WSI Simply Social

There is quite allot of complaint websites with high rankings such as ComplaintsBoard.com. What it means is that complaints placed on these sites come up very high in the Google searches for your brand, company name and even the name of your key executives.

These days, upset clients have easy access to review other websites or they can set up a blog for free and then vent their expressions to the world. This is a big problem because these complaints stays on the internet forever. Legal action can get these removed, but it isn’t easy.

What can you do to replair your online reputation when this has happened to you?

Monitor

Every company should set up tracking and reporting systems that will notify them any time their name is used on the internet.  This could include their name mentioned in searches, blog or forum posts, etc. Google Alerts is a free tool that will send you an email any time Google detects something new being said about you or any phrase you specify.

Respond

Start by taking a little time to monitor and gauge the reaction. Criticism of your services or products should never bring a strong response or argument. Always be concerned and helpful to resolve the issue. Try and turn the situation around.  This could be a great way to turn a foe into an advocate.

Repair

You may not be able to erase what has been said about your brand and company, but you can take steps to minimize the damage.  The goal is to push the damaging statements down in the organic search results and replace those with positive information and comments.

The key to repair your online reputation is to be focused on a specific phrase such as your company name. Launch a series of articles, press releases, videos on YouTube, blogs and even possibly an article on Wikipedia. Use the exact phrase you want in the title and the body of the text.  With time, the search engines will generally give these good rankings.

Leave a comment below if you require more information regarding online reputation management.