Online Reputation Management or SEO Reputation Management is a crucial part of any marketing strategy in the digital world. How you handle your brand’s reputation challenges can make or mar your business. Your brand needs a reputation that is authentic and trustworthy, so you need to invest in it.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Reputation Management is the act of determining and controlling what the public sees in online search results about a brand or business. Just as your brand pops up at the top of your prospective client search results, negative and harmful results can also be ranked above you. These negative results may be in the form of bad reviews from disgruntled customers or critics.
So, SEO Reputation Management involves presenting your brand in the best light by promoting the rankings of positive content and reducing negative search results. It works with the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and keyword performance to protect your brand. As a business owner or a marketer interested in your online presence, chances are you must have spent time and money in a bid to improve search engine results for your business and brand. With SEO Reputation Management, the brand comes up in search results in a way that creates a good first impression.
To improve your online reputation through SEO, there are definite tactics you must set. However, you must be wary and careful to avoid some common SEO myths that do more harm than good. First, research on the branded keywords that your target audience is using will give you an idea of the right keywords to use on the business website. These keywords can then be used to design an SEO that will help one achieve strong online reputation management. Other strategies a brand can use for SEO Reputation Management include:
Increase Rankings of Positive Search Results
Negative posts about a business can bring down the interest of customers if it comes up among the first few results in a SERP. These harmful posts can result in a decline of new clients and the loss of old ones. However, by improving the rankings of positive or neutral content on the first page. SEO can be used to drown out negative results from the first few pages. This ranking is achieved by modifying your content and adding new branded keywords and phrases.
Content Marketing
If your SERP has been replaced with negative results or hate sites, and your old contents are pushed down or out of the first page. You can regain your tarnished reputation by creating new positive content that utilizes better-branded keywords. Due to the new keywords and content, the results will rise above the old content and the negative reviews you are trying to reduce. The new content can be improved by
- Creating a Business Blog on Your Website: With your blog, you can create your own positive and authentic content that will boost your SEO and counter negative reviews. By publishing such content on your website, harmful ones are off-set, and traffic is drawn to your site.
- Enlist Content Creators: You may not want to write your content by yourself, or maybe you cannot effectively add new branded keywords and phrases. In such a situation, you can enlist the help of content creators or writing services. Such as Online Writers Rating and Writing Judge.
- Influencer Marketing: If your website does not have a search engine capacity to cancel out negative results on your SERP. You can create your positive content and publish on stronger websites. Such as those belonging to well-known bloggers, or YouTube content creators.
- You can pitch your branded content to persons with influence in the industry related to you. These influencers who have large followers and readers can then advertise your branding to their audience.
Pay Attention to Customer Reviews
Your customers are the ones that ensure you are in business and that it grows. About 60% of individuals read online reviews of a company before purchasing from it. Also, consumers are less likely to engage with a business that has star ratings below 3.0. So, you have to minimize the negative reviews of customers. Note that most individuals are warier of a 5-star rating as the rating could be a result of fewer or fake reviews.
You can pay more attention to the product or service reviews about your business by monitoring reviews on sites like Yelp, Facebook, Google My Business, BBB (Better Business Bureau), and Amazon. The goal is not just to know what reviews are out there. It is also necessary that you respond quickly to the negative ones with a genuine apology and a promise to do better or correct the issue. A sincere and professional response can turn the effect of a negative review around for good and drive traffic to your site.
Take Advantage of Social Platforms
Online platforms such as Google Business, YouTube, and social media influence your Google SERP in ways you might not know. Since the use of video content to attract clients is on the increase, create engaging videos that represent your brand positively to your target audience.
Maintaining a positive brand increases customer loyalty, builds confidence in the market, and actively positions you as a leader in your niche.
Conclusion
A good brand reputation can be quite easy to ruin, especially in the online world where you have little to no control over the information others put out. With SEO reputation management, however, you can invest in your brand and prevent or override negative posts in your SERP. Do not also be hesitant in taking the necessary legal action against the publishers of negative and false information. Aimed at damaging the reputation of your business, or uses defamatory language. Remember that if you do not take action, the perpetrators may do it again.
Frank Hamilton- Guest Contributor