How To Manage Your Reputation Online
Everyone wants to be #1 in Google. And if you’re not number 1, you are most likely vying for the next two positions. This is because the top 3 positions are the ones that bring in the most money. In the extremely competitive world of cyberspace, everyone certainly wants to be the top dog.
Fair business practices are what drive healthy competition, but such offensive online content directed against you is simply hitting below the belt. Sure, slander and libel may sometimes be considered part and parcel of free speech, but that doesn’t mean that you cant do anything about it.
Are you a victim of negative reviews because your company screwed up? Or are you a victim of malicious reviews posted online by a competitor? Customers often cant tell the difference. Search engines results can be manipulated. And if you’re up against a competitor who wants to win by hook or by crook through slander and libel, you may find your brand completely wiped out someone who is posing as an unhappy customer all over the Internet.
Getting to the #1 spot is hard. Protecting yourself from defamation of character is much, much harder. Are you a victim of predatory online practices? Here are some things that you can do to manage your reputation online.
First, you can choose to ignore the negative reviews. People will forget about it tomorrow, right? Lets just hope that all the negativity will eventually blow over. Another option is to bring the offending parties to court for slander. Get immediate relief with a court order to take down the site and seek compensatory damages. Lastly, you can consider a more creative online reputation management tactic that will push the offensive sites down 4-10 pages in the search engine results through reputation online repair services.
Clearly, the first option wont get your anywhere and will only cause more damage to your already tarnished reputation. Negative publicity about you could linger in the internet for a long time, and a potential customer could stumble upon it and take it as a fact. As a result, your business could lose revenue due to all the defamation slander floating around the web.
What about litigation? The second option is the traditional big business way to scare website owners into pulling down content that is slanderous. For some websites, you will be able to get your way. For others, they will call your bluff and you will have to drag your butt to court. There are not only time and litigation expenses but it will also continue to take its toll on your brand because the content will not be pulled down immediately. In fact, you may have to wait until the court decides in your favor so you might as well just go ahead and do search engine reputation management.
The best solution is to take positive aggressive action with regards to reputation management so you can overcome all the negative comments by your online detractors. In this day and age, it is not enough for brand owners to just promote their products or services. They must be prepared to ensure brand protection as well. This applies to both online and brick-and-mortar businesses. Make sure to get professional help and manage online reputation immediately.