Online Reputation Management, or Digital Reputation Management, allows a business to play an active role in the management of how their business appears online, particularly in Google results when their business name is searched.
Online Reputation Management is the concerted effort a business puts into the way their company or organisation appears online. Online Reputation Management focuses on ensuring your business has a positive online reputation.
With the digital space being imperative for a company’s success online, it is now more important than ever to ensure your business has a positive online reputation.
Most of the time, potential customers will decide if your business is worth contacting based on what they find online.
A business not having any form of online reputation can be just as bad as a business with negative online reviews, as shown by these statistics, so it is absolutely paramount to ensure your online reputation is in order.
Forming An Online Reputation Management Strategy
The starting place for your online reputation management strategy will depend on how your company’s brand reputation appears online.
When your brand or business name is Google searched, are you finding positive or negative search results? Or, even scarier, are you finding nothing at all?
Generally speaking, a business with a positive reputation online will have an easier time creating an online reputation management strategy. They are likely starting from a healthier springboard and can continue growing their business online.
While businesses with an existing positive reputation online will have an easier time getting started, the reality is – businesses with a negative online reputation or no online reputation at all need online reputation management the most.
Cover Your Online Reputation Pillars
To get started building your brand’s online reputation, it is important to ensure you cover off your “online reputation pillars”.
These pillars consist of ensuring you have a website built that reflects your business, social media accounts configured and even a Google My Business listing (ideally with reviews).
These online reputation pillars will form the basis of your strategy, and should be included in all online reputation management strategies.
The high authority, particularly of social media profiles and a website matching your business name, will start to appear in the organic search results for effective online reputation management.
Organic Search Results Management
Online reputation management is solely focused on the way your business appears online and this is largely due to what appears when your business name is searched on Google.
The organic search results that appear when searching for your brand or business name are imperative to a business and a businesses overall online reputation.
With online reputation management services, businesses are able to control what appears when their business name is searched. In most cases, a business will want to see positive results when being searched for online.
When it comes to a business’s online reputation, there is nothing more damaging than negative comments, reviews or negative press about a company.
Negative Search Results
If negative search results appear when your business is searched for online, this needs to be managed with online reputation management.
From time to time, a business may have received bad press, negative news articles, or even an attack from competitors. In this case, businesses need to ensure they are actively working to improve their brand reputation online.
There are a variety of methods and practices that can be used to ensure negative search results are not discoverable by customers looking for your business.
Negative Online Content
Similar to bad or negative reviews, negative online content can have a disastrous impact on your businesses online reputation.
There are many forms of negative online content – such as bad press articles, fake articles from competitors or even negative posts from disgruntled past employees on Glassdoor.
When your brand or business is mentioned in a negative way online, this can do serious harm to your overall reputation.
In severe cases like these, where this negative online content is posted in a nefarious manner, businesses may need negative content removal services.
Online Reviews Management
There’s no question that consumers read online reviews. Online reviews are paramount to the way a business is perceived online, and negative reviews can seriously detract potential customers from contacting your business.
One of the key focuses of any online reputation management campaign will be the focus on positive online reviews, and conversely, the management (and sometimes removal) of negative reviews.
Positive Reviews
Online review management should centre around ensuring that your business reviews positive reviews from past and current customers. There are a number of important review sites for Australian businesses such as Product Review and Google My Business.
In order to receive positive customer reviews, businesses need to ensure they are providing a great service and actively following up with customers to ask for a positive review.
If your business is discoverable online with positive reviews, potential clients and customers are more likely to get in touch with you, since your business will have built more trust through its positive reviews.
Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can do a lot of harm to a businesses online reputation, and even their overall digital marketing campaign.
Sometimes negative reviews are impossible to avoid and any business owner knows that it is nearly impossible to keep every customer happy. With that said, negative reviews need to be managed.
From time to time, a business may even receive fake negative reviews from disgruntled members of the public or even competitors – if this is the case, it is best to get these negative reviews removed.
If the negative review your business has received is legitimate, it is always best to contact the customer and offer to rectify the situation.
If the negative review your business has received is not legitimate, it might be worth getting this review removed by an online reputation management company.
Brand Mentions & Brand Image
Getting your brand name out there through brand mentions is an important part of online reputation management.
In order to get your brand mentioned online, you need to ensure you are reaching out to relevant businesses, publications and news sources that are interested in sharing your content.
Brand mentions can be a perfect way to ensure your business appears across a number of different publications online.
Conversely, it is important for businesses to monitor brand mentions. While an online reputation management campaign will focus on ensuring your brand is mentioned, a large business may already be getting mentioned online.
If your brand is being spoken about online, it is important to stay ahead of the curb to ensure these mentions not only link back to your website, but also portray your business in a positive light.
Building A Strong Online Reputation Through Content Marketing
One of the best ways to manage your online reputation is to post regular online content. This doesn’t just have to be content on your own website, but can extend to content on third party websites.
By using the power of content marketing, businesses can build a positive online reputation through their readership. In addition to this, businesses can ensure the online content they are positive is positive content, and portrays their business in the best light possible.
An online content marketing strategy can also filter through the organic search results, to ensure that when your business is Googled, these positive content pieces are found within the organic search results.
By posting positive content, whether on your businesses own website, or other websites – you will be well on your way to building a positive reputation online.
Ensure A Positive Business Reputation Online
The online image of any business is extremely important. When a Google search is performed, businesses want to ensure their brand is represented in the best way possible.
By actively working to ensure your business receives positive reviews, is active on social media, and is featured in positive news articles – you can be assured your online reputation reflects your business in a positive light.
With customers are consumers wanting to find out information about your business online, it is important that your business’s online reputation reflects this.
Online Reputation Management Campaign
Australian Web Experts love to manage businesses’ online reputation. Our online reputation management team are leaders in the field, ensuring all of our clients are portrayed online in a positive way.
If your business is suffering from negative online content, negative reviews or reputation attacks – you may need professional online reputation management services to help with negative content removal and your overall brand reputation.
Our online reputation management team is only ever an email or phone call away, get in touch with the Australian Web Experts team today!
