Contents

• Reputation 101. 1
• Importance of Online Reputation. 2
• Give Your Business a Competitive Edge. 2
• Build Trust, Loyalty, and Expand Your Customer Base. 2
• Generate Substantial Returns. 3
• SEO and Reputation Management 3
• SEO for Reputation Management 4
• Clean up Your Social Media. 4
• Quality Content Matters. 5
• Post Informative and Engaging Blogs. 6
• Disavow/Report False or Incorrect Links. 6

In an age when digital technology has made online communication easier and faster than ever before, creating a positive online image has become an absolute must for businesses.

Regardless of the type of business or industry, business owners must go the extra mile to safeguard their online reputation. Negative customer reviews or bad publicity can cause unimaginable damage to a business.

Simply put, your company’s online reputation can make or break your brand.

Reputation 101

A brand’s online reputation is what customers think of it. Creating a positive image or reputation is crucial for any business. As a matter of fact, it’s the stepping stone toward business growth and success.

Importance of Online Reputation

It can take a business several years to carve a name for itself. Yet, sometimes, all it takes is one angry customer’s review to tarnish the entire reputation of a well-respected brand.

One shouldn’t undermine the significance of good online reputation management. Proper online reputation management can benefit your business in the following ways:

Build Trust, Loyalty, and Expand Your Customer Base

From customers to investors, people trust positive brands with an impeccable online reputation. Most people research a business before investing in their products/services. If they read negative reviews about the company, they’re more likely to move on to the next firm.

Earning customers’ trust and loyalty is an important goal for most businesses. Keep in mind, news spreads fast on the internet. If a customer is disappointed with your products or services, they’re likely to share their experience with their friends and family. As a result, this may hurt your company in the long run. A proper online reputation management plan can help you take control of the situation.

Generate Substantial Returns

When it comes to revenue, a positive online reputation can increase business sales. Increased sales come from customer trust and satisfaction. On the other hand, a poor online reputation can result in losses.

Good or bad, a company’s online reputation has a significant influence on a potential customer’s decision making and, in turn, the company’s revenue and profits. Therefore, businesses must come up with comprehensive online reputation management strategies.

We’ll go over a few options below.

SEO and Reputation Management

When an online user searches for your brand on Google, the information they see on the first page of search engines influences their purchasing decision. This means that both positive and negative information will be on full display for the customer to review and mull until they reach a decision.

As per research by Edelman Trust Barometer, 64% of people trust online search engines the most when conducting research on a business. This is primarily due to the fact that the Internet has become the number one source of information, including information about businesses.

Information appearing on search engine results can be the differentiator between the success or failure of a brand. If online users see damaging content or negative, false reviews about your business, it’s quite likely that they won’t purchase anything from your company.

SEO for Reputation Management

Search engine optimization is the fix for negative reviews and false information. Leveraging SEO can help you suppress and disavow incorrect URLs, and increase traffic to your website, resulting in more leads, conversions and sales. Statistically speaking, Google controls 77.98% of search engine traffic and that’s what you want to focus on.

A simple Google search can lead to customers having a negative or positive impression of your business. A negative reputation can hurt your business’s search engine ranking. It’s safe to say that online reputation management and SEO are closely connected.

In order to protect your brand’s online reputation, follow these golden rules:

Clean up Your Social Media

Social networks enable businesses to promote and sell products/services to customers. Customers use their social media accounts to check out products/services and place orders. Simply put, social media is the new marketplace. It helps facilitate communication between businesses and customers.

Whether you run a Facebook or Instagram account for your business, post quality content (blogs, videos, product images, etc.) on a regular basis. As the leading social media platform, Facebook is a gold mine for marketers. Here’s some insight into how you can grow a small business through Facebook.

Your company’s social media profiles should include information that is consistent with your website. This includes information regarding products and services, contact, etc.

Register your business on Google My Business. Additionally, if a customer posts a negative review, refrain from ignoring the issue. Listen to and respond to a customer’s complaint or query immediately. Following these steps will strengthen your company’s reputation and boost your search engine rankings.

Find out more about the right approach to online reviews and testimonials to ensure you receive positive feedback and cultivate a strong online presence.

Quality Content Matters

Improve your brand’s reputation with quality content.

Be it social media or your website, original, insightful, and consistent online content adds value to a business. High-quality content is the key to building customer trust and loyalty, and improving search engine rankings.

Use industry and brand-specific keywords in your content without going overboard. Keywords need to be strategically placed to create a strong brand image. In addition, add Google-friendly links and promotional videos to cultivate a stronger brand presence.

Post Informative and Engaging Blogs

Demonstrate your writing skills by posting insightful blogs about your products and services. You can promote blogs on your website and social profiles. Similarly, you can create guest posts for platforms with a high domain authority to attract quality backlinks and dominate search engines. Blogging can improve your SEO and online reputation.

Disavow/Report False or Incorrect Links

Any negative information about you must be redacted from the Google Index. This entails contacting the domain owner and asking them to remove the derogatory content. In some instances, further steps may be required. Facilitate the process by getting in touch with an experienced SEO agency.

Online reputation management can be a major undertaking that requires the technical know-how and expertise of a professional SEO agency.

At Search Berg, you can count on our reputation management services to deliver guaranteed results! After assessing your company’s online reputation, we will develop an effective reputation management strategy to strengthen the online image, reputation and search ranking of your brand. We also implement post-crisis practices to repair your company’s reputation and prevent long-term damage.

Call 855-444-4777 to discuss your business needs and get started! We also offer expert link building services to help your website climb SERPs and become an authoritative voice in the industry.