Online reputation management was always important for brands. Getting lots of negative reviews can have a major impact on your sales while also preventing you from appearing in Google Three Pack. In fact, just one negative article can completely hinder your ability to compete in the open market.
Of course, online reputation affects much more than your ability to convert potential clients. It’s also something that other companies analyze when considering partnerships. Reputation affects anything you do online, and getting too much bad feedback might put you in a hole that is hard to climb from.
In this article, we’ll talk about reputation management from the perspective of search engine optimization and brand building. In the end, we’ll also share a few tips that will help you handle negative online reviews.
What is search engine reputation management?
Search engine reputation management, or SERM, is a process of monitoring what people say about your brand online. The process specifically focuses on getting more positive reviews while minimizing negative feedback.
The process includes all types of feedback, including article mentions, forums, social media, and Google reviews. Besides managing negative sentiment, a SERM company’s task is to get as many positive reviews on popular review platforms as possible.
Why is SERM so important?
Ideally, you should try to implement the best SERM practices from day one. That way, you’ll get as much as possible from potential clients and search engines. Among others, boosting your reputation on social media and search engine results can help you generate faster sales and put your business on the right path.
Search engine reputation management affects brands in so many ways:
For the most part, focusing on Quick Wins is the way to go. These are straightforward tasks, such as removing a negative comment or posting a positive review on one of the major platforms. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t ignore other types of tasks.
Running a successful reputation management campaign is also predicated on your ability to categorize urgent and non-urgent tasks. Sometimes, you’ll have to address a potentially damaging Thankless Task even if you have several Quick Wins on your hands.
Lastly, like with any other marketing campaign, you need to establish responsibilities and determine other elements:
Most of this content will be neutral. For example, doing an interview with a news site doesn’t necessarily have an impact on your reputation. However, these are vital steps in building your visibility and authority. Step by step, this can help mold the users’ opinions, and without even realizing it, they will have a positive disposition toward your brand.
6. Use social media
Having a strong social media presence is every bit as important as ranking on top of a popular search engine results page. The biggest advantage of social platforms is that they allow direct communication with the users, something that’s hard to do through your website. Furthermore, you can utilize these platforms to increase brand loyalty and show personality.
Among others, when you build a platform, you create a space where the biggest fans can gather and share their impression about the brand. This also allows potential customers to assess your brand before making a purchase. As you can presume, this can go a long way in increasing conversions.