In today’s internet-centric world, online reputation is everything. For businesses, it’s how potential customers will decide whether or not to buy your services/product or even visit your location. Is Your Online Reputation Good or Bad?
Top 3 Signs of a Good Online Reputation
- Accurate search results: You want most of the search results that pop up for your name to actually apply to you. Not someone with a similar name, or entirely devoted to a famous person (or worse, a criminal) that shares your name. When people Google you, they want to find you.
- No embarrassing entries: Let’s be honest, when we take to Google to check someone out, often what we are really looking for is dirt. A good online reputation has nothing questionable to be found. No photos of crazy nights out, illicit substances, revealing clothing, or inappropriate poses. At the bare minimum, your online reputation should at least not be embarrassing.
- Active online participation, contributions as a thought leader: Anyone who Googles you should be able to see that you’re active online, whether it’s on your own blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Tumblr. And that online activity should show that you’re knowledgeable, or at least interested in learning, about your area of expertise.
Top 3 Signs of a Bad Online Reputation
- Inconsistency: Search engines and social media aren’t the only places to search for warning signs about your online reputation. In fact, before you get too comfortable, make sure you’re looking at yourself. It’s your own online activity that has some of the greatest impact on your internet reputation. Is your online activity consistent with the brand message you are trying to convey?
- Unwanted information in first-page search results: If unwanted information appears — whether irrelevant, overly personal, or compromising — your online reputation is in danger. Having someone talk badly about you online is one of the worst blows to your reputation.
- Hateful or controversial opinions, inappropriate language: Social sites and other online forums are outlets for discussion are a popular place to share your opinion and learn from others, but they also have the potential to wreck your online reputation. Search engine results that associate a hateful opinion with your name, or controversial discussions that are divisive may turn others off. It should also go without saying losing your temper or using swear words online will look bad as well.
What to do next?
If your website is showing up properly within the search engine, but you feel that some other online sites are crowding your results with bad online reviews, please take a look at our Online Review Management solution. If your are having trouble finding your business in the first 2 slots when you search by your company name, we offer SEO and Inbound Marketing Foundation programs specifically designed to help improve your website visibility within Google and other search engines, driving better and more relevant traffic. When combined, these services ensure your business is listed prominently, with positive reviews visible in those same search results.