Whether you are a small business that serves a handful of people or a sizable business that has clients, here, there and everywhere, your company’s online reputation can be put in peril with just one negative comment.
Unlike decades ago when negative comments about companies essentially spread through word-of-mouth, today’s electronic version of the same thing has the potential to do much more harm. In fact, it can be the defining moment as to whether or not a company can make a go of it or not.
So how do you know whether or not your business is in need of online reputation assistance? Do I need internet reputation management? is something that you could very easily find yourself asking at any point and time.
Among the situations where you will need internet reputation management:
* A negative search engine ranking – You are doing all the things you perceive to be necessary to achieve a strong SER, yet your company is just not getting the job done. Could it be that there is negative content floating around the web about your business? Is it possible that your online reputation is not as strong as you once thought it was? In these cases, turning to a reputation management specialist certainly makes sense;
* Losing customers – All businesses go through highs and lows when it comes to customer numbers. But what happens if you go through a significant period of losing customers and can’t put your finger on the reason? Could it be that your online reputation is hurting you, something you did not even know was taking place? As more and more companies are discovering these days, their online reputation may not be as golden as they believe it to be. Whether it was a disgruntled employee or a customer that left not happy with the service and/or product, they may be chatting up a storm on the web. As a result, your online reputation is taking a hit, meaning your profits are doing the same. If you let this go on for too long, it could have a significant impact on your return on investment (ROI);
* The competition is spreading rumors – While it is not considered ethical, it should not come as a surprise that not all businesses play by the same rules. As a result, some companies may take to the web to talk about their competition in less than positive tones. When this happens to your business, you could end up losing customers and profits. By employing an internet reputation management specialist, you can see what is being said about you and how the comments are impacting your search engine rankings. Given the fact that some business owners are not exactly web savvy, having someone on your side that is can make the difference between a good business image and one that needs a lot of help;
* Rise to the top – When you discover that your company’s online image has been hurt by negative comments on the web, you stand little other choice than to fight back. Work with an internet reputation management company that can promote all the good your company does. These promotions can be effective through things like blog posts, press releases, and social media to name a few. As you work to repair your online reputation, you will see the search engines pick up more of the positive news and push down more of the negative information. When this happens, you’re online image stands a much better chance of being positive on pages one and two when you show up in the rankings. In the meantime, the bad stuff starts finding its way to lower pages, pages that many people will never even see.
The most important facet of properly managing your online reputation is reviewing Google and other relevant search engines on a regular basis, checking to see what is being said about your business.
With the proper attention to detail, your online image can be as productive as your business itself.
Photo credit: scoop.it
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