Essentially, the repute of your company is not just about what you do, but what the general public perception of you is. You could be doing everything right, but a horrible review or two by a rival or an angry ex-employee could mean all of those good practices come to nothing when it comes to attracting new purchasers. Businesses now recognise that there is a requirement for them to take control of their online reputations, and the incontrovertible fact that many firms have appeared, just about overnite, that specialize in online reputation management, bears witness to this.
Most reputable enterprises do have an online presence, and know that most prospective customers who are considering conducting business with them for the 1st time are going to execute an Internet search to find out as much about the company as practical. Most enterprises assume that if someone goes to Google and searches using their company name they're going to land on their website. But this isn't always true. There are many third party review internet sites, who's owners optimize them for the search engines, that might show up on the search site results pages as an alternative. That is all well and good if any reviews that show up about your company are good, but what about if they are negative?
The vast majority of customers who are happy with a service or product aren't going to, unless pushed, go to the trouble of visiting any 3rd party web sites so as to leave you a positive review. But the opposite may be said for unhappy customers. It has been shown that these consumers will go to many lengths to let their feelings about their poor 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 may be devastating for a business. It isn't just Google you have to worry about. Many folks go directly to sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, CitySearch and YellowPages to seek reviews.
It's no longer a matter of if you should be managing your online reputation, but more of a matter of how it's possible for you to effectively do it. Even if you do not have any negative reviews now, it doesn't mean that you'll never 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 3rd party web sites. That way, the strange bad review that shows up among many will not be as harmful, as it might be if the only reviews that showed were negative ones.
Do not be tempted to go and push up fake reviews yourself. Aside from being misleading , it is also illegal and you might find that you are getting undesired 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 such as Google Plus Local (formerly known as Google Places), Yap, Kudzu and other such review web sites. If you do not have sufficient time to do this yourself then look online and find experienced online reputation management professionals who will help you to sanction a reputation management programme of your own.
Most reputable enterprises do have an online presence, and know that most prospective customers who are considering conducting business with them for the 1st time are going to execute an Internet search to find out as much about the company as practical. Most enterprises assume that if someone goes to Google and searches using their company name they're going to land on their website. But this isn't always true. There are many third party review internet sites, who's owners optimize them for the search engines, that might show up on the search site results pages as an alternative. That is all well and good if any reviews that show up about your company are good, but what about if they are negative?
The vast majority of customers who are happy with a service or product aren't going to, unless pushed, go to the trouble of visiting any 3rd party web sites so as to leave you a positive review. But the opposite may be said for unhappy customers. It has been shown that these consumers will go to many lengths to let their feelings about their poor 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 may be devastating for a business. It isn't just Google you have to worry about. Many folks go directly to sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, CitySearch and YellowPages to seek reviews.
It's no longer a matter of if you should be managing your online reputation, but more of a matter of how it's possible for you to effectively do it. Even if you do not have any negative reviews now, it doesn't mean that you'll never 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 3rd party web sites. That way, the strange bad review that shows up among many will not be as harmful, as it might be if the only reviews that showed were negative ones.
Do not be tempted to go and push up fake reviews yourself. Aside from being misleading , it is also illegal and you might find that you are getting undesired 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 such as Google Plus Local (formerly known as Google Places), Yap, Kudzu and other such review web sites. If you do not have sufficient time to do this yourself then look online and find experienced online reputation management professionals who will help you to sanction a reputation management programme of your own.
About the Author:
Troy Fisherman is a freelance writer, who specializes in online reputation management services. If you require online reputation management experts then ensure you get details of the services offered and seek out recommendations before signing any sort of contract.
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