It might be time for you to think about ways to improve your online reputation if you have a poor reputation. Bad reputations can damage your relationships, impact your personal life and cost you opportunities in the workplace. These can all affect your self-confidence, as well as the way you and others see you.
Unexpected reputation crises can occur and they can be difficult to fix. It is possible to repair your reputation online and improve your search results. These are the steps that will help you rebuild trust with customers and restore your reputation.
- You can take control of your brand's online presence
- Monitor and know what Google and other online sources are saying about you.
- For any mistakes, always apologize
These are some guidelines to help you get started on your journey to rebuilding your online reputation. This will take time, so be prepared to work hard.
Different types of search results online reputation repair companies fix
There are many types of content that can harm a company's online reputation, regardless of whether it is true or false. It is important to contact an online reputation repair service if the first Google page contains negative content. Each search result type requires a different approach and strategy.
Negative news articles
Negative articles are the most damaging search results that individuals and brands face. Unfavorable editorials that are placed on the first Google page can be a big problem for your brand's reputation.
Google's algorithm was designed to provide people with exactly what they are looking for. Searches for brands and CEOs usually refer to reviews and editorial content. These stories will be quickly displayed because Google's news algorithm favors timeliness. People start clicking the content once it is highlighted on page one or suggested in autocomplete. Google will add the result to its organic listings if there is enough interest from users. The story is picked up by other journalists and spirals out of control.
Negative reviews and comparisons
Online reviews can be tricky as they often appear on aggregate sites such as Yelp, Facebook, or Glassdoor, where employees and customers are the authors. It is often difficult to remove negative comments about your company. Fake reviews on Yelp can be removed but it takes several steps. The same applies to deleting Google Reviews. These are more difficult to manage. Review management can also be a full-time job.
Many businesses find comparison websites a major pain point. These sites can be created by competitors or affiliated with them. They often present a biased picture of your brand to customers, business partners, investors, and others.
Personal information
Although Google doesn't generally remove negative reviews or other content from search results, there are certain things that the search engine considers important. Google will remove search results that could be harmful to your safety and finances.
How to repair your online reputation
Your online reputation is usually affected by three areas. The weight of these factors varies depending on what type of business you are in Social Media. Search results. Website comments/reviews.
Social Media
Social media reputation management is a term that describes the many tactics used by marketers to increase brand awareness and build reputation via social media.
This includes creating strategic content and monitoring social media channels (Facebook Twitter Instagram etc.). Engage with customers on channels that talk about your brand or business.
There is more ground to cover in digital today. Customers share their experiences with brands via online customer review sites, directory listings, and other business discovery apps.
Although the primary objectives of social media reputation management are the same, marketers today have expanded the reach of their efforts to include digital spaces.
- Make engaging, relevant content
- Do not focus on increasing likes or followers, but instead on increasing reviews
- Resolve Reputation Problems
- Use Social Listening Tools
- Pay Attention to Facebook, Twitter, & LinkedIn
- Share your best reviews on Social Platforms
Search Results
Your business's online reputation and presence are crucial. Online news spreads information much quicker than offline. When researching a purchase, many consumers look online for information. A high-ranking score and positive reviews can impact your "visibility", as well as your ranking on major search engines such as Google.
Your search results can be influenced by using two factors:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Removing search results you control
SEO can influence search rankings
Search engine optimization (SEO), should be an integral part of your online reputation management. It covers almost every aspect that affects your online reputation. A good SEO strategy will improve your ranking on search results pages. You will be able to pull both the good and the bad from your optimizations. This is the ultimate goal of online reputation management.
Google doesn't share exact numbers but SEOTribunal.com reported that Google handles 3.8 Million searches per minute across the globe. This is 228 million searches an hour, 56 billion searches per day, or 2 trillion searches a year!
Utilizing a good SEO strategy can help you repair your online reputation. This strategy takes time and effort. If you are inexperienced, we recommend that you consult with an SEO company to see if you can afford to outsource this work. If not, then be prepared to dedicate some time to learn how search engines work.
Remove unwanted search results from Google
Although the internet might contain many pages detailing your accomplishments and glowing reviews about your business, Google users will not likely notice them if they are hidden beneath negative or inaccurate search results.
A negative or incorrect result on the first page can damage your reputation. Its individual effects are not the only thing that can damage your reputation. The fact that it takes up more space on your first webpage means that you have less space for accurate, current, and positive results.
You may prefer Google to prioritize the most relevant or important content about you or your business. To do this, remove any negative search results that are obstructing other content.
No matter what your reason is for removing or pushing down search results, these 4 strategies will help people who want to remove unwanted or outdated information from Google.
- Ask the webmaster to remove the content.
- Ask the webmaster to remove search terms from the content.
- Allow the webmaster to add code so that Google ignores the page.
- Google will remove the content if it is against its terms of service.
Here is a list of the types of content that Google will remove.
- Remove non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images from Google
- Remove involuntary fake pornography from Google
- Remove content about me on sites with exploitative removal practices from Google
- Remove select personally identifiable information (PII) or doxxing content from Google Search
- Remove images of minors from Google search results
- Remove irrelevant pornography from Google search results for my name
To learn more about removing content from Google search results, contact us today.
Handling comments and reviews
In the previous section, we discussed how social media monitoring can help facilitate online reputation management. Once you have created a strategy to find out what customers say about you online, it is time to manage negative reviews using a reputation management approach.
Online reputation management does not mean deleting negative comments from social media channels and profiles. It is a 24-hour process in which negative reviews are minimized and eliminated while customers are satisfied. This involves being prompt in responding, polite, and taking it to the customer on a personal level. Negative reviews do not necessarily have to be negative. The majority of criticism can help you better understand your brand and your target audience.
- Be kind, considerate, and polite
- Respond quickly and publicly
- You can respond privately
- Encourage positive reviews
- Prevent Negative Reviews
Online reviews can be as public as possible. Negative reviews can be a double-edged sword. Although responding is important, it is advisable to make a suggestion to move the conversation to another platform. It is not a good idea to have all of your customers witness the interaction.
Hiring an online reputation repair company
A negative online image or no presence online can be detrimental to your business and discourage customers from buying your products or services. Many companies are turning to online reputation management services to improve their online credibility.
You need reviews to establish trustworthiness and legitimacy for your business. Customer reviews can help you get more customers. It's basically free marketing! Ask your customers to leave reviews to improve your business's image, manage your search results, and monitor your social media presence. To learn more about how to fix your online reputation, contact us today for a free consultation.