Thanks to technological developments, the way we do business has changed completely. And for the better. Customers can now shop for what they want where they want, making sure they always get the best possible deal. For businesses, it has opened up doors in terms of a wider customer database as well. These developments have also created a need for a good online reputation management firm, however.
What Is Online Reputation?
Very simply put, your online reputation is what people see when they search for you on Google. If someone has a complaint about your organization and this shows up, your reputation can become very damaged. To the point, in fact, that you may struggle to remain in business. The best thing is to enter into a service contract with an online reputation management firm. That said, there are also somethings that you can and should do yourself. This includes the following tips.
Tips on Managing Your Online Reputation
- Be proactive when it comes to protecting your brand. Have excellent and informative content and always respond to comments, even if they are genuine.
- Make sure that you include the name of your business in your URLs and your HTML. This instantly makes you look more professional, both to your clients and to the search engines.
- Use your company name whenever you reference to your company. This increases familiarity, which in turn increases confidence. In other words, don’t say “We are the most comfortable B&B in town”, but say “XYZ B&B is the most comfortable B&B in XYZ town” (place name is important as well).
- Diversify where you can found online. You want to make sure that people can find you, but you don’t know how people will look for you. So if your name is XYZ B&B, then you need to use keywords such as B&B, Bed & Breakfast, Inn, Overnight Stays, Guesthouse, and so on.
- Link to other websites who have things in common for you. Sticking with the B&B example, you may use certain local produce that you can link to the farms. Or you may use a particular brand of bed linen or toiletries for your clientele. Linking to them increases your perceived authority.
- Get active on social media. LinkedIn is good, but only for professionals. Hence, also have a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and any other page that could be relevant to your business. Again, with the B&B example, Instagram would be really good because people may have taken pictures of your establishment or its surrounding area.
- Set up a Google alert for your business name. That way, whenever something is posted, good or bad, you will be alerted of it. This allows you to immediately know when there is a problem, ensuring you can nip it in the bud straight away.
These are the basics on online reputation management and touch on online reputation repair as well. However, it is best to work together with a professional company if you can.