Trust is everything online. According to the latest studies, 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. A bad online reputation can destroy your business. The best cure, other than always delivering a great service, is prevention. That’s why this guide is going to show you seven ways to protect your online reputation this year.
Make Sure You Rank First
It’s the first thing people see and the vast majority of traffic always goes to the first result. In order to take control of your online reputation, it’s vital that when you search for your company name the first thing you encounter is a site under your control.
There are so many psychological reasons why this is important. It makes it clear that you are the authority on this topic. You and you alone are in control of the situation, and your competition can do nothing about it.
Register Your Name as a Domain
Your personal and brand name should be registered as a domain. Even if you have no use for a domain name with your personal name in it, this prevents anyone with a grudge from using it against you. Make sure that you also pick up the .net and .org versions along the way.
It’s generally only a few dollars a year for a domain name, but it can stop a lot of bad things from happening.
Claim Your Business on Google
Local search results are more important than ever before. If you don’t have your business claimed on Google, you are hampering your ability to make it to the top of the search results. Miss out on this chance to get to the top of the search index and it’s a chance that one of your competitors is likely to take.
Keep Track of Online Mentions of Your Name
The search results are the primary focus for anyone looking to protect their online reputation. But your name could be mentioned practically anywhere, including on people’s blogs and social media. You should set up an online alert for whenever your name is mentioned.
Get into the habit of inspecting each mention to make sure that nobody is trying to slander you. Protecting your online reputation relies on you knowing what people are saying, in what light they are casting you in, and why they are saying what they are saying.
Many companies find that they can improve their services simply by tracking what people are saying about them online.
Protect Your Name on Social Media Platforms
You must know by now that social media allows a reputation (positive or negative) to spread like wildfire. It’s why many SEO experts have said that social media is the key to ranking high on Google. Go out of your way to secure your name on every social platform.
For a start, you are ensuring that you can use your name in future if you ever want to target a platform, and you are making sure people can’t use spoof accounts.
Spend an afternoon making accounts on both major and minor social platforms. You don’t have to use them. Just make sure they are under your control.
Focus on Content Creation
It goes without saying that your business must have a blog. The Internet runs primarily on content creation. If you want to send the right messages to your customers, you have to rank high in the search results. Add value to your brand by producing content people are actually interested in.
This is as much about your online reputation as it is about basic marketing.
Make Yourself the Authority
Whenever major public figures say something, people believe them because they have established themselves as authorities in their respective fields. They know what they are talking about and people know they can trust them. Establish yourself as the authority through ranking high on Google and producing content people find useful.
This will take time to accomplish. Becoming an authority is the ultimate example of a company people both trust and respect in equal measure. The earlier you start with something like this the better. Get a jump on your competitors.
Last Word
Success with online reputation requires you to put the effort in from the start. While you can do a lot to establish a good reputation, the easiest way to do this is through making sure you are always delivering a good service and always doing your best by your customers.
What are your top tips for establishing your online reputation?
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