Being Proactive with your Online Reputation

Online Reputation Management can not only help business, but can help individuals too.

When it comes to a business, your reputation can be damaged by negative reviews or feedback, especially if the negative comments are visible on page one of search engines such as Google. This can affect further business opportunities, and have an adverse effect on sales.

Businesses can review their online reputation by typing their brand name or company name into the Google search engine. Ideally, what you want to see is a clean page one, with no negative comments or reviews. You should aim for this page one to be filled with either neutral or positive information, which often means putting social media profiles and microsites in place.

Of course, negative comments may not be a problem on page one of Google for your key terms, but you also need to review how many of those results are actually referring to your company, no matter whether positive, negative or neutral. If you find that not many are pointing to your brand, then it is a good idea to start building your online reputation. Not only will it build trust in your company, but it is also a good idea to be proactive in case any negative comments do crop up; if you have existing positive material online it will be much easier to search engine optimise this in order to push the negative down.

However, Reputation Management Companies aren’t only relevant to businesses; individuals may also need to keep track of their online reputation. This can easily be reviewed by typing their name into a search engine like Google. When looking at online reputation management for an individual, social media profiles such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are a must.

Not only can negative reviews affect an individual’s career, but can even affect their personal life. For example, if a person is receiving hateful comments through social media, which is not uncommon, they would most likely become stressed, upset and feel extremely hurt.

It is a good idea to track your online reputation by, for example, using Google Alerts to track what is being said about you or your company. To do this, simply enter yours or the company’s name into the search bar of the Google Alerts page to receive instant alerts via e-mail. This way, you can effectively manage and react to what is being said about you.

This leads to the important subject of how to react and respond to negative criticism. When reviewing comments, it is important to consider the most appropriate manner to reply in. For example, it may be that you or the company has been at fault, in which case you should try to resolve the issue or give a sincere apology. However, some comments may need a more serious response, such as a public statement or press release.