by Net Reputation
Why is online reputation monitoring so important? Like bottled water and batteries in your bunker, intentionally building your online reputation now can pay dividends when you need it most.
Online reputation management is probably something most individuals rarely consider or think about. But in times of hardship, when negativity appears online, where do you turn? Who can you call to help restore your online reputation to its former glory?
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of being proactive about your online reputation. Waiting too long to take action will not only cause your stress and anxiety, but it may even make matters worse in the long run.
Here at NetReputation, we pride ourselves on our ability to restore, maintain, and monitor the online reputations of individuals as well as businesses. Get a reputation scan right now with our Reputation Score Calculator.
Proactive Reputation Management Starts With Knowing What the Internet Says About You
In today’s highly connected world, your online presence matters. People use the internet to search for information all the time. When they Google your name, do you know what appears in search results? Online conversations about you or your company can have powerful effects on decision-making processes.
It doesn’t matter if you are an individual or a business owner — your presence online is a window into who you are, what you do, and what you stand for. Within your online image — your brand — is your online reputation, or the factors that shape people’s perception of you.
When you have a positive online reputation, new opportunities become available to you. If your reputation is negative, though, you may be missing out.
The search results tied to your name are used for far more than purchasing decisions. People use Google to conduct informal background checks for a wide variety of reasons. If online mentions and negative news have harmed your reputation, you might not:
- Get accepted into the school of your choice
- Be approved for a home or vehicle loan
- Be able to start a new relationship with someone you met on a dating site
- Get that dream job you applied for
Can you really afford to let your online reputation stand in the way of your future? If not, online reputation management is a proven solution.
Online reputation management helps you to control the conversation, allowing you to protect your brand reputation as a business owner, remove negative information from search results, and showcase your best attributes with positive content creation.
Call us at 844-461-3632 for more information about taking control of your online reputation.
Proactive vs. Reactive Online Reputation Management
In this day and age, the internet is a very influential (and free) tool that almost anyone, not only marketers, can use to their advantage.
Users worldwide turn to search engines such as Google to find answers to all of their problems. They use search engines and social networks to gain knowledge and to learn about others, too.
So, what can you do to ensure that your online reputation is positive? Where exactly can you turn when something unfavorable or negative appears online referencing your name or company? And most importantly, how can you start becoming proactive about your online reputation monitoring?
The idea of being proactive means consistently monitoring how your name appears on Google while keeping in mind that less than 1% of users don’t venture past the first page of search results. When you monitor your online reputation, you are able to identify problems before they can cause harm to your brand image and your business or personal prospects.
The reactive approach, by contrast, happens when you don’t monitor social media or search results until your online reputation has already been harmed by negative information. This approach often leaves us scrambling to restore our brand reputations before the problem gets worse.
Easily Accessible Online Reputation Management Tools
There are endless tools and websites to utilize when working to better your appearance on the internet. Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have made it extremely easy for users to produce content for free.
Thankfully, these platforms have made it possible for individuals and business owners to conduct reputation management tasks on their own. Social networks provide a range of features, including social media monitoring tools that alert you to brand mentions. Armed with these tools, you’ll be better equipped to protect your brand reputation with ease.
Google Alerts is another one of the important online reputation management tools at your disposal. With Google Alerts, you can sign up to receive email notifications any time a specific keyword is mentioned, such as your name, your company’s name, or a combination of key phrases that make up your digital presence.
Google Alerts is free and easy to use. Check out our article about how to use Google Alerts for online reputation management and monitoring.
In the past, you would have had to pay a media company to release numerous press releases and articles online, taking several months to combat anything defamatory or negative in reference to your name. Today, you can control the conversation and protect your brand by using online reputation management software and tools that help you create positive, engaging content.
Getting ahead of the ball by using some of the most effective digital resources is crucial. The reputation management specialists at NetReputation use these tools and more to help beef up a brand’s online presence, promote positive content, and remove negative search results that stand in the way of your success.
Can Review Sites and Customer Feedback Affect My Online Reputation?
Review sites have taken the digital world by storm over the past decade. These platforms range from industry-specific review sites to broad platforms like Google reviews, as well as Amazon, social media, and third-party sites. All of these review sites get a tremendous amount of traffic, which helps them to stand out in search results.
Why are review sites so important when considering online reputation management? Reviews have a powerful effect on consumer behavior:
- Over 93% of online shoppers read reviews before making a purchase.
- Reviews matter more to customers than pricing and discounts.
- 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all reviews, both positive and negative.
- Only 47% of consumers would use a business that doesn’t respond to its reviews.
Positive reviews online build trust. Negative reviews, on the other hand, may negatively impact your business prospects. How a business responds to its reviews matters, too.
It’s important to note that just because something’s online, that doesn’t make it automatically true. Both positive and negative reviews can be subjective or written by people who are close to or against a certain business or person. Unhappy customers are not the only people using third-party review platforms to share their experiences; many people use online reviews as a way to target people or companies they don’t agree with, even if they have never been a customer.
Because review sites have gained so much importance, review management is a critical component of online reputation management. With review management tactics in place, you can learn valuable insights about the customer experience, as well as discover emerging trends that can help or harm your business.
How Can Negative Content Hurt My Online Reputation and Business Growth?
The importance of maintaining a positive online presence is at an all-time high. This is why we created NetReputation — to give individuals the opportunity to start over or take advantage of a second chance.
There are ways to remove content from the internet and search results, even if it’s been spread around. Today, we have the know-how and ability to contact websites directly and request the removal of certain types of information.
It’s common for negative search engine results to appear after circumstances like the following:
- There’s been a recent arrest, and a mugshot has been picked up by mugshot publication sites.
- An individual made poor investments and lost money. From there, they went on gossip sites and wrote articles to damage those they’re upset with.
- After a bad breakup, exes sometimes visit sites like CheaterLand or Cheaterbuster to post negative stories that may include the person’s full name and contact information.
The internet is a double-edged sword. With all the good it can do in today’s world, there is always someone trying to hold you back. With our help, negative information no longer has to interfere with your path to success.
At NetReputation, we work with individuals and businesses to help them take control of their online visibility and digital presence. Give us a call at 844-461-3632 to learn more about our online reputation management services.
Protecting Your Brand Online with Reputation Monitoring
Part of online reputation management is online reputation monitoring. Monitoring your online reputation means keeping tabs on what others are saying about you and what information appears in search engine results.
This is an essential component of online reputation management. In the following section, we’ll take a deeper look at the tips, tricks, and ways you can promote yourself in a positive light, improve customer sentiment, and build a business reputation you deserve.
Keep in mind that this process will take time. The good news is that if you continuously follow the steps below, you have an excellent chance at regaining control of how the internet presents information about you and affects your online reputation.
Quick-Start Guide To Monitoring Your Online Reputation
There are many tried-and-true methods available online when it comes to improving how your online reputation resonates with others:
- Controlling the first page for your name or for the name of your business is your No. 1 goal. Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important tool that reputation managers use to build online visibility for your name or brand.
- Stop focusing on how many likes or shares your social media posts get. Instead, start focusing on the amount of quality content you post online. While social media is important, the comments and activity on these platforms only play a small role when it comes to influencing search results.
- Online review management, which includes encouraging positive reviews and responding strategically to all types of reviews, can build credibility and trust.
Now, let’s get into specific monitoring tips to add to your online reputation management strategy.
Create as Many Social Media Accounts as You Can
Why social media? Because when you look at social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and others, they have billions of users. Social platforms have grown to dominate the web and represent viable opportunities for you to stand out in your field. By creating various social media accounts, you give Google the ammunition it needs to restructure what its results say about you.
Google ranks websites in order of not only popularity but also relevance. This means that when you post photos on Facebook, you have a good chance that the photo will rank on Google in the upcoming days or weeks. The same goes for Facebook reviews and comments, too, which also indirectly influence search rankings. Whether your followers post positive comments or negative comments, this activity is picked up by search algorithms.
Also keep in mind that negative feedback on social platforms can erode confidence in you or your brand. Online reputation management helps to control the conversation about you, and it’s important that your followers are having positive interactions with you online.
One great way to leverage social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is to share regular posts with followers. You could explore industry trends, alert followers to industry news, or simply provide valuable insights into your business model. These topic ideas build engagement with followers as well as encourage those followers to share with others.
As you start this process, know that it may take time to build your brand’s reputation on social media. However, with consistent posting, you’ll begin to flood Google with relevant information that it will prioritize in search results.
Partner with Press Release Distribution Services
Although this public relations method is a bit old school, there are many benefits to having a media company or news outlet promote you on their website and via their mailing list. Don’t underestimate what’s considered newsworthy, either. The following information can make PR-worthy content to improve your online reputation:
- Soft launches or grand openings for local businesses.
- Positive customer feedback to a product or service your business just rolled out.
- Certificates your company or employee has received.
- Community events that your team participated in or will be part of.
Aside from improving customer sentiment and local search visibility, press releases are a great way to reach the first page of Google. Why? They add fresh, keyword-optimized content to search engines that are easy to crawl and index. Plus, they add to your backlink portfolio, which is a signal to Google that your site can be trusted.
Develop Better Community and Customer Relationships Through Volunteering
Volunteering has extremely valuable benefits when it comes to improving your brand’s reputation online by showcasing social responsibility and public goodwill. There are endless opportunities for you to dive into the world of volunteer work, whether it be through non-profits, local schools, community organizations or corporate events.
These selfless efforts show your leadership abilities and will get you noticed by the public. Most volunteering events will publish articles online or have their own website acknowledging the individuals and companies that took time to help a specific cause.
Overall, volunteering is a time-honored way to support your community while generating a positive business reputation for your brand. Plus, the more you volunteer in your local community, the more people will remember your name and face. That alone is worth more than what money can buy.
Harness the Power of Podcasts for Online Reputation Management
Podcasts are an excellent tool for shaping and controlling how your brand is perceived online. When you host your own podcast or regularly appear in relevant podcasts, you’re able to do the following:
- Share your industry expertise
- Tell your brand story
- Reach an engaged audience in your niche
- Increase press coverage of your brand
- Add backlinks that direct people to your content
- Spread your message via social media shares
This puts you in the position of a thought leader in your industry, which improves credibility and visibility online. Plus, regularly participating in podcasts adds positive mentions to the web, which can improve your business reputation in search results.
Final Thoughts On Being Proactive About Monitoring Your Online Reputation
Most often, it’s up to you to publish positive content about your brand. Most people aren’t going to willingly promote your brand on your behalf, other than maybe leaving positive feedback following a great experience.
Make it your goal to publish a minimum of one piece of insightful, valuable brand content every day. That can include blog posts, social media updates, videos, etc. The key is to be consistent, which will build authority, credibility and visibility with time.
The more consistently you create and distribute content on the right platforms, the more in control you’ll be of your customer relationships and online reputation management.
At NetReputation, we can help you monitor your brand’s reputation and elevate your reputation management strategy. As your ORM team, we’ll track customer feedback, social media posts and comments, business listings, and other brand mentions to gather the insights to be proactive.
Don’t wait for a crisis to happen. Take control of your brand image ASAP by filling out the form below.