SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies extend beyond optimizing your website content for Google and other search engines. One particular area that is becoming increasing important is your business’ online reputation.

Having a negative reputation can quickly get you high search engine rankings. While all businesses want to be found on page one of the search results, they do not want to be known for having a bad reputation.

The key to maintaining a positive reputation online is developing an effective reputation management strategy. Similar strategies can be used in cases where you already have a poor online reputation to repair it and help put a positive tone on what people are saying about your business.

1. Take an active role in claiming your online business profiles. Google+, Yelp, Bing Local, and other such review sites could have information about your business as well as feedback from your customers. You need to claim these profiles and complete your business details first before you can start responding to feedback.

2. Reply to all current feedback. You need to respond to any feedback that has already been left for your business including all positive and negative reviews. Ignoring negative comments will not make them go away and will do nothing to improve your reputation.

3. Respond to new posts in a timely manner. You will want to respond to new feedback quickly, normally within 24 hours of it being posted.

4. Always put yourself in the place of your customers. When reading reviews, take the time to think about these from your customers’ perspective. Avoid responding if you are upset or angry to a negative comment because your response could further hurt your reputation.

5. Compose a professional, yet personalised response to poor comments. Based on the type of negative feedback left, address each issue within that content. Provide an explanation if possible, but avoid making excuses. Let the customer know what you are doing to resolve the issue and close by inviting them back to your business to give you another opportunity.

6. Never offer discounts or other free incentives in public forums. With negative reviews, if you are offering a refund, discount, or other incentive for the person to give your business another chance, make this offer in private. Otherwise, if you post this publicly, it can open up the floodgates for a series of negative posts from people looking to get something for free.

7. Remember to thank customers that give you positive feedback, too. You want to thank all of your customers for taking the time to post their comments about your business.

If you are managing multiple feedback sites, it is also worthwhile to analyze and compare the types of feedback you are receiving.

• Is one site getting more reviews than another?
• Does there seem to be specific problem related to a certain time of day or night?
• Are there other trends you are noticing?

This data can be useful to help you effectively manage your online reputation and develop new strategies. For assistance with online reputation management, please feel free to contact the SEO experts at Logik Digital by calling 1-866-307-0086 today!