A Guide to Building Your Company Reputation Online
The growth of the Internet, social media, review sites and online forums has had a fundame…
In today’s world, online reputation management is essential. The Internet, and more specifically what people say about you online, is perhaps the single biggest influence on your success and that of your business and brand. This is true for businesses and brands of all sizes and sectors around the world.
When people Google you, everything they see in the search results influences their perception of you. Their perception is your online reputation.
Let’s face it – if you search for something and all the online chatter about it is positive you’re going to want to get in on the act. If it’s a sea of negative chatter, you’ll go elsewhere for what you’re looking for.
Online reputation management works to counter, weaken or eliminate negative material online and generate and promote the positive. This matters so that when people search for you online they see you in the best possible light.
Why does it matter?
Online search:
When people search for you or your business online, you want people to get a positive first impression at a glance on page 1. If the results are positive – website, profiles, positive press articles, good star ratings, and reviews, etc – they’ll want to do business with you. Or at least move closer towards it. If you have bad press, negative reviews or even nothing of note at all they’re less likely to believe that you’re right for them and look elsewhere.
Negative results are a huge worry for businesses as well as individuals.
But highly visible positive search results on page 1, really influence perception, reputation, consumer behaviour and business and individual success, which is why it pays to look after your online reputation:
Search engines, such as Google, Bing, and others, don’t care about your reputation. They don’t filter results based on what’s negative and positive, but rather on relevance and popularity. This is why online reputation management is especially relevant.
Taking control of your online presence enables you to present the best possible image of your business, brand or senior figures to the online community. As an individual, you’ll also control what people see when they search for you, and for businesses, you’ll help prospective customers notice you before your competitors and convert them into sales. It also protects your brand from any unwanted negative content online. How? The positive profiles and content make it harder for negatives to rank in the first few pages of Google.
Because our approach to online reputation management is organic and bespoke, rather than automated, our clients’ reputation strategies last as Google’s algorithms change over time.
The more search engine results you ‘own’ on the first two pages of an online search the better. Why? Because it enables you to control what people see and influence their decision-making process. As well as your website, you want them to see positive reviews (which are very important for trust and credibility), social media, profiles, and PR.
A study conducted by Chitika reveals that the first page of a Google search for your firm’s name attracts 91.5% of traffic from an average search.
Credibility, trust, profit and attracting talent are all linked to your search results.
People search for people online, whether they’re looking for a potential new hire, or want to know more about you before choosing to do business with you. They’ll check out your social media and professional profiles and notice if you’ve been in the news. What people see in the first 2 pages of an online search is what shapes their opinion of you. Google yourself, do you like what you see? It is true and fair?
Find out more about how online reputation management works for businesses and people.
Speak with Simon our online reputation management expert, in complete confidence.
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