If your business has an online presence, which it should, make online reputation management top priority. People who search for the business online should be able to find it and encounter include only positive comments and reviews, not loads of complaints and punitive information. Learn how to make company online reputation squeaky clean rather than worthy of a time-out.
The Basics of Online Reputation Management
A company should hold nothing in higher regard than its reputation. A tarnished reputation can result in lost sales, customers, and even staff. Though many businesses focus on enhancing their reputation in the printed media, fewer keep an eye on their online reputation. An online search for the company name may yield surprising, and very unsettling, results.
Being proactive is the key to protecting the company name and its brand. Website content should be optimized to make the business easily findable during an online search. Getting reputable sites to include incoming links featuring keyword-laden anchor text also benefits rankings. The results of searches should be monitored regularly and negative information should be dealt with by contacting its creator.
Tips for Online Reputation Management
One of the most important keyword phrases a company can include on its website is its name. Search engines will view the site as the authority for the company, causing them to rank the site higher. The URL and HTML title tags on multiple website pages should be optimized for the company name, keeping the site atop search results lists and pushing any uncontrollable negative content into oblivion. To reinforce the company name with search engines, use a third person voice on page content.
Getting as many positions on the top ten slots of search results for selected keywords should be the goal. This illustrates that the company dominates regarding the chosen topic. It also prevents negative content from slipping into those precious spots. Spreading the online presence from the company website to blogs and social media networks including YouTube, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn is an effective way to land in multiple top ten slots.
When striving for dominance, keep goals realistic. Even Apple, Inc. does not appear in all top ten search results for the word “apple.” If staff resources are too slim to manage multiple social media accounts, make LinkedIn the account of choice for online reputation management. A profile on LinkedIn typically ranks higher than content on other social media networks and is especially important for business-to-business companies.
