We get a lot of email here from clients with reputation management issues. Many of the inquiries we get are questions on how a company or individual can be proactive when it comes to their online reputation. So, we wanted to put together some pointers in keeping your online reputation in check. A short list of the basics, things you can do yourself when it comes to what’s being said about you or your company online.

Here is a list of eight very simple, but very important online reputation management tips:

1. Google Yourself

It all starts here. Google is the king of the search engines and Google is where the majority of your clients / customers are searching. You need to Google yourself often. Don’t just look at the first ten results, go back into the pages a bit. This is where upcoming stuff is going to be, and it’s easier to fight when it’s new. So knowing what is there is half the battle.

2. Use Google Alerts

It’s not as thorough as our reputation monitoring service, but setting up simple Google alerts for your name, company name, and associated keywords is definitely a good idea. Google alerts can be setup to come as they happen, meaning that you can be notified almost the instant the Google search spiders find new content that relates to you. Another idea here is to also setup Google alerts for employees and companies you do business with frequently. Their reputation can surely have an impact on your own if negative press comes to them. You need to be aware of the situations as they develop.

3. Schedule Time

You’re busy, we know. But you need to schedule time to do the work involved in monitoring your online reputation. If it’s a half hour a week, then so be it. But schedule a little time for the reputation stuff. It’s important, and can effect your bottom line. If you get lazy, it may come back to haunt you. Remember, a preemptive strike is always better than trying to clean things up from a defensive position.

4. Everything is Public

You must assume that everything relating to you and your company is public, or is going to be. Emails, photos, etc are all liable to be put in public view. If it exists, assume that it could be put online at some point. If you don’t want it in public, don’t create it.

5. Don’t Mix Business and Personal

Social networks are all the rage now. So many people like to connect to clients via their personal social network pages. Facebook, profiles, LinkedIn, etc. The problem with this is that it can really hurt business relationships if you have ever had a rocky past with someone. Think about your ex girlfriend connecting with a client via your Facebook profile and telling them all your dirty little secrets. Even if it’s untrue, it’s probably going to cost you that client. Bottom line, be careful when mixing your public and private life via social networking websites. It can come back to bite you. Build separate public profiles for your company.

6. Be Calm

It’s easy to blow up when someone is blasting you online. But understand, you are doing exactly what that person wants you to do. Even more, you are also giving more fuel for the fire. Often making yourself look even worse in an already bad situation. You need to keep a cool head at all times. More importantly, do NOT respond to ripoff reports, forum threads, or blog posts about you or your company. It makes our job even harder. Here’s why. When you respond to the negative comments, the search engine spiders see the updated content, giving the page even MORE authority. This in turn can make the negative content rank even higher in the search engine result pages. It’s ultra important that you not update those pages if it can be helped at all. We want to replace that negative content with positive stuff at some point. So let’s make it as easy as possible.

7. Do Something Quickly

Time is of the essence, and you need to do something fast when it comes to reputation management online. The longer those negative pages sit there, the harder they are to knock down in the rankings. So you need to get busy right away. The second you find a negative website you need to get some help. This is a good time to give our office a call.

8. It will not just “Go Away”.

Understand, those pages will NOT just fade away into oblivion. If you do nothing they will continue to hurt you and your company, indefinitely. Putting your head in the sand will not help the situation at all. You need to do something about it.

Obviously there’s much more when it comes to erasing negative information from those search engine result pages. But these are some good starting points. If you stay informed and keep your ear to the ground you can protect your name and your brand. You just need to stay diligent and realize that your online reputation is indeed very important and worth protecting. Remember too that it’s always better to be proactive rather than reactive. Consider giving our office a call about building a proactive reputation plan today. It’s affordable and easy.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.