Online reputation is the overall perception of a person or business based on information found online, including social media mentions, reviews, Google search results and other sources. It can affect how people behave towards a person or a business, and it may play a role in decisions such as whether to accept a job offer or purchase a product.
Keeping a positive online reputation is important for businesses of all sizes and industries. It can help you avoid negative word-of-mouth and reduce the impact of unhappy customers, as well as boost your sales.
The Internet has changed the way we communicate, making it easier for anyone to share their opinions and experiences with other people in the world. This means that your online reputation can have an immediate and dramatic impact on your brand.
Negative or unwanted online content can spread rapidly, which makes it crucial to monitor and respond to negative reviews as soon as they’re posted. If you’re not able to respond quickly enough, the review can become viral and cause damage to your brand that takes months to repair.
It’s also important to monitor your online presence across shared media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter. If you see a lot of negative comments or feedback, take action immediately and seek advice from online reputation management services to address the issue.
A positive online reputation can improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), leading to higher link clicks and ad investments. Moreover, it can improve the quality of your customer feedback and allow you to gather valuable insights about how your products or services can be improved.
Creating and promoting a strong brand identity is key to building your online reputation, as it allows people to identify with your brand, create loyalty and trust, and make purchasing decisions that align with your core values. This can be achieved through a variety of PR and marketing efforts, such as online ads and organic social media posts, among others.
The best way to start with online reputation management is to determine what your business’s goals are. If your goals are to increase your brand awareness and revenue, then focus on earned media such as public relations and influencer marketing campaigns. If your goals are to build relationships and strengthen your brand, then proactively manage your shared media channels and engage in community service and partnerships.
While it’s possible to create a solid online reputation with proactive ORM, it’s not easy and requires time, patience and commitment. For this reason, many businesses choose to hire a professional reputation management company.
It is also important to recognize that some negative content will never go away – it just becomes harder to remove. This is especially true for fake reviews and unflattering news articles that can’t be removed by search engines.
A good online reputation can also attract more qualified applicants and employees to your business, resulting in higher revenues and profits. This is because better-qualified applicants are more likely to believe in your company and work hard for you.