It doesn’t take much experience to learn that online reputation is a fickle thing. A couple of missteps and you can quickly start going down a downward spiral of reputation downfall. Fortunately, there are ways of repairing your company’s online reputation and establishing yourself as a reputable brand. In the following article, we will explore six ways in which you can rebuild the reputation of your company.
Repairing your company’s online reputation
In order to repair the reputation of your company, it is first necessary to identify what harmed it in the first place. Without outlining the core issue, no patches or improvements will be of much use. So, before you apply any of our solutions, try to identify the problem. If you are unsure, hire a brand professional and have them outline what you did wrong. Maintaining a good reputation is more about avoiding past mistakes than making the right marketing calls.
Improve SEO management
One of the common reasons for having a poor online reputation is the lack of SEO management. For those completely new to online marketing, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Through it, Google determines which pages will come out on top in the search results. So, if you wish that people find your company when they look for specific keywords, you’d want to invest in SEO management.
Unfortunately, SEO management isn’t something you can tackle on your own. It encompasses your entire online presence. This is why companies often outsource their SEO management to a professional agency. You can conduct an SEO audit and see what the most urgent areas you need to improve are. That way, the company managing your SEO will be far more effective.
Work on customer experience
Whether or not customers will find your website engaging is purely based on their experience. It should go without saying that having good products/services to offer is essential. After all, no marketing can save you if your company provides a subpar product. But, if you believe that your company does have something valuable to offer, it is in your best interest to focus on customer experience.
Company managers aren’t aware of how customers experience their websites, apps, and content. And in the modern marketing landscape, this kind of unawareness quickly leads to a poor online reputation. So, keep an eye on trends and apply CX improvements where need be.
Engage social media
Apart from Google and SEO, social media is a significant source of online traffic. Brands spend a lot of time and effort managing social media and creating content specifically for it. Therefore, if you haven’t so far, it is in your best interest to start using social media as soon as possible.
While it may seem like a good idea, we would advise you to utilize every social media platform all at once. While they do share some similarities, social media platforms are notably different. Both in the type of content that they present and in the audience they attract. So, instead of managing multiple platforms and spreading yourself too thin, try to outline which platform is best associated with your brand. A basic guideline would be:
- Facebook – B2C companies of all kinds
- LinkedIn – B2B companies
- Instagram – Companies that promote casual products/services
- Twitter – Companies that are closely connected to ongoing media topics
Ideally, you will use a platform where your content will have the most effective reach. You will successfully build up your brand and improve your reputation simply through social media.
Get GMB listing
You want to get a Google My Business listing along with social media. You will place yourself among all the companies that use the GMB platform to great effect. GMB is the section in Google that comes out on top when people search for a specific business in an area. Seeing that the GMB results come out on top, it is in your best interest to include your company in them. This is mainly done by building your local SEO and ensuring that you have decent ratings on Google. It is also essential that you double-check the info that you put on GMB so that your customers don’t face any confusion.
Get Yelp listing
While not as prominent as Google, Yelp still serves as a tried and true place for people to find companies. Even a relatively superficial search will include going over Yelp reviews and seeing what other customers say about your company. So, if you haven’t so far, make sure that you get a Yelp listing. The longer it is active, the more time you’ll have to build a solid online reputation.
Encourage reviews and ratings
While having social media accounts, GMB, and Yelp listings is essential, it is hardly enough to garner sufficient reviews. Sure, truly satisfied customers are likely to outline how pleased they were with your company. But, you’d be wise to incentivize your customers to leave reviews and ratings. This can range from simply asking them to provide benefits to leaving reviews and ratings. The one thing we would advise against is to try and manipulate reviews. Always ask for honest feedback. You stand to gain more reputation by owning up to a mistake, or a dissatisfied customer than by manipulating your reviews to only have positive ones.
Final thoughts
If you are experiencing considerable trouble with repairing your company’s online reputation, we suggest that you consult with a professional. What makes or breaks one’s online reputation is often quite complex. So, don’t struggle if you don’t find the main issue. There are plenty of professionals who solely focus on brand development and reputation management. Don’t shy away from hiring one.
