Positive public opinion is what creates internet success, considering the public is every company’s customer. To most effectively maintain a company’s online reputation, a company and its representatives must be constantly aware of the changes Google makes in its search algorithms. This can affect brand visibility and require changes in SEO and website marketing overall. Because these things do not stay static, neither should online reputation management plans – it must be in a constant state of change.

The Basics

Every company should know the following aspects about creating and maintaining a good online reputation:

  • Know What People Are Saying – Search a company’s name on the internet and see what returns. Besides the actual company-owned website, directory listings; blogs and forum mentions; links in and out of social media platforms; and many other mentions will be displayed. Research what is being said – by whom and where – and use that information as a gauge of reputation well-being. Set alerts for new mentions to make searching easier. This will save a lot of time and expose trends in how a company is being viewed publicly.

  • Develop A Reputation Management Plan – Use the findings from searches and alerts to determine where there are problems that need attention and areas that should be further exposed to viewers. Correct problems that can be fixed and find reputation management techniques that will suppress any bad information while ensuring viewers see positive results.

Dealing With Negative Content

There are only two ways in which bad comments, poor reviews, and other negative content can be handled:

  • Remove the Negative Reference – Removal can sometimes be done; however, that is not always feasible nor always recommended.

  • Increase The Positive References – Moving content further back in the search engine results pages is the main way to deal with negative feedback, as companies have the most control over this method. It involves moving bad references further down the returned results by creating more good ones, which will gradually push bad comments lower in the SERP’s until they are seldom seen. This does require understanding how Google’s algorithms perform, their goals, and how they affect other websites.

Let Google Help Improve Business Reputation

A business owner must be alert to any Google algorithm changes and how a website can be affected. This is especially true concerning:

  • Social Media – The value of its views and shares.

  • Content – The value of quality content.

  • Backlinks – Using high quality ones.

The benefits gained from these three areas change over time, meaning that good reputation management must include any necessary fluctuations to keep up with such changes.

Mobile Friendly Applications

Google has begun optimizing mobile-friendly content as well as overall content. A company must take advantage of this and be more accessible on mobile devices. This also helps get faster results from marketing campaigns designed to boost reputation. Since many companies have been slow in becoming mobile accessible, this may be an area where a business to move ahead of their competition might find greater success.

Links

The impact of incoming links has drastically changed in the past year; companies must understand how to change linking structure to be beneficial and not detrimental. Backlinks from trusted websites are more important than ever for boosting credibility, which in turn helps both reputation and SEO. Social media problems involve decreased visibility and how sites such as Facebook are limiting what the public is actually seeing. This demands creative new ways to keep a brand visible to followers.

By staying on top of Google’s updates and algorithm changes, a business will be able to adjust optimization methods quickly and keep a reputation management plan working. The best ways to develop a great reputation that manages itself is simply to be the company that a customer wants and needs to remain happy!

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