Basically, the reputation of your company isn't just about what you do, but what the public perception of you is. You could be doing everything right, but a bad review or two by a competitor or an angry ex-employee could mean all of those good practices come to nothing when referring to captivating new clients. Businesses now recognize that there is a need for them to assume control of their online reputations, and the indisputable fact that numerous firms have appeared, almost overnight, specializing in online reputation management, bears witness to this.
Most reputable enterprises do have a web presence, and know that most potential customers who are considering doing business with them for the 1st time are going to do a Web search to discover as much about the company as possible. Most businesses say that if someone goes to Google and searches using their business name that they are going to land on their website. But this isn't always true. There are many third party review internet sites, who's owners optimise them for the search sites, that would show up on the search site results pages instead. That's all well and good if any reviews that show up about your company are good, but what if they are negative?
The overwhelming majority of buyers who are pleased with a service or product aren't going to, unless pushed, go to the trouble of visiting any third party web sites so as to leave you a positive review. But the opposite may be said for unhappy buyers. It's been shown that these consumers will go to many lengths to let their feelings about their unpleasant experience be known to as many folks as practical. And if they select the right website which has authority and trust with Google, then the results could be devastating for an enterprize. It is not just Google you have to stress about. Many people go directly to sites such as Yap, TripAdvisor, CitySearch and YellowPages to find reviews.
It is no longer a matter of if you ought to be managing your internet reputation, but more of an issue of how it's possible for you to effectively do it. Even if you don't have any bad reviews right now, it doesn't mean that you won't get any. So you need to make preparations for such an eventuality by ensuring you already have a number of positive reviews in place on these third party web sites. That way, the peculiar critical review that shows up among many won't be as harmful, as it would be if the only reviews that showed were negative ones.
Do not be tempted to go and push up fake reviews yourself. Apart from being misleading , it is also illegal and you might realize that you are getting unwanted attention from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Instead seek honest reviews from existing and new purchasers, and ask them to post those reviews to websites like Google Plus Local (previously known as Google Places), Yelp, Kudzu and other such review web sites. If you don't have the time to do this yourself then look online and find experienced online reputation management professionals who will help you to establish a reputation management programme of your own.
Most reputable enterprises do have a web presence, and know that most potential customers who are considering doing business with them for the 1st time are going to do a Web search to discover as much about the company as possible. Most businesses say that if someone goes to Google and searches using their business name that they are going to land on their website. But this isn't always true. There are many third party review internet sites, who's owners optimise them for the search sites, that would show up on the search site results pages instead. That's all well and good if any reviews that show up about your company are good, but what if they are negative?
The overwhelming majority of buyers who are pleased with a service or product aren't going to, unless pushed, go to the trouble of visiting any third party web sites so as to leave you a positive review. But the opposite may be said for unhappy buyers. It's been shown that these consumers will go to many lengths to let their feelings about their unpleasant experience be known to as many folks as practical. And if they select the right website which has authority and trust with Google, then the results could be devastating for an enterprize. It is not just Google you have to stress about. Many people go directly to sites such as Yap, TripAdvisor, CitySearch and YellowPages to find reviews.
It is no longer a matter of if you ought to be managing your internet reputation, but more of an issue of how it's possible for you to effectively do it. Even if you don't have any bad reviews right now, it doesn't mean that you won't get any. So you need to make preparations for such an eventuality by ensuring you already have a number of positive reviews in place on these third party web sites. That way, the peculiar critical review that shows up among many won't be as harmful, as it would be if the only reviews that showed were negative ones.
Do not be tempted to go and push up fake reviews yourself. Apart from being misleading , it is also illegal and you might realize that you are getting unwanted attention from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Instead seek honest reviews from existing and new purchasers, and ask them to post those reviews to websites like Google Plus Local (previously known as Google Places), Yelp, Kudzu and other such review web sites. If you don't have the time to do this yourself then look online and find experienced online reputation management professionals who will help you to establish a reputation management programme of your own.
About the Author:
Troy Fisherman is a freelance writer, who makes a speciality of online reputation management services. If you need online reputation management experts then ensure you get details of the services offered and hunt down testimonials before signing any kind of contract.
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