SearchEngineOptimisation.com, only one way up

Internet reputation management is a difficult task and commonly requires the work of specialists. Enterprises large and small have struggled with reputation management, both online and offline, down the years. However, the evolution of the net has added a whole new dimension to the potential problems. While some large corporations have the resources required to have a specialist PR department and a net reputation management team working together, most SMEs cannot contemplate doing all the necessary work in-house. They often lack the time, the resources and the skills to prepare systems, monitor events and respond to issues appropriately.

At Searchengineoptimisation.co.uk we are experienced with regard to providing professional reputation management. It is also the case that we know about PR. The online press release has to be crafted in a way which is different from the traditional press release. It is occasionally prudent to use a press release as one tactic when addressing a dilemma of the reputation management type. Nonetheless, there are many other tools which can be used in this delicate area.

Preparation is central to good reputation management. No firm is likely to cope well with a potential issue if it is caught by surprise. Thus it is crucial to develop effective systems before a problem is on the horizon. A campaign on social media can mean that there is a reservoir of online goodwill attached to a firm prior to the difficulty occurring. Similarly, SEO can ensure that the upper rankings on the search engine results for relevant search terms are dominated by positive items. Even more important is the need to come up with a really effective procedure for dealing with complaints.

Any firm will attract complaints, no matter how well it does its job. This is because the modern consumer is very hard to satisfy. With so much choice available, consumers are sometimes slightly spoiled. It is also the case that the odd individual actually enjoys complaining. Of course, it is also true that there can be a glitch with a product or a service. Sometimes a delivery company lets the customer down. Thus it is important to use a trustworthy one. At other times, a product malfunctions. It is pivotal to adhere to the amended provisions of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. The main thing is to address any complaints with the utmost courtesy and speed.

Monitoring events online is a significant operation. It is crucial that social media networking sites are closely watched. Negative reviews of a firm’s services must be detected. Mentions of the firm’s competitors should also be observed. The basic lesson to learn is that things can swiftly gain momentum on the net. This can mean that if monitoring is not performed adequately it may be very difficult to get on top of something. Poor reviews should be responded to in a polite tone. Factual inaccuracies may be corrected. The worst thing to do is to overreact in a counterproductive fashion.

Placating a disgruntled customer can require tact and flexibility. Always acknowledge when you got something wrong and show a bit of humility.

Reputation management is central to the sustainable success of a firm. Preserving and enhancing the image of a firm was quite hard before the advent and evolution of the net, but now it is really an activity best performed by a specialist outfit. This is in part because the kind of monitoring and preparation required is beyond the scope of many firms. It is also because it is easier to respond to a potential problem if it is not your goods or services being criticised. However, it is also due to the fact that the difficulties of protecting a brand online seem to be getting more and more difficult over time.

At Searchengineoptimisation.co.uk we monitor relevant trends in the sphere of search on behalf of our clients. This puts us in a great position to implement tailored campaigns to drive more targeted traffic to their sites. It is then necessary to ensure that the sites make the best possible use of this traffic. Furthermore, it is vital to safeguard the brands of the firms during the course of continuous campaigns.

What are the reasons why online reputation management is becoming more problematic?

The evolution of the social media is one of the major reasons why reputation management is getting to be more complex and more time-consuming than it used to be. Since its inception, social media has undergone profound changes which make monitoring what is being written about a firm more difficult. Social media marketing may have more potential than in the past, but the changes have brought complications. The following list draws attention to some of the sources of complexity:

- There are more social media networking sites than there were in the past. In addition to this basic point, it is the case that the proliferation of the sites has been confused by the rise and fall in popularity of the competing platforms. Currently Facebook and Twitter are in the ascendance, but competitors might relatively soon be chasing after their heels. The consequence of this is that there is an unstable organised chaos which is tricky to monitor

- More and more individuals are to be found using the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Almost all ages and most social classes can be found on the new social media. They are not reluctant to voice their opinion, nor are they slow to pass on the opinions of others. Some of them are quite suspicious of corporations and a minority can cause significant mischief. It is the massive popularity of Facebook and Twitter which makes it good practice to launch a campaign to ensure that any negative publicity is not greeted with too much credulity

- The fact that traditional journalists are utilising the social media networking sites for research purposes only increases the importance of monitoring the activities of users. It is a good idea to check out the review sites relevant to the economic sector concerned. Moreover, any negative material should be responded to with courtesy. Often it is a prudent idea to look into the problem which has been raised. However, offering recompense should usually be done privately.

Reputation management is a complex and delicate task. Businesses have often got into a great deal of difficulty, both with offline and online reputation management. The net is a great thing to have at your side when things are going your way, but it is a problem when the boot is on the other foot. The variety of ways in which good news about your firm can be spread online can also serve to tarnish your brand. Constant vigilance and knowing how best to respond to complaints or bad publicity are inherently problematic. Site owners who undertake reputation management independently are prone to making errors if things turn against them.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we have experience and expertise in assisting firms with reputation management issues. In matters which need considerable care, there is little substitute for relevant practical experience.

It is vital to have systems in place which can prevent trouble from getting out of hand if it arrives. There is a lot of work which can be performed before any problem arises. This means that it is best to have this work done as part of the overall campaign. For most sites, the campaign will consist of both search engine optimization and social media marketing. These activities should be conducted according to principles which are likely to help safeguard the image of your brand. The following list may be of some utility:

• In the first instance, it is prudent not to put out any content which could have a detrimental impact on the performance of the site if it is reacted to in a negative manner. Caution should be used when putting out content that may be considered controversial.

• Controversial content can be the cause of a problem, but it is important to recall that bland content will not work well in terms of getting traffic. It is thus essential to maintain content at a level which is interesting enough to stimulate content but is not overstepping the mark.

• Monitoring reaction to content is a sensible notion. A blog should always be moderated properly, guest blogs should be checked for suitability and what is happening on the social networking sites in relation to the firm and its output should be watched with care. The social networking sites should be used to develop a loyal target audience who will not be keen to believe the worst of the firm.

• Search engine optimization techniques of an ethical type should be utilised so that the upper reaches of the search engine results pages for relevant keywords are dominated by positive mentions of the firm concerned. This means that any bad news will hopefully not become as visible as it might be otherwise.

• It makes commercial sense to draw up a process for responding to complaints. This should be accomplished by a partnership of the SEO company and the site owner. If a negative review or a nasty complaint is made, a measured and calm response can often defuse the situation. Any negative publicity should not be increased by an inflammatory rejoinder.

One of the difficulties a site owner can have to deal with is online reputation management. Reputation management can be sufficiently problematic offline, but the complexity of the ‘search world’ means that most site owners do well to offload the responsibility for taking care of their brand on the net to specialist SEO experts. One of the problems with the net is that while a successful campaign can lead to unanticipated positive outcomes through a diversity of unexpected means, a faux pas can bring condemnation from quarters from which one might have predicted silence. This is especially the case due to the evolution of the new social media because there can be a tendency of Facebook friends and Twitter followers to get involved in issues which do not directly concern them.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we recognise that reputation management is a complex and serious business which demands focus, attention and skill. This recognition is of value because it helps ensure that we provide a great service in this area. By observing the mistakes that others have made it is possible to avoid repeating them. The following list may prove to be of some use for newcomers to the field:

• Some business people have a surprisingly thin skin. One might have thought that the competitive ethos of the modern world would have made individuals less sensitive to criticism. It is vital not to take criticism personally. A complaint about your firm may be based on any number of things, but it is important to respond in a calm fashion.

• It is amazing that some firms are taken aback when somebody complains about their goods and/or services. The modern consumer is typically prone to bouts of irritability and occasional complains are almost as hard to avoid as the weather. A system, then, needs to be drawn up when a firm begins trading. It may need to be refined as time progresses, but it is arguably very foolish not to have anything in place.

• A common error is to overreact to a hostile review or a blog which savages your firm. Just mentioning it unnecessarily is poor reputation management. For example, in an online interview a prominent historian once named someone who had been critical of his work and revealed that he had almost considered taking legal action. Readers of the interview probably had not heard of the attack before, but the historian had not only given it publicity but had also shown that he did not like being criticised. This may have encouraged his critics and also led some readers to think that ‘there is no smoke without fire’.

• Another mistake is to assume that giving someone who complains a free gift will stop their criticism. This tactic may lead to further complaints and may not prevent the original complainant from continuing with their denunciations.

• A final misjudgement is to assume a storm will blow itself out. It can be important to respond courteously to a complaint in a fair way, ignoring it is unlikely to help matters. If the person making the complaint is an influential blogger, ignoring their anger can be risky.

One of the most complex areas of work which an SEO outfit can be asked to perform is arguably online reputation management. This is fundamentally because all the diverse ways a firm can get ahead on the net can be turned around against it in certain circumstances. It is as if online success can carry the seeds of its own destruction. To be specific, the development of the net and the evolution of the social media mean that firms are exposed in a variety of ways. There are so many different spaces in which unfair criticism of a firm can emerge. Furthermore, the way in which users behave means that a negative story can develop momentum and spread to diverse parts of the net. It can even be picked up by researchers or journalists and be featured in the traditional media. Worryingly, firms of all sizes are vulnerable to being traduced online.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we have the necessary expertise and experience to handle what is a delicate matter. It is our belief that prevention is better than cure. Although we can be of considerable assistance in the event of something going awry, the preparatory work that we perform means that we can get a firm in a great position to deal with any problems that crop up. Given the nature of the modern consumer and the way people behave on the social media networking sites, it is not unusual for the most efficient firm to have the odd difficulty from time to time. Not even the provision of excellent customer service can prevent this kind of thing from happening.

If difficulties are likely to occur, it makes the devising of appropriate plans a matter of considerable urgency. Many average site owners do not know how best to respond to a couple of negative reviews, and some events can be more complex still. It therefore makes good commercial sense to outsource the responsibility to professional SEO services. The following list sets out some of what they can achieve as a precautionary measure:

• It is possible to dominate the upper rankings of Google for selected keywords. This can constitute a considerable advantage because it means that negative publicity can be kept from getting too visible. To use a technical term from the newspaper industry, it can be kept beneath the fold and this can limit its impact.

• It is difficult for a complaint to mushroom into something worse if it is responded to in a courteous and thorough way. Even a small firm should get advice on how to come up with a plan concerning how to deal with a potential complaint. If a process is established and understood by all relevant parties it may be much harder to make enemies.

• Conducting an effective social media campaign can contact and partly create a loyal target audience. If this audience is kept happy with periodic treats like free offers, reductions and competitions, it will be that much harder for hostile forces to discredit a firm. It is prudent to promote a brand effectively so that it can survive a minor amount of damage.

There are many benefits for a company when their website expands and grows, and one particularly effective way of generating brand awareness and increasing revenue is via consumer participation and interaction. Blog and news pages, along with forums and customer review sections are the most popular method used by companies. If visitors to your site or consumers are able to post comments or reviews on your service within your blog pages or on dedicated pages or forums, then the conversation and information generated can be distributed at an extremely fast pace. Whilst this sort of feedback can provide a lot of positive vibes and opinions surrounding your business, it can also have the opposite effect. Never make the mistake of thinking that you only need to be aware of this once your company gets to a decent size, as no matter what stage or position your business is in, online reputation management is something which should be being carried out from the offset.

Online reputation management really goes hand in hand with your search engine optimisation strategy, as the place where negative reviews are often noticed is within SERPs (search engine results pages). Negative reviews unfortunately have a nasty habit of creeping into the higher page rankings, so it is important that any problems are nipped in the bud before they become a danger to your business.

The most obvious business tactic would be not to give your consumers a reason to post anything negative regarding your company, however as simple a strategy as this sounds, it is rarely possible to pull this off. Mistakes happen, things go wrong and even if they don’t, it is highly unlikely you are going to please everyone all of the time. In order to be successful in your internet reputation management, you need to accept that you cannot prevent all negative posts and reviews from appearing, but you can control them.

The best approach is to respond to any bad comments or reviews as quickly as possible, yet never reply with haste. Always think carefully about your response and never respond in anger. A few helpful tips are to be calm and composed and make your main aim to diffuse the situation and turn the negative into a positive. The first rule of thumb is that no matter what the review or comment says, you should always remain professional. As tempting as it can be to rant back and oppose their opinion, that approach is unlikely to get the consumer on side.

Always try and acknowledge the problem, and if you can identify that it was an issue then advise them what you have done as a company to find a solution. If the complaint is more serious, it is never a good idea to offer specific compensation issues or make the response too personal. If there is cause for serious complaints or issues then try and steer the conversation away from the web page and invite the consumer to converse via letter or email.

A firm’s reputation can be of its most important assets. If it is seriously tarnished, it can take a very long time to restore it. Hence it is absolutely vital for management to ensure that they have adequate systems in place to cope effectively if any trouble occurs down the track. Even if an SME makes every effort to treat its customers in accordance with best practice, the nature of the modern consumer means that it is probable that someone somewhere will be less than happy with every aspect of the product or service they obtain. The reality of virtual reality is that one or two discontented customers can cause a lot of disruptive noise. Thus preparation is utterly essential.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we are SEO experts who keep up-to-date with all the changes in the ‘search world.’ This means that we know all the ins and outs of the new social media networking sites, for example. This in turn is of considerable assistance because the research and monitoring which is performed can influence the production of internet reputation management plans in a highly positive manner.

There are several ways in which bad publicity can haunt a brand online. Firstly, a negative story or item can feature high up in the search engine results pages when someone is searching for a firm. Secondly, negative comment can reverberate around the new social media networking sites. Thirdly, this comment can be picked up offline by agents of the traditional media. Fourthly, adverse comment can be placed on review sites scattered around the net. Fifthly, comments on a blog may be of a derogatory nature and attack the quality of the information available.

An effective reputation management strategy has to consider all the diverse ways negative comment can accumulate and cause a difficulty. Simple things can work very well indeed. This means that taking steps like getting the upper rankings on Google covered with positive items about the firm is a great way forward. Getting a firm mentioned on Wikipedia can be a coup, even though it is not straightforward. This can be a benefit to a site anyway, but it can also have a positive impact on reputation management. It is these kind of ‘win, win’ steps that are essential in preparation for any potential trouble. For instance, developing a positive profile on the new social media networking sites is good for a firm in terms of pushing traffic upward and yet the process may prove helpful in the event of someone complaining in the future.

However, it is vital to recall that preparation can only achieve so much. When trouble hits, a cool and detached attitude is vital. Too many firms of all sizes have responded clumsily and made unguarded comments when the pressure was on. Trying to reason with a disgruntled customer can sometimes cause more harm than good. Tactless remarks about the ‘big picture’ or attempts to get them to see the problem in perspective can inflame their indignation. That is why experts are needed for the preparation and for when a situation develops a potentially dangerous tinge.

Internet reputation management is not a straightforward activity. That is why it is important to select high quality search engine optimization services. The right kind of SEO experts can be of considerable practical assistance in this complex field. It is all too easy for inexperienced site owners to overreact to a negative review, for example. The key thing about internet reputation management is that almost all the things which worked positively to get traffic to a site, like the various social media networking sites, can work against you when something goes wrong. Even large firms can struggle to get their message across once the social media tide turns against them, so SMEs do well to use specialist services in this potentially fraught area.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we are experts in all aspects of reputation management. This means that we are well-placed to take action on behalf of a site owner. However, it also means that we recognise that problem avoidance is often more effective than exercises in damage limitation. There are several things which online firms should avoid at all costs:

• Site owners should avoid the dubious practice of using fake reviews. It is surprising how many firms have been tempted into such an unethical activity. Users of the net are often very sophisticated and only trust reviews with elements of constructive criticism, hence trying to fake plausible reviews is particularly tricky and the negative outcomes can be toxic to a brand.

• It is vital that firms should respond to any complaints in a proper manner. If someone who complains about the quality of a service is treated with courtesy and if they feel that the problem they have highlighted will be addressed they can often be placated. If they are an influential blogger, the fact that their disgruntlement has passed should take the wind out of their sales.

• Following a proper complaints procedure means that if someone persists with voluble complaints after their initial issue has been dealt with, they may well be perceived as unreasonable by others. For example, if they seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill other individuals may start to have sympathy with the firm.

• It is essential that a firm uses other businesses which have a high degree of competence. For instance, an ecommerce site has to depend on a delivery firm. If the delivery firm fails to deliver the goods on time, the site itself will attract some of the blame, thus avoiding unsatisfactory businesses makes sense.

• A firm will have a worse reputation if its site suffers from a poor design or substandard maintenance. Individuals are less likely to complain if a site has reassuring features which work effectively. A good FAQ page or an amicable ‘about us’ page can make people feel friendlier towards a site. If efforts are made to ensure that the site is always impressive to its visitors, the chances of serious complaints being made are reduced.

However, regardless of the steps that are taken, complaints may arise and preparation plus positive damage limitation can work well together.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we cannot stress enough the importance of online reputation management. This has always been an area which requires a lot of time and patience and needs regular attention in order to stop any negative comments from spiralling out of control. Just as we thought we had got the hang of it, the world of online communication extended vastly. The problem is that a lot of internet marketing professionals cannot keep up with the trends that we are seeing with our online users and understanding the way in which people are communicating online is essential for any company if they are to successfully manage their internet reputation.

The reason that internet reputation management has become a lot more difficult is mostly due to the introduction of social media and online consumer communication. The speed in which information and comments can be distributed online via social networking sites is alarming and can be a very frightening thought for a company who are not very clued up on it. Companies need to understand social media and designate specific staff members to be involved in it on a regular basis, to ensure that a positive brand image is being portrayed and any negative comments or discussions are intercepted early enough.

The unfortunate problem which a lot of companies face is budget limitations. With a tough few years behind us, most companies do not have the resources to employ or train somebody to specifically handle their internet reputation management. Whilst individual companies have struggled, the social networking world appears to have got bigger, and a lot of businesses can simply not move as fast as the online world can.

The other factor which makes reputation management more difficult online is the fact that people have a lot more freedom of speech. Whilst consumers have always been quick to voice their opinion, it now seems fully acceptable to shout from the rooftops about any negative experiences. Gone are the days when a polite but honest customer review would be seen, and now we are not surprised to see direct slander and insults relating to customer experiences, as there appears to be no barrier anymore as to what can and cannot be said. The even bigger issue is that rather than just read one poor comment, we see other people getting involved too and within a matter of hours we see an entire forum page or social networking group dedicated to a negative opinion.

There are no hard and fast rules to combating these problems, however the most important thing for any company to remember is that not addressing the issues will only make it worse. All companies should have some form of reputation management in place, irrelevant of how in depth their strategy is. Even if you are only covering half of what is out there it is better than none at all, and simply having a positive presence in some areas of the online world will work in your favour.

At SearchEngineOptimisation.co.uk we have always known the importance of managing your reputation online, however as the world of online communication is expanding, online reputation management is really coming into its own. Now it is not only web optimisation companies who offer internet reputation advice, there are specific departments and even sole companies dealing purely in reputation management.

So what exactly is it that has made the need to manage your online reputation much more crucial? Well, the major factor is the increased control which general online users have now over companies. At one point, a company could manage its own news pages and product reviews, yet nowadays there are forums, blog pages and independent customer review sites which anybody can post a comment on. The increase in demand for customers to be able to post reviews on news and company sites has also given users more free reign, yet at the same time has given companies less control.

Social networking also has a major part to play in the world of online reputation. Social networking is the epitome of real time reporting and comments or opinions can be posted in an instant. With this in mind, anything which is deemed as negative can have dramatic effects on a company if it is not managed in the correct way.

Whilst it is possible to redeem yourself after some negative publicity online, it is not the ideal way to go about things. This is the main reason why we are now seeing specific companies who offer internet reputation management services. It is a fairly detailed and long winded process to keep on top of your online reputation, yet at the same time a crucial one. Employed members of staff can probably be better used elsewhere, which is what makes hiring external services a good idea.

The best reputation management companies will know as much as is possible about your existing company reputation and when anything remotely controversial or negative is mentioned, they will try to nip it in the bud as early as possible. Take for example that one person posts a negative comment regarding a product or service you are offering. If you just leave that comment alone then the likelihood is that another consumer will respond with a more negative comment and then it can spiral into an entire forum which is basically attacking your business offering. You only need to look at user comments on popular news pages to realise how quickly and easily people can spur each other on.

To prevent a situation like this, the simplest way is to respond constructively as a company to the initial comment as quickly as possible. This will more often than not answer any questions or complaints and diffuse the situation, therefore preventing the development of a bad reputation.

The topic of online reputation can send some companies into panic, but do not make the mistake of hiding away to prevent it. The web is an immense tool and as businesses we need it, it just needs to be monitored as closely as possible.