Estimates show that around 90% of consumers use search engines to find websites. When they undertake a search for your company name or brand, your hope is that your own website is high up on the list. However, you do not have control over what people write about your company or brand on other websites and in forums, blogs, and articles. The search engine results page is the digital front page for your company. Be aware that the good and the bad search engine listings are visible to your potential clients and affect reputation and buying decisions. This has a powerful influence on your company and brand reputation. Revved Business is happy to share our insights on managing online reviews and reputation.
Managing Online Reviews
Customers use online reviews as a tool to find out which businesses are great and which ones to stay away from. However, with all of the scams and empty promises out there, it can be quite difficult to make an educated decision.
A large number of online business fail within the first few months of operation due to bad reviews. What can you do if negative information relating to your company appears in the search results? You may want to consider Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM). SERM combines reputation management with search engine optimization. Think of it as a mix of PR with technical skills. High rankings of the good publicity is the goal. This will in turn push bad publicity down the list and out of consumers’ view. Consumers rarely view more than two pages of search engine results for any search.
Companies produce a large amount of compelling written content such as press releases, articles, testimonials, case studies, white papers, etc. Often, this information is not published on a company’s website nor optimized in a search friendly way. Therefore it is not indexed or listed by the search engines.
The goal of SERM is high rankings and indexing in the search engines for all corporate communications and press releases. The result is an increase in your overall web presence. This will knock negative listings from the top spots of the search engine rankings.
Building a Positive Reputation
You work hard to build a reputation for yourself and for your clients. SERM enables you to protect and manage these reputations by being actively involved in the results of search engines. Just like a person, a business has a reputation that it would like to hold. And depending on the reputation a corporation would want others to see and believe it has, the corporation acts and conducts itself accordingly. Managing your online reviews is the first step to creating a positive reputation. Having a good reputation will have a positive impact to every individual or even to other businesses your company will come in contact with. With your company’s good reputation, it will be seen as a business with a heart and would generate certain emotions from suppliers, consumers and the community in general, that would make it profitable for your company.
Learn More About Reviews and Reputation Management
Managing online reviews and reputation is about being transparent on the principles that drive your business; it is about showing to the public what your company is about, and what its culture is; it is about letting the people know how you conduct your business—it is about opening your doors for truth to come out with regards to your business integrity and ethics. Improving the bottom line because of this is only secondary—though it is a welcomed consequence. If you’d like to learn more, reach out to our experts at Revved Business.
