How to Manage Your Company’s Online Reputation

by April Tho

Do you know how your company is currently portrayed online? Businesses, whether big or small, can increase in popularity or fall into the background if their online reputation is not properly managed. The internet has changed the way today’s customers search. With everything at their fingertips at the touch of a button, brands need to stay on top of their online presence. Proactively building and managing your online reputation allows you to shape how people will see your brand and stay control in the messaging you distribute out to key stakeholders.

Here are some key things to consider:

Google yourself 

Having an online presence isn’t simply about having a social media account or a website. It is important to make sure that the content around your business is constantly updated and relevant to key stakeholders. Remember, 90% of all search engine users never look pass the first search results page. Run a search on yourself to see what kind of conversations are circling about your business. You should also stay up to date with online mentions by creating Google Alerts for your company. This will help you assess and create a baseline for where to start when it comes to improving your SEO to increase your rankings on Google. 
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Tip: SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the name given to activity that attempts to improve search engine rankings.

Use digital channels

The rise of social media has made it possible for customers to share instant feedback. A recent study shows 63.6% of consumers agree that they are likely to check online reviews on Google before visiting a business. Having an active presence on social media is now an essential component to a marketing strategy. As our previous blog post discusses, businesses can make the mistake of using too many platforms, so it’s important to identify business objectives and target audiences, then align these to the social media channel you use.
Learn how to avoid common social media mistakes here. 

Spread content 

The best way to ensure search engines reveal positive information is to have a constant flow of content. Search engines tend to display results of the latest content that engage with customers. With so much content constantly pouring in, it is important to keep your website up to date. A good way to keep your company’s website fresh is to run a company blog. Blogging helps drive traffic to your website and maintain your social media presence as content can be share across social networks. Other ways to keep your website current is to update staff profiles, FAQs, testimonials and add images or videos. 

What are your competitors doing?

Monitoring what your competitors are doing online can help you gain customer insight which can be used to produce competitive advantages. Keeping up with your rivals can help you identify gaps in their offerings and improve on your own services. For example, if your competitor doesn’t run a blog, you can keep yours updates with regular posting to give yourself a competitive SEO advantage. This helps you set yourself apart from your rival and create a unique selling point. 

Be consistent

Consistency is key to maintaining your company’s online reputation. Easy access to the internet means it is virtually impossible to avoid making a public mistake. There is no way you can remove unwanted content online but you can suppress it. You can do this by creating a positive image by producing content that resonates with key stakeholders and flood algorithms with high-ranking content. 

It is important for people to find positive information when searching for your company online to encourage them to consider your products or services. An unfavourable online image can make or break your company – but understanding the importance of reputation and effectively managing it online can lead to further success.