Last Updated on April 17, 2020 by
Online reputation management (ORM) is all about establishing yourself as a credible source and an authority on whatever you specialize in. Two major aspects of this are placement in search engine results and feedback about your business.
If you find that websites and blogs that you control aren’t prominently placed in search results or that negative feedback about your business can be found easily, you need to take immediate action. What can you do to successfully manage your online reputation and solidify your credibility? Consider the following six tips.
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- Don’t comment on negative content. If, by chance, you do find anything negative online about you, don’t give in to the urge to respond. Starting a war of words will only make things worse. For one thing, onlookers certainly won’t be impressed. For another, search engines may place this negative content even higher in search results, sensing that a page is generating conversation and interaction. This will make it even easier to find.Instead of fighting back, use positive things, like testimonials, to counteract negativity.
- Start a blog. This is a great way to both move up in search rankings and become an authority in your industry. If you provide engaging content that addresses the needs and problems of your audience, you will become a valuable resource in their eyes.
- Be a thought leader. In addition to providing value by means of your own blog, you can also make it a practice to do so elsewhere. You should regularly comment on blogs and in forums relevant to your industry. By expressing opinions and providing insight and information, you can eventually be recognized as a thought leader.This will require that you take a somewhat different approach to matters or have a different viewpoint or method than others do.
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- Be active on social media. Take advantage of the opportunity to place yourself in front of the large audiences that social media houses. Don’t forget, though, that there are tons of content and brands being shoved in front of people daily. Thus, it can be a struggle to get people to remember you.How can you do it? Regularity is key. You must be active and post regularly, so that you and what you do are constantly in the forefront of people’s minds.
- Build links to your site. This can be done in a couple of ways. You can regularly link back to your site from your blog. You can also provide links to your website in your social media profiles, which should all be 100% completed. Having all of your content and sites “tied” together and promoted in this way can give you a real boost in search engine results.
- Always be consistent. This is a very important aspect of online reputation management. Inconsistencies can add up in people’s minds to a lack of professionalism, a lack of experience or even a lack of trustworthiness. To avoid this negative perception about you and your business, make sure that every detail from your website, blog and social media accounts match up.For example, you’ll want to be sure that your brand values are clearly communicated and always in agreement and that all of your social media handles match.
Source: Pexels.com
Conclusion
Using these six tips can have a significant positive impact on your online reputation in the short term, especially as far as search engine results go. But, even better, continual use of these tips over time can make it easier to manage your reputation. Why?
Because you will have already established a certain amount of credibility and authority. You will be easier to find online and any negative content about you or your business will likely hold less value in the eyes of your audience. Aside from that, if you are looking at what steps you can take to get any negative listings ranking in the search engines when someone is looking for your brand, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to share a few ideas on how to do so. Nomvo!