ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT TODAY!

What Is Online Reputation Management?

According to Wikipedia online reputation management has become popular with worldwide use of the Internet.  They go to explain that part of the process of Reputation Management involves using various predefined criteria for processing complex data to report the reputation of a company or person for example.

Whorush: 40 sites by this AdSense ID

This definition is (IMHO), a phrase spun by many online reputation companies.  It makes the process sound very complex.  You can assume the more complex they can make it sound the more expensive it will cost you to eradicate it.  Some of this software or “systems” is absolutely not required to remove negative content.

An article on www.onlyw3b.com shows some statistics that are important to look at regarding online reputation management.  That between 2009 and 2010 it was estimated that the market for ORM grew by a wopping 40% to an estimated value of $200 million!

This all begs the question: Why Has ORM Become so Popular?

Here are a number of things to consider:

Reputation is everything!   There are many examples on the Internet to prove this point.  One example is the case of BP and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills.

Reputation Management, Privacy in the Social Media World | Social …

socialmediatoday.com4/11/12

It seems the privacy lessons of social media scandals are finally sinking in, as a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey has found that more individuals are managing their privacy settings on social networks and …

ZMOT & Online Reviews – Online Reputation & Reviews

http://www.pcgdigitalmarketing.com/21s ago

Why Businesses Need Reviews. Why Reviews Matter. At PCG, something that we have discussed to great length is the Zero Moment of Truth and how it impacts your online reputation.

Corporate Online Reputation Management Expert shares advice for Business … – San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

news.google.com

Corporate Online Reputation Management Expert shares advice for Business …San Francisco Chronicle (press release)Don Sorensen, CEO and founder of online reputation management firm Big Blue Robot, today released guidelines for corporations dealing w …

KTBC FOX 7 – OJ Trial Lawyer Alleges Slander

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/7h ago

Galanter alleges that his reputation in the Florida legal community was harmed by allegations that he stiffed Grasso on legal fees and that Grasso did the Nevada legal research and motions in the Simpson case. Galanter is licensed in Florida but not Nevada.

MazdaCommunity

#ADMPC Remy Tennant posted a status”Paul Lunsford, GM at South Coast Toyota, talks reputation management best… http://t.co/7Vcj8gY5

Friday, April 20, 2012 8:28:53 AM

Online Reputation Management: Internet Protocol with Tish

The phone calls came out of the blue. Then, Doug Bliss got threats, “many of them wanted me to die!” The Florida resident found himself at the center of America’s most notorious murder case in decades, the Casey Anthony trail, even though he was nowh…

Nowadays, within the Internet enabled world, it is now easier than ever for people to post their views and opinions online.  Most internet savvy people know their way around blogs, forums, customer review sites and social networking sites in most recently. The various online platforms continue to grow.  Some disgruntled employee can even create a Fan Page on Facebook and get potentially thousands of fans who hate x y and z!

How Can You Fight Back Slander and Unfounded Remarks About You Online?

It is really critical that you take action immediately.  The longer you wait the worse it will get.  Do a comprehensive search for your name or company’s name using all of the search engines available.

One you have located all the negative results try and respond to those comments with more positive ones.

Use Web 2.0 properties like Hubpages, Squidoo and  WordPress blogging platforms to promote yourself.

Image via Flickr

Utilize Web 3.0 properties like Facebook to promote your company or good name.

Image via Flickr

Image via Flickr

Youtube is a great media for helping with online reputation management.  But to successful you need to incorporate many Web 2.0 properties into you online reputation management campaign.

Firstly, it is critical to monitor everything that is being said about your business. Utilize tools such as Google Alert and Social Media Search Tools as well as the top search engines to keep abreast of everything that is being said about your business.

Secondly, if negative comments do exist is it possible to respond and salvage the situation? Can the comment be edited if it is inaccurate or can you publicly correct an inaccurate complaint? If the complaint or negative feedback is deserved can you apologize or explain and achieve service recovery?

Note that “not” listening to what people are saying about you or your company is the single biggest mistake you can make.  Being pro active and listening to your customers or what people are saying is crucial for success.  Potential clients and customers can give you vital feedback information on their likes and dislikes.  Knowing this will help you understand your niche consumer demands.   Also, being disrespectful with your responses to negative reviews or comments is the professional way you should be approaching this issue.  So if you feel that the comment is unjustified or inaccurate, you should respond in a respectful and dignified manner.   Make sure to address the claims that are being disputed and do no not end up attacking the individual/s making them.  These are key components of Online Reputation Management.

Many Reputation Managers are scrambling to save their client’s position in the Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).  Let’s start from the beginning.

Image via Reputation Management

It is often said that you should not create your website with the sole purpose of pleasing Google’s algorithm.  Time after time webmasters have been advised to build the content on their site so that it is a pleasurable experience to visitors.  They reasoned correctly that visitors would have a good experience and would naturally link back to the site.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself about the content on your website:

1. Is the information in your article trustworthy?
2. Does your site offer more substantial value than most other pages in the SERPs?
3. Could you see your website as a recognized authority in the niche you are targeting?
4. Here are some other factors you may want to consider with your website and its content:
5. Make absolutely sure your article has no stylistic or spelling errors?
6. Make sure the content is not created in an attempt to manipulate Google’s search algorithm.
7. Is the content spun or mass produced? If so, has it been outsourced to a large amount of writers?
8. Is your content spread out by means of large networks?
9. Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of internet writers, or spread across a large network of sites?
10. Does the website or articles produce an excessive number of ads? Too many ads pollute the integrity of websites and their content.
11. Does your articles lack in specifics and are too short. Are they informative?

Many of the points above originate from a Google post Panda list.  But there are more things to consider regarding the creation of content on websites.

1. While you’re reading articles on your website do you feel they are written professionally? Are the articles shallow or does the author really know the subject presented.
2. Some websites are “stuffed” with content that is relatively similar. Some webmasters do this but vary the keywords. Webmasters have often used this method to “take advantage of” Google.
3. Would you consider giving your credit information on this site?
4. Is the article created to inform your readers using two sides of the story?
5. Has the article been developed and edited professionally or has it been created quickly without much thought.
6. Make sure your articles provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
7. Is the website or article a page you would like to bookmark, Twitter or Tumblr it?
8. Would you share the page with a friend, or recommend it to someone?
9. Would visitors to your website complain when they see the pages from your website?
10. How long will visitors stay on your website? If they stay for a long time it is a good indication you are doing something correctly.

If you want your website to rank well with Google you really need to follow the recommendations listed above.  Take the time to create unique and interesting content that visitors to your website will enjoy reading.  Build it correctly and they will come.

In the past, most reputation managers did not consider most of the recommendations presented here. They built Web 2.0 properties for the single purpose of occupying key positions on the first page of the SERPs. Little attention was paid to the quality of the content on the sites they developed. Often they would create properties with duplicate content and just build links to them. This strategy will no longer work.  All of the properties that were used have to be revisited and revamped to be compatible with Google‘s new Panda update.  Is your website compatible to the new Google Panda update. Has your reputation manager taken the necessary steps to address this issue?