A real estate mogul somewhere in the U.S. had a longtime business partner, but somehow the relationship went sour. The partner went on online and stated that there was an FBI report that had been filed against the real estate agent. It became the No. 1 result on Google when one searched the agent’s name. Business started to go bad immediately for the agent.
To Tony DeRoia of L.A.-based SEO consulting agency Think Tank, this is the “Oh s____t! moment.” Unfortunately, for plenty of businesses large and small, as their Web imprint grows, these moments are getting more frequent.
That’s why online reputation management incorporating SEO tactics is an important topic for communicators to know about. According to Kent Lewis, founder of search engine marketing agency Anvil Media, it’s not a question whether or not you should be managing your reputation online, it’s a question of how. “Just because you haven’t drawn fire from detractors online yet doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” says Lewis.
So that’s why you should develop a plan beforehand and be proactive, says Kai Blum, director of search engine marketing at Ingenex Digital Marketing.
The steps are surprisingly simple, yet Blum says many organizations fail to implement them.
The strategy is twofold: First, leverage third-party sites that Google trusts. They may be familiar to you—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace. “These almost always get listed first,” says Blum. And be sure to post updates on those sites once per week.
Then, create many different Web properties that contain compelling content about your organization and vary your domain names—com,.net and.org. DeRoia says that Google lately has been favoring the.org domain in its rankings. Separate your organization’s blog and newsroom from your main site (Blum says that using BlogSpot as a blogging destination probably is an advantage simply because it’s owned by Google). To see how this is done, Blum recommends Googling “DeVry University.” Note how the online school controls at least the first three pages of the search results, pushing independent school review sites that may have negative comments toward the bottom.
PUSH, PUSH, PUSH
That is the key—pushing your results at least off the first page of search results. Statistics show that 2-3% of people searching for a result actually go to the second page.
Blum offers the example of work done with a commercial real estate company (what is it about real estate?). Three years ago someone filed a lawsuit against the company, and when its name was searched, the first four out of six postings were about the lawsuit. Blum created Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, which helped somewhat. Then a company newsletter was set up with a different URL, and a newsroom was created via BlogSpot where positive press releases would originate from. Those efforts were enough to push the negative mentions to page two.
Blum sums up his online reputation strategy with the following tips:
• Be proactive.
• Use sites that are already trusted by Google.
• Create many Web properties on your own.
• Distribute a good number of press releases.
• Be smart with linking. The more inbound links to your site, the higher ranking it will have.
DeRoia seconds Blum on the links. Have friends, colleagues, partners, associations and any other friendly contacts link to your site, says DeRoia.
And, adds Blum, all of these strategies are legit. You won’t be deemed a “black hatter” for implementing these strategies.
LEVERAGE THE MEDIA
According to Lewis, there are tactics involving the media that you should be using to protect and even boost your reputation online. He recommends looking for opportunities to post comments on relevant articles by your key media contacts. “Online editors can publish stories in minutes, versus days, weeks or months for newspapers,” says Lewis. “When they do post coverage, they not only appear on the Web site, but that of syndicated content sites and news search engines.” Understanding how these sites work is helpful in determining how to get your own press release and coverage into the mix.
In addition, Bloggers can be a curse or a rep-building opportunity, says Kent. Be sure to identify key bloggers in your space, and be prepared to get into the conversation by posting comments on detractor blogs and linking back to your own press release or blog. Social media sites need monitoring too, such as newsgroups, forums and wikis—as they tend to appear in relevant search results, says Kent.
And what if that “moment” hits you and your organization? DeRoia says to stay calm and refrain from responding right away: “We call it feeding the trolls,” he says. “If someone has in for you, mostly bad things will happen if you get in an online shouting match.” DeRoia says he’s had CEOs and VPs of companies argue with detractors, and “they are in such a state that it gives a bad professional view of the company.” Kent recommends to first check relevance, accuracy and clout of the person complaining.
Responding is really an art, says Alan Dang, founder of intence media, LLC, an Internet marketing firm specializing in local search. If your organization appears on review Web sites, you’ll get some practice. “The good thing about these sites is that you are able to claim your business listing and can interact directly with said reviewer,” says Dang. It looks better to resolve an issue than to cover it up, he adds.
For Kent, a good online reputation program boils down to two things: it ensures those looking for information about you or your company will see favorable content in related search results, and will also see your input within conversations that may not be so favorable. “At the very least, you’ll be seen as a thoughtful, Web-savvy Netizen,” he says.
Just don’t rattle the trolls. PRN
[Editors Note: For more articles about SEO and reputation management, visit the PR News Subscriber Resource Center at prnewsonline.com/subscriber_resources.html.]
CONTACT:
Tony DeRoia, [email protected]; Kai Blum, [email protected]; Kent Lewis, [email protected]; Alan Dang, [email protected].