It’s obvious to most people that
the Internet can be a friend or foe – depending on how wisely you use it.
Reckless or immature people are known to create a record of embarrassing posts
associated with their name, which in retrospect they often regret. Even the
most responsible people have heated moments, which can result in a trail of
online content that doesn’t flatter them. There’s also the possibility of
unflattering things being said by ex-employees, a spurned lover, a business
rival or a mere prankster.
When you learn there are things
posted about you and/or your business that are unflattering, it’s very
distressing. Some people respond to this by panicking or by going postal and
engaging in exchange attacks. This is a mistake, because the wisest thing to do
is to first keep calm. After your nerves have settled, plotting your reaction
strategically is the next best step.
Controlling what people say is
almost impossible, but your response to their words is what really counts. Just
about anything unflattering posted online can be effectively managed if you
know how to take care of it.
Bad press about you is generally
an issue that can be dealt with using strategic SEO (Search Engine
Optimization). This means that negative information appears in high in the
results using search engines. Results that are unflattering to you can be
neutralized by using counter-posting against your enemies in a way that will
bring the positive information about you to the fore.
Here are a few online reputation management tips that every business owner should know about:
1. Have your own website for your
business. Your business name inside the domain will help your traffic, helping
you to occupy Google’s top 10 search results.
2. Add a sub-domain to your main
site. You’ll dominate more results with your content.
3. Start a blog with your content
and maintain it regularly. WordPress is one of several platforms that you can
use to create your own site for free. And of course, you control the content.
4. Create a business profile at
social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Linkedin. Profiles you
create with your content will show up easily when your name is searched.
5. Share your photos. Post your
picture, a graphic logo, a picture of your business, add photo captions. Voila!
This gives you a profile of images that will be searchable and can overtake
negative reputation results. It also makes you look more approachable and
friendly.
While the first step to
reputation management is prevention, online reputation management can
fix problems created by you and others. Even if you can’t totally erase bad
things being said about you online, it’s not so difficult to bury them in
positive results that you can control.
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