Rating and review sites give everyone a megaphone. Justified or not, complaints about a business are instantly available to customers around the world.

Praise happens, of course. But dissatisfied customers have incentive to speak up, while happy ones are likely to keep quiet. This makes proactive reputation management essential.

Google Places For Business is a brand-new basic reputation management tool, allowing you to monitor and respond to social media mentions. It's a simple add-on to Google search, and most features are free. But you can't track reviews for multiple sites in one login, which makes the feature best for small businesses with limited online presence.

Specialized reputation management platforms save you time, money, and headaches, integrating your mentions on one screen and ensuring your customers get a quick response.