First we had the new Google Places plastering a business’ reviews all over the local search results and Place Pages – and now another reason to get serious about Online Reputation Management…According to recent articles in Automotive News and MediaPost, Edmunds is about to unveil a major re-launch of its site in mid-December, and dealership reviews (and a new dealer rating system) will figure far more prominently.

First we had the new Google Places plastering a business’ reviews all over the local search results and Place Pages – and now another reason to get serious about Online Reputation Management…According to recent articles in Automotive News and MediaPost, Edmunds is about to unveil a major re-launch of its site in mid-December, and dealership reviews (and a new dealer rating system) will figure far more prominently.

A news story that was 100% bound to break, and now has...

A dealership in San Antonio, TX in hot water because (it appears quite strongly) of the review-posting practices of the Reputation Management company Review Boost they hired. Read on (and watch the TV news clip) to see how the investigation uncovers these suspicious 'reviewers' bouncing around the ENTIRE nation writing 5-star reviews about all kinds of businesses and dealerships ON THE SAME DAY!

It's not the dealership's fault - they were probably told the company would be gathering and POSTING reviews of their real customers...This is really a SERIOUS, emerging issue, as more companies/dealerships, understandably, need help with the heavy-lifting of Online Reputation Management/Social Media.

Authenticity is KEY and it's going to get more CRUCIAL - and when it comes to Reputation Management/Social Media solutions there are NO 'magic wands' - there are good tools and good 'wands.' 

These kind of consumer backlashes against dealerships' inauthentic reviews have been brewing online for quite some time - and now the news media is running with it....

The Story: Longtime BMW Owner Calls For Defenders Investigation Of 5-Star Reviews

April Molina, KSAT 12 News Reporter - POSTED: Thursday, October 14, 2010

SAN ANTONIO -- A consumer is questioning the online ratings of a local auto dealership.

Watch April Molina's Report: http://www.ksat.com/video/25398360/index.html

"They're just five-star ratings, five-star ratings -- five-star after five-star," said BMW owner, Greg Kinney of some dealership reviews he found posted online.

Kinney said he was a little surprised, as his own experience with BMW of San Antonio fell short of the exceptional reviews he found online Though he is quick to note, no dealership is perfect, Kinney said he questions the number of great reviews and the suspicious pattern.

"It's really very thinly veiled," said Kinney.

Skimming through some online posts, Kinney clicked on the profile of a person who'd given BMW of San Antonio a glowing review on City Search, and soon found all the other reviews posted by the same person on the same day referring to different businesses in different cities.

"(There are) 20 reviews by him. Here's one for backpackers Vacation Inn and Plantation Village. Nob Hill Hotel was posted on the sixth, so I guess he was there too. The Bridal Superstar by Posie Patch got five stars on the same date," said Kinney.

Wondering whether the profile was actually a paid service, Kinney contacted the KSAT Defenders.

Reporters contacted BMW General Manger John Bruns, who confirmed they did hire a service through Review Boost. Bruns said he was under the impression Review Boost would be in contact with their customers, generating actual reviews, but they too questioned the authenticity once they viewed them online.

"Obviously, there's a business out there that's decided to make money by writing five-star reviews," said Kinney.

BMW has since canceled the service and is working to remove questionable reviews taken from the various websites. The dealership also said they do conduct interviews with actual customers and that those reviews are the real deal. They attributed suspicious reviews to other companies.

Copyright 2010 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

A news story that was 100% bound to break, and now has...

A dealership in San Antonio, TX in hot water because (it appears quite strongly) of the review-posting practices of the Reputation Management company Review Boost they hired. Read on (and watch the TV news clip) to see how the investigation uncovers these suspicious 'reviewers' bouncing around the ENTIRE nation writing 5-star reviews about all kinds of businesses and dealerships ON THE SAME DAY!

It's not the dealership's fault - they were probably told the company would be gathering and POSTING reviews of their real customers...This is really a SERIOUS, emerging issue, as more companies/dealerships, understandably, need help with the heavy-lifting of Online Reputation Management/Social Media.

Authenticity is KEY and it's going to get more CRUCIAL - and when it comes to Reputation Management/Social Media solutions there are NO 'magic wands' - there are good tools and good 'wands.' 

These kind of consumer backlashes against dealerships' inauthentic reviews have been brewing online for quite some time - and now the news media is running with it....

The Story: Longtime BMW Owner Calls For Defenders Investigation Of 5-Star Reviews

April Molina, KSAT 12 News Reporter - POSTED: Thursday, October 14, 2010

SAN ANTONIO -- A consumer is questioning the online ratings of a local auto dealership.

Watch April Molina's Report: http://www.ksat.com/video/25398360/index.html

"They're just five-star ratings, five-star ratings -- five-star after five-star," said BMW owner, Greg Kinney of some dealership reviews he found posted online.

Kinney said he was a little surprised, as his own experience with BMW of San Antonio fell short of the exceptional reviews he found online Though he is quick to note, no dealership is perfect, Kinney said he questions the number of great reviews and the suspicious pattern.

"It's really very thinly veiled," said Kinney.

Skimming through some online posts, Kinney clicked on the profile of a person who'd given BMW of San Antonio a glowing review on City Search, and soon found all the other reviews posted by the same person on the same day referring to different businesses in different cities.

"(There are) 20 reviews by him. Here's one for backpackers Vacation Inn and Plantation Village. Nob Hill Hotel was posted on the sixth, so I guess he was there too. The Bridal Superstar by Posie Patch got five stars on the same date," said Kinney.

Wondering whether the profile was actually a paid service, Kinney contacted the KSAT Defenders.

Reporters contacted BMW General Manger John Bruns, who confirmed they did hire a service through Review Boost. Bruns said he was under the impression Review Boost would be in contact with their customers, generating actual reviews, but they too questioned the authenticity once they viewed them online.

"Obviously, there's a business out there that's decided to make money by writing five-star reviews," said Kinney.

BMW has since canceled the service and is working to remove questionable reviews taken from the various websites. The dealership also said they do conduct interviews with actual customers and that those reviews are the real deal. They attributed suspicious reviews to other companies.

Copyright 2010 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

“Highest-Rated” Across 2009 and 2010 at DrivingSales’ Vendor Ratings Program

Riverside, CA - October 19, 2010 - eXtéresAUTO, the leading “Search Asset Management” provider for auto dealerships, announced today that according to DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, the company ranks as the “Highest-Rated” SEO provider for auto dealerships in 2010. In the recently published DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, the company retains its #1 ranking this year, after winning the award for #1 dealership SEO provider in 2009.

DrivingSales’ Vendor Ratings are determined by thousands of dealerships that are part of the DrivingSales community. According to the 2010 Innovation Guide, eXtéresAUTO SEO achieved a 5-star overall rating - with a dealer recommendation rate of 98%. The company also currently ranks as the #1 Online Reputation Management provider (with a 100% dealer recommendation rate) at DrivingSales.com.

“It’s a special honor to rank as the top SEO provider for the second straight year at DrivingSales, because their ratings program is unique in measuring the real-world opinions of dealers nationwide - the people who actually use these products and services,” noted eXtéresAUTO CEO, Richard Winch.

SEO and Online Reputation Management are critical components in eXtéresAUTO’s comprehensive “Search Asset Management” approach, which also integrates online piracy solutions and website analytics. Each of the company’s solutions is designed to ensure that dealerships have the most powerful, positive visibility wherever their customers happen to be searching online.

“Highest-Rated” Across 2009 and 2010 at DrivingSales’ Vendor Ratings Program

Riverside, CA - October 19, 2010 - eXtéresAUTO, the leading “Search Asset Management” provider for auto dealerships, announced today that according to DrivingSales Vendor Ratings, the company ranks as the “Highest-Rated” SEO provider for auto dealerships in 2010. In the recently published DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, the company retains its #1 ranking this year, after winning the award for #1 dealership SEO provider in 2009.

DrivingSales’ Vendor Ratings are determined by thousands of dealerships that are part of the DrivingSales community. According to the 2010 Innovation Guide, eXtéresAUTO SEO achieved a 5-star overall rating - with a dealer recommendation rate of 98%. The company also currently ranks as the #1 Online Reputation Management provider (with a 100% dealer recommendation rate) at DrivingSales.com.

“It’s a special honor to rank as the top SEO provider for the second straight year at DrivingSales, because their ratings program is unique in measuring the real-world opinions of dealers nationwide - the people who actually use these products and services,” noted eXtéresAUTO CEO, Richard Winch.

SEO and Online Reputation Management are critical components in eXtéresAUTO’s comprehensive “Search Asset Management” approach, which also integrates online piracy solutions and website analytics. Each of the company’s solutions is designed to ensure that dealerships have the most powerful, positive visibility wherever their customers happen to be searching online.

Dramatically Improved Reporting, ‘Live View’ Of Potential Infractions, etc., Designed to Help Dealerships Stamp Out Costly Search Placement and Lead Theft

Riverside CA- April 21, 2010 – eXtéresAUTO, the award-winning SEO and Search Asset Management (SAM™) provider for the auto dealer industry, today announced the roll out of major upgrades to its pioneering Piracy Management solution, the first technology to help dealers crack down on the growing, costly problem of online search piracy.

Many dealerships remain unaware of the serious issue of online piracy, which is when third-party websites or direct competitors, for example, incorporate a dealership’s trademarked name or inventory into their site’s meta tags (organic piracy), or purchase a dealership’s name in paid search keyword buys (PPC piracy). The result: when a dealer’s potential customers are specifically searching for them, these pirate-sites ‘steal’ their valuable search position, traffic and customers. Particularly costly are certain lead aggregator sites masquerading as quasi-consumer-directories, that use a dealership’s name to generate leads - sell these leads to larger lead providers - who can then sell them right back to the dealership. With consumer search usage exploding, and 40% of local auto searches specifically involving a dealership’s name, a dealer’s ‘search real estate’ has become increasingly valuable property, generating significant business.

“The World Wide Web has never looked more like the Wild, Wild West,” noted Richard Winch, CEO of the eXtéres Corporation. “Online piracy is a crystal-clear indicator of how valuable search position has become today. It can cost a dealership tens of thousands of dollars a month in leads and sales hijacked, but it’s an extraordinarily confusing, time-consuming problem for them to tackle. Our significantly upgraded solution is designed to help them better pinpoint possible infractions, to put an end to them.”

New Piracy Management Features:

• Rich Reporting: Constantly delivers alerts on usages of a dealership's trademark name, inventory or URL (from across the Web), into the easy-to-navigate SAM back-office tool. Pre-sorted and categorized by all major, possible types of piracy/sites: from OEM, third-party, rival dealer, technology, video, job, consumer information or car-buying sites - to potential PPC infractions.

• ‘Live View’: Aggressively pre-screens all usages, to present dealerships with convenient links for a ‘live view’ (physical evidence) of the dealership’s name/inventory/URL usage in the source’s meta tags – all clearly highlighted. (Dealers don’t need to wade through hundreds of pages of confusing coding at each site.)

• Flags ‘Known Pirates’: so dealers can take quick, decisive action.

• Disputing Module: Provides scenario-specific information and tools for dealers to take initial (and escalating, if necessary) action against possible pirates, with customized processes for disputing each type of site/piracy.

• Training/Tutorials: Webinars on effective online piracy strategies available live or pre-recorded, along with video ‘help’ tutorials.  

Dealers adopting the previous incarnation of Piracy Management have been enthusiastic about its benefits: “Without eXtéresAUTO’s piracy tool I wouldn’t have had any idea that online pirates were preying on us - by using the ‘Heartland Toyota’ name to steal my rightful, first-page search engine position,” said Tom Diefendorf, GM at Heartland Toyota in the Seattle, WA area.

eXtéresAUTO’s Piracy Management is integrated into its comprehensive Search Asset Management (SAM™) suite of solutions, which also includes advanced, award-winning SEO; Online Reputation Management; Website Analytics; Competitor Trak - and more.  

Visit: www.exteresauto.com

For media inquiries contact: Beth McGroary, beth@rbicom.com or 213.300.0107

For dealer inquiries contact: Kim Orr, kim.orr@exteres.com or 866.994.2613

About eXtéresAUTO:
eXtéresAUTO is the leading ‘Search Asset Management’ provider for the automotive industry. Its proprietary SAM™ technology integrates advanced SEO, Online Reputation Management, Piracy Solutions, Website Analytics – and more. AutoSuccess named eXtéresAUTO one of the ‘Top Ten Companies to Watch in 2010,’ and the company’s SEO ranked #1 in dealer satisfaction in the 2009 DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards. Founded in 2006 by Richard Winch and Graham Winch, leaders in online marketing strategies and technologies, the company is headquartered in Riverside, CA.

Dramatically Improved Reporting, ‘Live View’ Of Potential Infractions, etc., Designed to Help Dealerships Stamp Out Costly Search Placement and Lead Theft

Riverside CA- April 21, 2010 – eXtéresAUTO, the award-winning SEO and Search Asset Management (SAM™) provider for the auto dealer industry, today announced the roll out of major upgrades to its pioneering Piracy Management solution, the first technology to help dealers crack down on the growing, costly problem of online search piracy.

Many dealerships remain unaware of the serious issue of online piracy, which is when third-party websites or direct competitors, for example, incorporate a dealership’s trademarked name or inventory into their site’s meta tags (organic piracy), or purchase a dealership’s name in paid search keyword buys (PPC piracy). The result: when a dealer’s potential customers are specifically searching for them, these pirate-sites ‘steal’ their valuable search position, traffic and customers. Particularly costly are certain lead aggregator sites masquerading as quasi-consumer-directories, that use a dealership’s name to generate leads - sell these leads to larger lead providers - who can then sell them right back to the dealership. With consumer search usage exploding, and 40% of local auto searches specifically involving a dealership’s name, a dealer’s ‘search real estate’ has become increasingly valuable property, generating significant business.

“The World Wide Web has never looked more like the Wild, Wild West,” noted Richard Winch, CEO of the eXtéres Corporation. “Online piracy is a crystal-clear indicator of how valuable search position has become today. It can cost a dealership tens of thousands of dollars a month in leads and sales hijacked, but it’s an extraordinarily confusing, time-consuming problem for them to tackle. Our significantly upgraded solution is designed to help them better pinpoint possible infractions, to put an end to them.”

New Piracy Management Features:

• Rich Reporting: Constantly delivers alerts on usages of a dealership's trademark name, inventory or URL (from across the Web), into the easy-to-navigate SAM back-office tool. Pre-sorted and categorized by all major, possible types of piracy/sites: from OEM, third-party, rival dealer, technology, video, job, consumer information or car-buying sites - to potential PPC infractions.

• ‘Live View’: Aggressively pre-screens all usages, to present dealerships with convenient links for a ‘live view’ (physical evidence) of the dealership’s name/inventory/URL usage in the source’s meta tags – all clearly highlighted. (Dealers don’t need to wade through hundreds of pages of confusing coding at each site.)

• Flags ‘Known Pirates’: so dealers can take quick, decisive action.

• Disputing Module: Provides scenario-specific information and tools for dealers to take initial (and escalating, if necessary) action against possible pirates, with customized processes for disputing each type of site/piracy.

• Training/Tutorials: Webinars on effective online piracy strategies available live or pre-recorded, along with video ‘help’ tutorials.  

Dealers adopting the previous incarnation of Piracy Management have been enthusiastic about its benefits: “Without eXtéresAUTO’s piracy tool I wouldn’t have had any idea that online pirates were preying on us - by using the ‘Heartland Toyota’ name to steal my rightful, first-page search engine position,” said Tom Diefendorf, GM at Heartland Toyota in the Seattle, WA area.

eXtéresAUTO’s Piracy Management is integrated into its comprehensive Search Asset Management (SAM™) suite of solutions, which also includes advanced, award-winning SEO; Online Reputation Management; Website Analytics; Competitor Trak - and more.  

Visit: www.exteresauto.com

For media inquiries contact: Beth McGroary, beth@rbicom.com or 213.300.0107

For dealer inquiries contact: Kim Orr, kim.orr@exteres.com or 866.994.2613

About eXtéresAUTO:
eXtéresAUTO is the leading ‘Search Asset Management’ provider for the automotive industry. Its proprietary SAM™ technology integrates advanced SEO, Online Reputation Management, Piracy Solutions, Website Analytics – and more. AutoSuccess named eXtéresAUTO one of the ‘Top Ten Companies to Watch in 2010,’ and the company’s SEO ranked #1 in dealer satisfaction in the 2009 DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards. Founded in 2006 by Richard Winch and Graham Winch, leaders in online marketing strategies and technologies, the company is headquartered in Riverside, CA.