than good. So you need to find a balance between a tool that’s robust enough to handle your project complexity while still easy for your team to navigate. This is another reason why you should always take advantage of free trials and demos as you’re narrowing down different options. 

The Different Types of Agile Project Management Tools

Not every agile project management tool is the same. Before we dive into the reviews and recommendations, I want to quickly explain the different options. 

The easiest way to segment these tools is based on the agile frameworks that they offer. It’s also worth noting that some solutions will fall into more than one of these categories below.

Scrum

Scrum is one of the most popular agile frameworks because it can be used for such a wide range of projects. Over the years, Scrum has gained popularity because of its simplicity, easy implementation process, and proven productivity boost. 

With Scrum, the project manager will work closely with the team in terms of identifying and prioritizing functionality in the backlog. This backlog will contain whatever tasks must be accomplished to deliver the final product. 

Kanban

Kanban is the most popular visual workflow management methodology. Kanban boards make it easier for agile teams to manage various tasks in the project life cycle. 

Similar to Scrum, Kanban is built to help teams collaborate with high efficiency. 

The basic principles of Kanban include visual workflow automation, limited WIP (work in progress), and enhanced workflows. This process helps promote continuous collaboration and ongoing learning for agile teams. 

Lean

It’s common for software development teams to leverage the lean agile methodology. This iterative framework is highly flexible and doesn’t have rigid rules or guidelines. 

The main principles of lean management include team empowerment, enhanced learning, eliminating waste, delivering tasks as soon as possible, making decisions as late as possible, and seeing the big picture. 

Individuals and small teams will have more decision-making authority, as opposed to a hierarchical flow. Lean management also helps ensure that the entire team is productive for the longest amount of time. 

Crystal

The Crystal agile methodology is another popular software development framework. It’s lightweight and typically comprised of a family of agile processes. These include Crystal Orange, Crystal Clear, Crystal Yellow, and others.

Each individual framework has its own unique rules and characteristics based on factors like project priority, team size, and more. 

Crystal puts emphasis on the interaction between the processes and people involved in a project. Some of the key principles of Crystal include simplicity, teamwork, collaboration, and the ability to improve processes. It promotes high user engagement while removing distractions and bureaucracies. 

Other Types of Agile Project Management

There are lots of other agile frameworks out there. When you consider the variations and combinations of some, this number is in the dozens. 

Other popular types include LeSS (large scale Scrum), SAFe (scaled agile framework), feature driven development (FDD), extreme programming (XP), dynamic systems development method (DSDM), Scrumban, adaptive software development (ASD), agile-agile hybrid, and FAST agile. The list goes on and on. 

#1 – Forecast Review — The Best Collaboration Features

Forecast is an all-in-one project management and resource management solution. It’s built for project-driven companies that want to empower teams, automate operations, and unite all projects into a single tool. 

With Forecast, you can automate tasks for project planning, resource allocation, and more. The software is powered by AI technology to help simplify monotonous tasks. 

Here are some of the top reasons and why Forecast ranks so high on my list:

  • Keep the big picture in mind with real-time operational visibility
  • Analyze decisions and financial health of projects
  • Admins can set different permission levels for each user (clients, collaborators, etc.)
  • Simple and organized backlog of project tasks
  • Easy to plan sprints and track progress
  • Automatically get notified about key updates in your workflow
  • Continuous and fast delivery of products and tasks

Overall, Forecast has everything agile teams need to improve communication. Create and assign task cards, file sharing, dependencies, subtasks, comments, and priority lists are just a handful of examples.

It’s a popular choice for agencies, consultants, and software teams. Forecast also has solutions for project accounting and business intelligence. The software seamlessly integrates with other popular tools that your team is using.

Forecast’s AI will learn from your previous projects and suggest the number of hours that should be allocated to similar tasks. 

Plans start at $29 per seat per month (with a minimum of 10 seats). Try it free for 14 days; no credit card required. 

#2 – Monday Review — The Best For Agile Beginners

Monday.com has quickly become one of the most popular agile project management tools on the market today. It’s trusted by 100,000+ organizations worldwide, including some big names like Coca-Cola, Adobe, Hulu, and the Discovery Channel.

This is a great choice if you’re new to agile management and need a solution for basic projects.

It’s one of the easiest ways to plan, track, and deliver team projects from a single workspace. Here are some of the other reasons why I like Monday so much:

  • Deploy in minutes with hundreds of customizable templates
  • Integrates with tools like Slack, HubSpot, G Suite, LinkedIn, Teams, and more
  • Automate repetitive tasks to save time and avoid human error
  • Visual data with Kanban boards, timelines, maps, calendars, and more
  • 24/7 customer support with a 10-minute average response time
  • Track the progress of your projects and make data-driven decisions
  • Set project goals and empower stakeholders

Monday.com makes it easy for teams to collaborate. You’ll benefit from features like file sharing, task assignments, task priorities, visual boards, and other ways to see what everyone is doing at a glance. 

It’s a popular choice for remote work, marketing, creative teams, HR, sales, and more. While Monday does have tools for software development, IT, and construction projects, it’s definitely better for simple projects.

Plans start at just $8 per seat per month (with a minimum of three seats). You can try Monday.com free for 14 days with an unlimited number of users; no credit card required. 

#3 – Mavenlink Review — Best For Agile Management at Scale

Mavenlink is another all-in-one solution for project management and resource management. It’s a modern way for teams to collaborate from anywhere, which is perfect for remote work.

In addition to improving your team’s productivity on the operational end, Mavenlink provides deep insights into the financial performance of your projects and business as well.

Some of the top features, benefits, and noteworthy highlights of Mavenlink include:

  • Rich insights for data-driven business decisions in real-time
  • Flexible way to manage resources and project tasks
  • Real-time automation tools
  • See all projects at a glance with complete project portfolio view
  • Easy to assess the health and status of specific projects or portfolio of projects
  • Reusable templates to replicate success
  • Consistently deliver projects on-time
  • Improve project performance
  • Extend workspace with popular integrations (Salesforce, Xero, Slack, HubSpot, etc.)

Mavenlink is great for larger teams that need to manage projects across multiple departments. This works fine if you’re just using it for a handful of projects. But it works just as well if you have a project portfolio of 500+.

For small teams and enterprises alike, Mavenlink has a plan for everyone. Rates aren’t available online, so you’ll need to contact their sales team for more information. 

Try Mavenlink free for ten days.

#4 – Jira Review — Best Agile Project Management Tool For Development Teams

Jira by Atlassian is a bit unique compared to some of the other tools on our list. This agile project management software is built specifically for software development projects.

With Jira, software teams of all sizes can plan, track, and release exceptional products.

Let’s take a closer look at Jira’s top highlights for agile management:

  • Plan sprints, create user stories, and distribute tasks for software teams
  • Prioritize complete team’s work in context with full visibility for everyone
  • Real-time visual data reporting
  • Choose a pre-built workflow or create your own custom solutions
  • Integrate with hundred of developer tools out of the box
  • Connect software team’s work to your product roadmap
  • Scrum boards, Kanban boards, roadmaps and agile reporting

Jira is arguably the safest project management tool on the market today in terms of data encryption and compliance. It integrates with 3,000+ apps in the Atlassian marketplace as well.

Software teams, look no further—Jira is the best option agile project management tool for you. 

The tool is free for up to ten users. Paid plans start at just $7 per user per month. Try it free for seven days.  

#5 – VivifyScrum Review — Best All-in-One Agile Management Tool

VivifyScrum is a versatile agile management solution. It’s trusted by small teams and large organizations alike.

Regardless of your team size and project complexity, this tool can help manage everything from a single platform. 

Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider VivifyScrum:

  • Unlimited Scrum boards, unlimited Kanban boards, and unlimited items
  • Custom boards with built-in team collaboration tools
  • Built-in features for invoicing clients and tracking payments
  • Time tracking and team management features
  • Create custom workflows with agile boards
  • Reporting and analytics with burndown charts, Scrum metrics, and more

The software comes with mobile apps, API access, file storage, unlimited integrations, unlimited active sprints, and so much more.

VivifyScrum starts at $10 per month for small teams. Contact the sales team for more information on Enterprise pricing. Regardless of your team size and project management needs, you can try VivifyScrum free for 14 days. 

Summary

The only way to effectively manage an agile team is with the right project management tool. Which agile project management software is the best?

It depends on what you’re looking for. Factors like project type, team size, and other considerations must be evaluated for you to make an informed decision.

Follow my methodology and recommendations described in this guide to find the best agile project management tools for your unique situation.

The post Best Agile Project Management Tools appeared first on Neil Patel.

Reputation Management Consulting

How would you feel if your conversion rate grew by 120 percent? 

Research from Uberall shows that companies that move their aggregate review rating from 3.5 to 3.7 stars experience a 120 percent growth in conversions. If your review rating increases by 0.1, you can experience a conversion rate boost of 25 percent! 

If you’re familiar with reputation management, you understand the impact it can have on your business. If you’re like most business owners, you’re unsure how to build, protect, and use your reputation effectively. 

Reputation management solves that problem. 

Reputation management consulting gives you an actionable plan showing you how to build, protect, and amplify your reputation. 

7 Ways a Reputation Management Consultant Can Help Grow Your Business

When most people think of reputation management, consulting isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Most businesses automatically assume that they have the skills and training they need to manage their company’s reputation on their own. 

Many people think it’s just about getting reviews. 

Ask your customers to write reviews for you on Yelp or Google Reviews, and your reputation grows automatically. It’s fast, simple, and easy, and to a certain extent, it works. 

But it’s also not enough. 

This is why you need reputation management consulting. With the right support, you’ll: 

  1. Understand the different types of reputation: Consultants will help you identify whether your reputation is positive, mediocre, negative, or positive and negative. They’ll show you what the impact of each will be and how each will impact your business. 
  2. Understand where your reputation is strong or weak: Your reputation management campaigns should start with benchmarks. You’ll need to know where you’re doing well and the areas that need improvement. Your consultant should be able to prioritize the areas in your business that require your attention first. Do you need to improve product quality? Or should you focus on improving customer service first? Which review platforms will have the biggest impact on revenue? They should be able to answer these questions and provide you with a plan you can follow. 
  3. Know how to build your reputation: You build your reputation in several ways — product and service quality, customer service, awards and accolades, financial performance, results achieved for customers, etc. They’ll point out obvious but missed details; if your reviews are positive but your customer service is poor, it’ll eventually catch up with you. 
  4. Identify the tools, resources, and people you’ll need to build your reputation. Will you need third-party review management tools? Will each of these tools need login credentials? They should provide you with a list of the items you’ll need to run a reputation management campaign successfully. 
  5. How to use and amplify your reputation to grow your business: Most companies that understand the value of reputation management focus their attention on getting reviews. They’re not sure what to do with the reviews once they have them. Your consultant will show you how to use your reviews to attract more customers and lower advertising costs. They should also provide you with a plan that uses your reputation to increase your conversion rates and revenue. 
  6. Have what you need to protect your reputation: Your company can make all of the right moves and still end up with a poor reputation. Bad review blackmail, competitor fraud, bad customer behaviors, social or political missteps, and general crises are all issues that need to be addressed and prepared for. 
  7. Know how to repair your reputation: Your consultant will provide you with a crisis management plan that deals with any major or minor problems, and provides you with a recovery plan to bring your company back from any reputational disasters. Your consultant will provide you with a realistic timeframe. 

These are areas that you’ll need a consultant to help you with. 

How to Get Started With a Reputation Management Consultant

The consultant you choose can help you get started with the items you need ahead of time. But it’s better if you come into the relationship prepared and ready to work. Here’s a list of the items you’ll want to prepare ahead of time. 

  • Set goals, objectives, and KPIs for your campaigns: These will most likely change once you bring your consultant on, but you’ll want to have an idea of the goals you’re looking for ahead of time. Focus your attention on both internal and external goals. For example, an internal goal would be improved customer service ratings from customers who contact you via phone, live chat, or email. An external goal would be more four and five-star reviews on Yelp or Google reviews. 
  • Choose a point-of-contact and team that’s responsible for review management. Typically marketing, customer service, or sales receive the responsibility for review management. You’ll want to choose a single department and team, give them the decision-making authority and autonomy they need to manage your reputation. 
  • Create a governance policy: You’ll want to determine the specific people who will work with your consultant to implement the changes they recommend. You’ll also need to set legal guidelines that specify what your team should respond to, when they should respond, and how to do it. It can be as simple as deciding that you’ll respond to all reviews. This is also likely to change a bit once you have your consultant on board. 
  • Create and claim all of your review profiles: Make a list of the review sites in your industry; create an account for the mainstream, niche, industry-specific, and specialty sites. If you need to create an account specifically for your consultant, get that ready ahead of time. 
  • Share credentials and access: Your consultant may ask for access to third-party tools (i.e., Google Analytics). If you’re using third-party review management tools, they may request access for those as well. Depending on the consultant you choose, they may also need access to content management or web development tools. 
  • Set reporting requirements: You’ll want to set guidelines on your campaign reporting. How often do you want your consultant to provide you with campaign updates and reporting? Who should receive these reports? Owners and management, in addition to the team that’s responsible for reputation management? 

Your reputation management consultant will tell you what they need to get started, but it’s always best if you’re prepared ahead of time.

Measuring the ROI of Reputation Management Consulting Services

Measuring ROI is one of the biggest hurdles in consulting. Research from Consulting.us points to ROI as a problem. They found that 27 percent of the companies surveyed refused to hire consultants because it’s too hard to measure ROI. 

This doesn’t have to become a problem that keeps you from hiring a reputation management consultant. In fact, you already have the information you need to measure the ROI of reputation management. If you’ve done the upfront work of setting goals and KPIs for your campaigns, you already have what you need to measure your ROI. 

Work with your consultant to calibrate your goals upfront. 

You’ll want to get your consultant’s help with the goals, objectives, and KPIs you’ve set with your team. Your consultant should be able to tell you, at the beginning of your campaigns, whether your goals, objectives, and KPIs are realistic and in line with reality. 

If your goals aren’t realistic, your consultant should be able to explain why. 

If they are realistic, and both of you come to an agreement with the goals that you’ve set, measuring your ROI is easy. Just refer to the goals you set at the beginning of the relationship, then verify that your consultant has helped you to reach those goals. 

It’s a simple and easy way to make sure you’re getting the ROI you need to be profitable. 

4 Point Checklist For Finding the Right Reputation Management Consultant

Choosing the right reputation management consultant doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. You can approach the vetting process the same way you would for any other consultant or professional. You outline your values, expectations, and requirements ahead of time; then you find the providers that meet your criteria. 

Here’s a shortlist of the criteria you can use. 

1. A Stellar Reputation

Your reputation management consultant should have a stellar reputation in the industry. There shouldn’t be any questions about their legitimacy or doubts about their integrity. If a consultant has lots of negative reviews, poor feedback, or concerns about their standards, they’re not a good fit for your business. 

Look for customer feedback on public sites, forums, or social media. There should be a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative feedback about their business. Ideally, you’re looking for a large mix of reviews, positive feedback, and buzz around their business online.  

2. A Proven Track Record

Your consultant should be able to provide you with case studies, testimonials, or references. You’ll want to hear from clients directly. You’re looking for evidence that shows you: 

  • How they work
  • The problems they solved
  • The results achieved
  • The way they served their clients

These details provide you with lots of materials you can work with. Some reputation management companies may write case studies where they conceal their client information, ignore those. Ask your consultant to provide you with one or two examples from clients who’ve decided to share their story. This makes it easier to do some basic fact-checking if something doesn’t sound right. 

3. Their Plan For Your Campaign

A great consultant will be able to give you a high-level overview of the strategies and tactics they’ll use to improve your reputation. They should lay their plans out in detail, covering important details like: 

  • The content they’ll create for you
  • How they plan to improve your reputation (with specifics)
  • Who they’ll ask to write about your business
  • How they’ll get others to talk about your business
  • How they respond to reviews and feedback
  • Their approach to SEO
  • Whether they’ll share content with you before posting it online

They should be open and completely transparent with you about your campaign. Anything less than that is a serious red flag. If your consultant is doing anything on your behalf, they must be transparent with you about their work. 

4. They Answer Your Questions 

You should be able to ask your consultant important questions about your campaign. They should provide you with clear answers to each of your questions and concerns. Here are some questions you may want to ask your consultants ahead of time. 

  • Will you see the content they post before it’s posted?
  • Do you have experience helping other clients in my industry? 
  • How would you respond to a legitimately angry customer? 
  • How do they plan on improving your reputation? 
  • How will an improved reputation accomplish your goals?

If the consultants you’re considering refuse to answer your questions or they’re evasive, it’s probably a good idea that you choose a different consultant. 

Feel free to expand on these criteria and add the details you’re looking for on an as-needed basis. 

Conclusion

Reputation management has a huge impact on your business. If you’re looking for a consultant to help you with your campaigns, you probably already know that. 

When most people think of reputation management, consulting isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Many companies aren’t interested in hiring consultants because they don’t know how to measure ROI.  It’s common for businesses to assume that they have the skills and training they need to manage their company’s reputation on their own. 

Use this guide to find the reputation management consultants you need.  Choose your values, expectations, and requirements first; then create a list of consultants who fit that list. The consultants you find will be able to help you meet your goals. 

The post Reputation Management Consulting appeared first on Neil Patel.

The 5 Best Reputation Management Companies of 2020

Researchers at Womply analyzed 200,000 small businesses in every state, looking at a few dozen industries. 

They found that businesses with more than 82 total reviews earn 54 percent more money. It isn’t just about getting reviews either. Businesses achieved moderate to large jumps in revenue from the simplest tasks. Claim your profile on at least four review sites? You earn 58 percent more revenue. Businesses that reply to their reviews 25 percent of the time earn 35 percent more revenue. 

Here’s the problem many businesses run into. 

They don’t know what they’re doing. Most know how to ask customers for reviews, but they’re unsure how to handle the other important parts of reputation management. 

This is why it’s important to get help. 

If you have the right reputation management company, you’ll have the help you need to improve your company’s online reputation.

The 5 Top Reputation Management Companies in The World

Here’s a shortlist of some of the best reputation management companies in the world. You can use review sites like Clutch.co, HubSpot Agency Directory, or Sortlist if you’re looking for something more specific in the reputation management industry. 

1. NP Digital – Best for Local SEO and Reputation Management

NP Digital is my agency. If you’re familiar with my work, you know that I have a strong background in search engine optimization and digital marketing. I built an agency called Pronet Advertising more than 17 years ago, while I was still in high school. 

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been a marketer for more than 20 years! That’s given me a lot of time to learn how reputation management integrates with local search, content marketing, social media marketing, and advertising. I took all of the lessons I’ve learned from the companies I built — Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg,  Pronet, Quicksprout, NeilPatel.com, and now NP Digital.

My agency is a little bit different from other agencies. 

NP Digital ties all of our work back to revenue. It’s no different with our reputation management campaigns. If you’re going to put a dollar into your campaign, you want two dollars back, right? My agency focuses on driving real business results, so your company continues to grow; our work has to make money for your business. 

NP Digital’s client list includes:

  • Facebook
  • Viacom
  • Google
  • GM
  • eBay
  • NBC
  • Thomson Reuters foundation
  • TechCrunch
  • Cheezburger
  • American Greetings

2. Reputation X – Best for Reputation Recovery

Reputation X offers proactive and reactive services, but they lean more towards the reactionary side of reputation management. 

Proactive reputation management options include — content development (articles, reviews, news, blog posts, ratings, etc.). Reactive reputation management options include takedown services, including  — SERP removal, search result suppression, DMCA removals, reputation protection, and content suppression. 

Reputation X has more than 15 years of experience in the industry. What’s significant about their service is the fact that they’re comfortable working with organizations and individuals. 

“Confidential clients include Heads of State, Politicians, SMBs, Celebrities, Public Relations Agencies (white label), and just regular folks.”

 According to their website and marketing materials, they avoid pre-made campaign templates, which are common in the industry. They build each campaign from scratch, which makes sense when you realize that their service starts at $10,000. As expensive as their services are, they’re not for everyone. 

“The Reputation X client acceptance process is unique. Prospective new clients must be approved not only by management but by team members as well. That means many never become clients. In addition, prospective customers whose reputation management problems seem too tough to overcome are always informed of the fact. Alternatives are clearly explained, even if they never become a client.”

They’re pretty picky about the clients they choose and the work they accept.

Reputation X’s confidential client list includes:

  •  Law firms 
  • Healthcare organizations
  • Fortune 500 executives
  • Manufacturing firms
  • Public Relations companies

3. Thrive – Best for Small Business Review Management

Thrive is a full-service agency that offers reputation management and reputation repair services. Thrive offers reputation management and repair services on their website; take a closer look at their website, and you’ll find that they’re really focused on the online review side of things. 

If you’re looking for a reputation management firm with the legal and takedown chops to protect your business Thrive isn’t the reputation management company for you. If you’re looking for an agency that can generate a huge amount of reviews, Thrive may be a good fit. If you’re looking for an agency that’s oriented around small businesses, winning new customers over or burying negative press Thrive is a great place to start. 

Thrive offers most of the services a full-service agency provides. If you’re looking for a Jack of all trades, their agency has experience in several areas; this works especially well for inexperienced small business clients who need help with multiple services. 

Thrive Agency’s client list includes:

  • Nationwide Construction
  • Ready Seal
  • Bonds Ellis Eppich Shaffer Jones
  • Max Mechanical
  • Quick Roofing

4. Reputation Rhino – Best for Individuals

Reputation Rhino specializes in online reputation management; they serve small- and midsize businesses and individuals. Since then, they’ve expanded to create a range of brand management and internet marketing services that they offer to companies and individuals. 

All of the services they now offer — SEO, PPC, Social media, Web development — they’re all geared around their reputation management services. 

It’s not as common, but Reputation Rhino offers clients a money-back guarantee.

They offer reputation management and repair services; One thing that’s surprising about their business is the fact that they’re able to remove negative reviews from online review sites like Glassdoor, Ripoff Report, Google Images, and more. 

Their agency is small but so is the price; campaign pricing starts at $1,000. 

Reputation Rhino’s client list includes:

  • Colleges
  • Reputation management companies 
  • Law firms
  • Local businesses 
  • Retail storefronts
  • Tech companies

5. Reputation Defense Network – Best for Reputation Management Specialist

The Reputation Defense Network specializes in one thing: Content removal. They focus their attention on deleting negative or malicious content, protecting client brand reputation, and identifying anonymous hackers, defamers, and attackers. They also include proactive reputation management services, but their focus is geared around takedowns. 

Here’s how they describe their service: 

“Reputation Defense Network is one of the fastest-growing Internet Content Removal companies in the US. We are the only company to offer guarantees on all of our work. We are not an SEO or marketing firm disguised as a reputation management company.  Our focus is your reputation, nothing else.”

They use their 27-point removal audit to remove negative content permanently. They focus first on removal, then suppression. One thing that makes their value proposition unique is the fact that they offer cyber investigation services. 

If you’re looking for a reputation management company with a significant amount of firepower and legal muscle, the Reputation Defense Network is a good fit. Their services are perfect for high-stakes reputation management — the kind that includes blackmail, fraud, defamation, etc. 

They provide performance guarantees on all of their work: “you don’t pay until we provide you with a favorable result.”

That’s $0 upfront, 100 percent (permanent) content removal with an average turnaround time of 72 hours. If you’re in a competitive industry and you’re dealing with confidential, high-stakes information, this agency is a good fit. The majority of their clients are growing, mid-market firms in the $10M to $1B range. 

They serve clients in the following industries: 

  • Business services
  • Healthcare and medical
  • Education

4 Characteristics That Make a Great Reputation Management Company

When you’re vetting an agency, you’ll want to find a company that displays the right characteristics. The last thing you want is to choose a reputation management company that makes your reputation worse. When you’re searching for the right agency, here are some attributes to keep in mind. 

1. Their agency approach is proactive and reactive 

The industry has matured quite a bit since reputation management of the 90s. Back then, agencies were focused on simply burying negative content. That’s still doable, but it’s much easier to guide the conversation from the start. 

Asking customers to share their feedback via online reviews. Creating, claiming, and optimizing your review profiles; responding to customer feedback, these are all proactive  methods you can use to improve your reputation. Deleting or burying toxic, inaccurate, or misleading content, sending out legal takedown notices, and working with law enforcement are reactive strategies. 

You need both, but these strategies don’t provide a complete picture of online reputation management campaigns on their own.

2. They focus on building relationships

Old-school campaigns are focused primarily on silencing critics, enemies, and opponents. New-school agencies still have those skills if they need them, but they choose to focus their attention on building relationships with customers. 

  • Helping you take care of your customers
  • Requesting reviews from customers 
  • Building reviews up on the right platforms
  • Generating publicity and increasing visibility
  • Responding to unfair attacks
  • If you’ve made a mistake, they’ll help you earn a fresh start

You need an agency that understands both sides of reputation management. 

3. They realize reputation management is ongoing

This doesn’t mean that your agency is trying to lock you into an unnecessary contract. Customers feel reviews older than three months are irrelevant. Agencies realize customers want to see consistent proof that you’re still performing well. 

Reputation and reviews, they decay over time. 

Your agency should provide you with an ongoing service that’s optional; they should provide you with the people, processes, and tools you need to manage your reputation well. They should have a team in place to manage outreach with customers, publications, and press. 

4. They’re local search experts

Your reputation management agency should have experience in running and managing local search campaigns.

You want this because local searches are growing 50 percent faster than mobile search. As far as Google is concerned, online reviews are part of the local ranking factors that determine your rank and performance. 

When it comes to local search, your reputation management company should have expert-level knowledge. They should know how to increase search engine and social media visibility. The easier it is for them to integrate local search, the better your reputation management campaigns will perform. 

What To Expect From a Great Reputation Management Company

Here’s a shortlist of the things you should expect from your agency. 

  1. They’ll show you the plan ahead of time: Your agency will provide you with an A to Z plan, outlining the macro and micro level components of your campaign. You should know exactly what you’re getting into — what your campaign costs, what their goals are, how long it will take to reach those goals and the reports they’ll provide. 
  2. Openness and complete transparency: Your agency should answer all of your questions and concerns; this isn’t optional or negotiable. Your agency isn’t writing copy or designing a website. They’re working with your reputation, so the impact on your business is huge. You need to know exactly what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. 
  3. Consistent communication: Your agency should provide you with constant communication, feedback, and reporting. You’ll need to provide them with the decision-makers and influencers who need to be part of the conversation. 

You should see evidence of this before you sign on the dotted line. If agencies hide behind proprietary software or secret processes, you’ll want to walk away. 

Conclusion

Reputation management is easier when you have the right company behind you. Many businesses don’t know what they’re doing. Most know how to ask customers for reviews, but they’re unsure how to handle the important aspects of reputation management. 

If you feel the same way, it may be a good idea to get help. 

Businesses that handle reputation management will see consistently large jumps in revenue. Completing simple tasks — claiming your review management profiles, responding to customers online, and requesting reviews — good reputation management leads to more revenue. 

Use our guide to find the reputation management companies that are right for your business. Set your values, expectations, and needs ahead of time, and you’ll find choosing the right company is easy. 

The post The 5 Best Reputation Management Companies of 2020 appeared first on Neil Patel.

The 5 Best Reputation Management Companies of 2020

Researchers at Womply analyzed 200,000 small businesses in every state, looking at a few dozen industries.  They found that businesses with more than 82 total reviews earn 54 percent more money. It isn’t just about getting reviews either. Businesses achieved moderate to large jumps in revenue from the simplest tasks. Claim your profile on at …

The post The 5 Best Reputation Management Companies of 2020 first appeared on Online Web Store Site.

The Best Project Management Software (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

It’s every manager’s worst nightmare. 

That ONE project that never seems to end. Nothing goes as planned and missed deadlines lurk around every corner. You can’t remember the last time you laughed. Your boss is mad and your employees stumble around trying to figure out what to do next. 

You drive home wondering what went wrong and why the universe is working against you. If only there was a better way. 

It doesn’t have to be this way.

By choosing the right project management software, projects won’t throw you into that panic-inducing nightmare.

I’ve managed countless projects, hundreds of teams, and bounced around to every project management software you can think of. 

From Wrike to Trello. Trello to Asana. From Asana back to Wrike. 

Rinse and repeat with every possible combination of tools on the market. 

And you want to know a secret? It doesn’t matter which project management tool you use as long as you pick the right one and stick to it.

But to help make your decision easier, I reviewed six of my favorite options and put together a list of what to consider as you go through the process of choosing the right software. 

The top 6 options for project management software

  1. Zoho Projects – Best for versatility
  2. Wrike – Best for marketing teams
  3. Teamwork – Best for remote teams
  4. Asana – Best for small teams
  5. Smartsheet – Best for large teams 
  6. Trello – Best free project management software

How to choose the project management software for you

The best project management software for you depends on your projects’ complexity, the size of your team, and the features you need. 

And choosing the right one can feel impossible because there are thousands of different tools.

So before we dive into my top recommendations, let’s talk about what to look for as you go through the process of finding the right software. 

Number of users

Most project management software is charged on a per user per month basis. So, it’s crucial to understand how many seats you need and your budget. 

If you have a large team with hundreds of users, you’re better off choosing an enterprise plan with custom pricing to get the most bang for your buck. 

However, if you have less than 15 people, Asana is an excellent choice (free for up to 15 users). 

And if you have fewer than three users, you can use Zoho Projects for free as well. 

Project complexity

For simple and straightforward projects, basic project management software is all you need.

 And you can probably get by using a free forever plan with Trello, Asana, or Zoho Projects. 

However, as your projects get more complex, you need more robust features. So, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan if you go with a basic project management software. 

On the other hand, tools like Wrike and Smartsheet offer more advanced and industry-specific capabilities. But they come with a higher price tag. 

Task management

Task management is one of the most important features to pay attention to. 

While most project management software includes basic task management, it’s important to consider the advanced capabilities you need. 

Do you need to create task dependencies? Maybe you need to create recurring tasks on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. Or perhaps you want to assign multiple people to the same task. 

This also includes things like:

  • Checklists and due dates
  • File attachments
  • Task archiving/deleting
  • Task prioritization
  • Automation
  • Subtasks

So, carefully consider how you plan to manage projects and the task management features you need before making any decisions. 

Discussion features

The best project management software includes internal discussion features like comments, forums, or instant messaging. 

This is an essential feature that lets you keep discussions streamlined and intact with the different tasks or phases of your project. Rather than searching through thousands of emails, you can open the task and see everything related to it right away. 

All of my top recommendations include this in some capacity. But make sure the software you choose includes robust discussion features as well. 

Customization

Every project and team is different. 

So it’s important that your project management software can adapt to meet your needs. Whether that’s a fully branded dashboard, the flexibility to scale, or improved functionality with the right integrations. 

Furthermore, think about how you want to view and share project progress. Different software offers different project views, reporting, and analytics. 

Start by creating a complete list of required features and integrations.

Lastly, consider everything you need your software to do and speak to a sales team to make sure their tool can handle your top priorities within your budget. 

The different types of project management software

There are various different types of project management software. Some are much better than others while some are reserved specifically for developers or enterprises with a large budget. 

Let’s walk through them together. 

Cloud-based

All of my top recommendations are cloud-based software. This means that the software lives on a cloud server and you can access it from any web browser on any device. 

This is the preferred type for most users because it’s easy to use, doesn’t require any infrastructure on your part, and you can access everything regardless of where you are. 

You typically pay for this type of software on a per user per month basis. 

Industry-specific

Different types of projects may require industry-specific solutions. 

These make your life easier with pre-made templates, automated workflows, and more features specific to the types of projects you’re managing. 

Most of the software on this list offer solutions for industries like:

  • Digital marketing
  • Manufacturing
  • Education
  • Real estate
  • Construction
  • Software development
  • Remote teams

With that said, these companies also offer standard subscriptions at reasonable prices that don’t include industry-specific tools. 

So you don’t have to use these higher-priced solutions unless you want to. 

Most of these solutions come with custom pricing based on your specific needs. So they may be outside your budget, especially if you’re a small company or a brand new business. 

On-premise

On-premise project management software lives on your servers, rather than on the cloud. And while it’s more secure, you can only access the software from devices on your network. 

You also may need to install new infrastructure or hire an in-house maintenance team to update and maintain the software for you. 

This is why none of the recommendations on this list are on-premise solutions. 

Open API

Open API software is perfect for developers or if you’re interested in hiring a developer to create a custom project management solution for your business. 

This type of software is highly customizable but difficult to manage if you’re not a developer. 

And this level of customization isn’t necessary for most users. So, I didn’t include any open API software on this list. 

#1 – Zoho Projects Review — The best for versatility

For most users, Zoho Projects is my top recommendation. 

They offer a free forever plan, and paid plans start at just $3 per user per month. So, it’s incredibly affordable for small businesses and can scale as your business grows. 

Whether you’re managing simple or complex projects, Zoho has everything you need, including powerful features like:

  • Hosted file storage
  • Task dependencies
  • Recurring tasks
  • Visual workflow builder
  • Time tracking
  • Task assignments and prioritization
  • Chats, forums, and feeds
  • Reporting and analytics

The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create workflows and track project progress quickly. Plus, you can view projects using Kanban, Gantt, or calendar views. 

Furthermore, their internal communication tools (chat, forum, and feed) streamline team collaboration where it matters most. 

You can also take advantage of more than 100+ built-in integrations with business tools you’re already using to run and manage your business. 

These integrations include Slack, Zapier, DropBox, and more. 

Zoho’s plans include:

  • Free — up to 3 users, two projects, and 10 MB of storage
  • Standard — $3/user per month and up to 10 projects (between 6 and 10 users)
  • Express — $4/user per month + unlimited projects (between 12 and 50 users)
  • Premium — $5/user per month + unlimited projects (between 15 and 100 users)
  • Enterprise — $6/user per month + unlimited projects (for 20+ users)

Start your 10-day free trial to take Zoho for a test drive today. 

#2 – Wrike Review — The best for marketing teams

Over 20,000+ businesses, including Google, Airbnb, and Dell, use Wrike to manage marketing and sales projects worldwide. 

With Wrike, your project management software adapts to meet your needs, rather than the other way around. And features like custom workflows and dashboards, automation, and real-time communication make this an excellent choice for dynamic marketing teams of all sizes. 

You also get end-to-end visualization so you can hone in on problem areas while maintaining constant forward movement with each project as a whole. 

Furthermore, Wrike includes powerful marketing-specific templates including

  • Campaign management
  • Product launching
  • Marketing operations
  • Content creation
  • Event management

And you can combine those with standard project management features like task management, proofing and approvals, communication tools, and real-time progress visibility. 

Project views include board, spreadsheet, Gantt, calendar, and custom views. 

Wrike also includes seamless integrations with 400+ business tools, like Salesforce, G Mail, and Google Drive. So, you don’t have to worry about software incompatibility issues or anything like that. 

You can start on their free forever plan for up to five users, but you may find it limiting. Paid plans include:

  • Professional — $9.80/user per month (5 – 15 users)
  • Business — $24.80/user per month (5 – 200 users)
  • Enterprise — Custom (5 – unlimited users)

They also offer tailored plans for marketing teams, but you have to contact them for a custom quote. However, it includes specialty templates, Wrike Proof, and more. 

Start your 14-day free trial or sign up for a free forever plan to get started today.

#3 – Teamwork Review — The best for remote teams

If you’re managing a remote team (or a soon-to-be remote team), Teamwork is an excellent choice. Their remote work module is specifically for distributed teams who need a flexible way to keep work moving forward. 

20,000+ teams plus big names, including Disney, Netflix, and Spotify, rely on Teamwork for their remote project management needs — and for a good reason. 

The software makes collaboration, task management, and project visibility a breeze regardless of where your team lives (and works). And as Teamwork says, “Just because you’re not in the same room doesn’t mean you can’t be on the same page.”

This remote project management software includes excellent features like:

  • Internal chat software
  • Centralized workspaces
  • Board views
  • Custom project templates
  • Workload balancing
  • Time tracking
  • Gantt charts

Furthermore, you can pick and choose which software you need. Or, you can save 49% by bundling all of Teamwork’s software together. 

At $35/mo per user (minimum of five users), it’s more suitable for businesses with a decent budget. But, their project management module alone is much more affordable, starting at $10/mo per user. 

Alternatively, you can start with a free forever plan for up to five users and two projects. This is an excellent choice for small teams or fast-growth companies. 

Sign up for a 30-day free trial to try Teamwork’s remote project management solution today.

#4 – Asana Review — The best for small teams

Asana is an excellent choice for teams of up to 15 people. 

And with millions of users spanning 190+ countries worldwide, you can rest assured you’re in good hands. 

Their free forever plan includes 15 seats, unlimited tasks and projects, assignees, due dates, and everything you need (aside from a few advanced features) to manage projects of all sizes efficiently. 

With Asana, you can map out even the smallest steps of every project to ensure forward movement and track your team’s progress along the way. 

Furthermore, you can enjoy features like:

  • Drag-and-drop board views
  • Timeline views
  • Automated workflows
  • Work requests and forms
  • Calendar view
  • Portfolio overviews
  • Workload balance
  • Custom fields
  • Reusable templates

Not only that, but the entire interface is beautiful and easy to navigate. 

You can choose between pre-made industry templates or create your own to get your team on track in no time. 

And with 100+ integrations including Adobe, Slack, Gmail, Chrome, Drive, and more, you can rest easy knowing Asana plays well with the tools you’re already using. 

Plus, you can share files, communicate, and share feedback all in one place. 

With a free price tag (for up to 15 users), Asana’s hard to beat. However, if you outgrow the free plan, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans, including:

  • Premium — $10.99 per user per month
  • Business — $24.99 per user per month
  • Enterprise — custom pricing only

Sign up for a free forever plan to get started with Asana today!

#5 – Smartsheet Review — The best for large teams

Smartsheet is a dynamic project management software built for enterprises and large teams. However, the solution is flexible enough to suit businesses and projects of all sizes. 

They specialize in rapid-movement projects with a ton of moving parts. So, you can trust Smartsheet for even the most complicated projects. 

With Smartsheet, you can gain end-to-end project visibility with grid, card, Gantt, and calendar views. Furthermore, you can gather data from forms, automated workflows, and recurring tasks to see what you need to see, and when. 

However, the software goes beyond essential project management. It’s an award-winning work execution platform that’s easy to implement, manage, and maintain. 

Plus, 75% of fortune 500 companies use Smartsheet to get things done. 

So, you’re in good company. 

All plans also include on-demand customer support, continuous education materials, training + certification programs, and consulting services to help you make the most of your new project management software. 

And you also get collaboration tools, all four project views, and extensive mobile apps/integrations with every plan. 

While Smartsheet is overkill for most small businesses, it’s an excellent choice for large companies and enterprises looking to streamline their business processes. 

Their paid plans include:

  • Individual — $14 per month 
  • Business — $25 per user per month (minimum of three users)
  • Enterprise — custom (enterprise-grade features and tools)
  • Premier — custom (enterprise + premium features and tools)

Sign up for a 30-day free trial to try Smartsheets risk-free with no credit card required. 

#6 – Trello Review — The best free project management software

If you’re on a tight budget, Trello is an excellent free project management software. 

Plus, millions of users, including Pinterest, Peloton, Fender, and Costco, rely on it to map out and manage projects of all shapes and sizes. 

It’s an excellent tool for basic visual project management for any type of project, from home improvement and side hustles to marketing campaigns and full-blown business operations as well. 

Trello uses boards, cards, and lists to organize projects, making it a familiar and comfortable platform. You can drag and drop cards, move cards to new boards, and cross tasks off as you go along.

Furthermore, you can create automatic workflows with rule-based triggers, calendar commands, and more. 

Plus, the free forever plan includes intuitive features like:

  • Unlimited personal boards
  • Unlimited cards and lists
  • 10 MB file attachments
  • Up to 10 team boards
  • Basic automation
  • And two-factor authentication

It’s an excellent solution for teams of all sizes since everyone can join for free. However, you need to upgrade to a paid plan if you need more than ten team boards. 

And if you outgrow the free plan, you can upgrade to an affordable paid plan for more advanced features. Trello’s paid plans include:

  • Business Class — $9.99/user per month
  • Enterprise — $17.50/user per month 

Sign up for a free forever plan to get started with Trello today.

Summary

Zoho Projects is my #1 recommendation for most users, starting at just $3 per user per month with an extensive free forever plan as well. 

However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all project management solution. 

So, make sure you understand your needs and requirements before making any decisions. And don’t forget to use the criteria we talked about as you go through the process. 

What’s your go-to project management software?

The post The Best Project Management Software (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.