INTERNET REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IS FAR FROM STRAIGHTFORWARD
August 31, 2010 by: maureenAs the net continues to evolve, a plethora of new opportunities for corporations become available that could not have been predicted just a few years previously. However, while the positives associated with the net should never be denied nor downplayed, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the emerging benefits are not the only consequence of the innovations under scrutiny. This is definitely the case when internet reputation management is put under the microscope – so even if your search engine optimization brings the traffic – it can work against your reputation too. This is because the democratic nature of the net permits disgruntled consumers or displeased former employees to have their say. It is vital that corporations respond appropriately to any negative feedback as an ill-judged remark or response can convert a minor setback into something approaching a major calamity.
Imagine you are an online firm which sells activity holidays abroad. With the best will in the world, not every customer that uses your services is going to be completely satisfied. Human nature is varied and it can be quite common for a small number of individuals to take an active pleasure in grumbling, with little regard to the standard of the services they actually receive. Also it is impossible to provide a wide range of popular holidays without the odd thing going wrong. However thorough your organisation and regardless of how well its systems are maintained, it is probable that a consumer will have a legitimate cause for complaint.
The problem can get out really of hand when a consumer makes a complaint and it somehow escapes the attention of your staff. Perhaps it is lost in the post, maybe it is mislaid by a new employee. However it happens, it happens. The issue then becomes really problematic if it is a blogger or user of social media sites. They can denounce your flagrant error in the public sphere of the net, denting your reputation. The consequence can be that every time a potential consumer enters your company name into a search engine, details of your carelessness are made visible, regardless of your own search engine optimisation efforts. It is then far too late for a refund to have the redeeming effect it could have done if it was proffered previous to this.
The correct strategy for minimising the risk to your company is to collaborate with your SEO company. At seoconsult.co.uk we have a lot of experience and expertise relevant to online reputation management. One strategy is to reduce the possibility of negative bloggers impacting on your prospects by ensuring that multiple places on the search engine results pages for relevant queries are occupied by mentions of your firm which are never less than positive. Another tactic is to solicit feedback in the form of reviews and to respond appropriately.
It is wise to focus on the provision of services of the highest quality. This will limit the dangers from the start. It is then prudent to devise strategies for diverse suboptimal eventualities. These should be informed by awareness that the odd ‘mixed’ review is not such a bad thing, as it can add to the credibility of your firm. After all, does anyone really trust a row or column of universally positive customer testimonials?