Reputation Management Tips

Keep a Watchful Eye on Your Online Reputation

Think your online reputation doesn’t matter? Think again! As outlined by a study by Erik Qualman of Socialnomics.com, nearly three-quarters of respondents say they trust the information provided by total strangers online. Further, some 80 percent of consumers have changed their minds about purchasing a product after reading a negative review online, and over 84 percent say they find online product reviews to be a trustworthy source of information.

This adds up to one simple fact: when those negative reviews or complaints make an appearance, (and they will!) you need to take them seriously and take countermeasures to lessen the negative effects!

Let’s look at five proven strategies to do that.

1. Look at your brand’s search engine results on a regular basis – Look at your company’s name in Google no less than once a month. Google Alerts can be helpful to tell you if there is any conversation regarding you, your company name or your important keywords. Be sure to look beyond page one, as negative entries may be lurking there on their way higher.
2. Deal with negative content ASAP – Do your very best to contact the individual that posted the content in question as soon as possible, especially if they are an unsatisfied client. Do your very best to address their concerns in a positive manner. Don’t get into a public tussle with them! You won’t like the outcome.
3. Optimize your pages with your company name – Make sure your company’s name is prominent within your optimization, specifically in keywords, tags, and titles. The greater number of of your site’s pages that bear your name, the greater number of chances Google will see your site as being the authority for this keyword (your company name) and rank you higher, particularly because most negative content won’t have done any SEO.
4. Create more content channels with your brand – You can use free blogs like WordPress.com, Blogger.com or even subdomains of your own site for this, along with your social channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and Google , will help keep your company name prominent. Post fresh content to these channels as well, so they maintain their search positions.
5. Ask for reviews – Your very best choice for an effective online reputation management tool is to ask your best customers for reviews. Don’t be pushy, but encourage and even reward reviews. This is also your best method to obtain social proof!

Follow these tips to keep your good name! Trust us…you’ll be glad you did.