Online reputation management doesn’t always have to be about countering negative reviews on Google. The best way to ensure that you never suffer from negative online reputation is to MAKE SURE that you increase the positive results surrounding your name.

Digg For Online Reputation Tools

Learn how the Digg effect can generate even more traffic to your blog which in turn will stimulate traffic to your website. Having a blog is ALL about getting people interested in what you have to offer before you send them to your website for the hard sell. Many millions of people read blogs on a daily basis and if you still believe that your blog is all about sales and marketing you need to think again. The Digg effect could have an important role to play in your e-marketing campaign and it’s a great way to get more page views for your website.

Marketing for blogs and websites around the world is largely determined by page views. Google ranking also uses page views as well as visitor statistics as an indicator of the popularity of the site. Advertising in the blogosphere, and indeed the web at large, is driven by page views. It is important to note that it is not as easy at it seems to get traffic to your website from Google. The paid-for campaigns do deliver traffic, but often it is an expensive marketing technique that struggle to deliver on ROI.

To ensure that your blog is generating enough traffic and driving traffic to your website you need to start looking at different avenues of traffic. Social media, blogging and online does not have to be about social networking all of the time. Start looking at the Digg effect which is social media news.

The Digg Effect – Social Media News For Business

News sites are tremendously important for successful marketing on the internet. Digg is a news site that drives traffic towards blogs in huge numbers. If you can get onto the front page of Digg, you’ll see a sudden and permanent spike in your blog traffic and website traffic. Of course, you only get to the front page of important news sites like Digg if you have phenomenal content. Never make the assumption that you can use your blog as an advertising channel. Blogs should be informative, useful and relevant. Keyword stuffing and overly promotional material will do you no good.

Why Do People Trust Digg?

People trust sites like Digg to deliver content that is of a high quality, which is why these sites are known as authority sites on the World Wide Web. The Digg effect, if you get it right, will have an effect on every part of your online business. Digg works very simply. Any user can submit a quality news article that points to a blog or website. If other users “digg” it, it will be highlighted and promoted. Depending on the number of votes that an article gets, it will be published on the front page of Digg.

Don’t be fooled though by the simple business model. The Digg effect has a complicated algorithm that ensures that you cannot tamper with or abuse the system. That’s why users trust Digg recommendations and businesses that are serious about delivering great content and excellent information will reap the rewards of increased online presence and a better online reputation.

Getting a head start in 2013, Facebook launched their new search tool: Graph Search. At a press event held at company offices in Menlo Park, Mark Zuckerberg and team announced the latest innovation and offering from social media giant. This is considered Facebook’s strongest attempt to break into the search market yet, and Graph Search will have an impact on how we manage social media and how results will returned.

How Graph Search Will Influence Your Online Reputation Management Strategy

While many analysts are commenting and predicting how much of the effort put into Graph Search is driven by the need for monetization of the network, it will have an impact and influence on ORM strategies. The new tool will allow Facebook users to search their friends ‘likes’ and recommendations and will return results based on user preferences. It’s important to note that Facebook has an excellent partnership with Microsoft and Bing and is already returning Bing search results when users use Facebook as a search engine.

Google+ has been integrating search and social for over a year and the results are positive, if not outstanding. In beta testing, perhaps Graph Search will manage to achieve the ultimate combination of ‘search and social’ that everyone has been looking for.

In terms of online reputation management it will become increasingly important to monitor, manage and control all of your social media activity. The potential for Graph Search as a marketing tool is immense, but in terms of online reputation, the flipside is just as strong. If you visit the Facebook page advertising Graph Search, you’ll see “Discover restaurants, music and more…” The more positive reviews you get, the more ‘likes’ you get, the more likely you are to be noticed in search.

Concerns have been raised about privacy though Facebook has been quick to reassure users that their privacy settings are sacrosanct. I’d go and button down the hatches and make sure – just to be sure.

Massive marketing and online potential ahead. We’ll keep you posted on how Graph Search rolls out and just how you can control and ensure that your information online remains private.

The value of social media in business cannot be overemphasized, but it’s just ONE tool used to help manage your corporate reputation. It cannot be ignored however; even a small business or owner managed business that is serious about online business needs to utilize social media to achieve the best results.

Fully Utilizing Social Media For Reputation Management

A good corporate reputation manager will tell you that the first goal of excellent social media is to research your target audience. That means listening to their needs, finding out what they want, and most importantly, finding out where your target audience can be found.

This information will enable you to continually develop new strategies and explore opportunities as they present themselves on the constantly changing World Wide Web. It’s not enough to just assume that ‘everyone’ is on Facebook and Twitter. Depending on the demographics of your target audience, you may well be advised to place the focus of your social media campaign on another social network or drive your campaign in a different direction.

Managing Corporate Reputation Is ALL About Information

The best social media campaigns will only start a marketing drive once they have the right analytics in place. Be wary, as a small business owner of any social media consultant who is able to get going on your campaign within an hour of your placing an order. Mass tweeting and untargeted Facebook status updates will do your business no good if the wrong people are seeing them. They may even do some damage if you’re pinned as a spammer.

Social Media Is Not All About The Numbers

Defining your target market when it comes to social media optimization means identifying the influencers in your market. The type of person who “likes” and by extension, “shares” your Facebook page is more important that getting mass numbers from a bulk order company. A good strategy will always look at finding the right people who can spread your service or product message rather than taking a stab at it by looking for huge quantities of people who may not be interested and who have no influence in their community or demographic.

Social analytics are able to determine the users within your target market who are most likely to share information and in doing so influence their networks; that’s the basis of a strong and sustainable positive corporate reputation. Analysis of blogs and Facebook posts is just one way of tracking trends, keywords and finding out more about your target audience before you start your social media marketing campaign.

The most important tool that your corporate reputation strategy can bring to your business is the culture of analysis and focus; learning about your target market before you let loose on the internet.

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There is no getting away from the fact that SEO will play an important part of managing your online reputation. If you want to be ranked with positive results near the top of the page, you’ll have to employ some SEO tactics to ensure that your search results are what you expect.

Getting your website or positive information about your company or name listed at the top of a search engine page is a process, and you need to get there and more importantly, stay there, with an entire range of SEO strategies.

SEO is all about the content of your website. Web content can be described as the words that are used to describe your company, and your products or services. You need to generate content for your website, blog or social media pages that uses SEO to get your page ranked regionally, nationally and internationally for increased visibility and enhanced online reputation. It’s all about providing you clients with an added value experience.

How Does Local SEO Affect Online Reputation and Search Results?

You need to think about your website as a portal that is used to generate traffic at much higher rates than ever before. Good SEO will start with an in depth analysis of your website, and compare that to your competitors websites as well as industry standards, so you have a clear picture of where you need to be.

It’s vital to apply local SEO principles to your content. For many professionals and business owners this is the key to controlling and managing an online reputation effectively.

Search Engine Optimization is based on what the search engine robots are looking for in online content. All websites are ranked according to their popularity, in terms of natural search queries from your region, as well as the amount of other websites that link to them. This means that your website has got to generate a lot of interest to get it going and keep it going.

The internet goes through rapid changes on a continual basis, so you need to make sure that you’re able to deliver up to the minute SEO tools to keep your website ranked at the top.

Affiliate Marketing

Local Search Marketing

Link Building

Keyword Analysis and Development

These are the top four local SEO tips that will drive your site in terms of regional and local search and keep it at the top. This applies to any and all content that is posted online about your name or brand. Remember that there is simply no substitute for experience in the field of SEO. When you’re looking for local SEO experts look for SEO companies  that actually succeed in search. Ask for proof – when it comes to ranking and traffic the proof is always readily available.  Content is still king when it comes to SEO and you need to make sure that your content is always fresh and contains the correct SEO technology.

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What many people mean when they ask the question, “Can I remove information from Google?” is, can I remove information from the internet that affects my image or online reputation? This can range from the publication of financial information, news articles that are damaging, negative reviews online and even to cases of mistaken identity. There are a number of ways of dealing with the removal of information from Google and other search engines on the internet, but each case has to be managed with an individual solution.

The Top 5 Questions Asked About Online Reputation Management

• Can I Remove News Articles from the Internet?

News articles and articles on media sites are protected as freedom of speech by the constitution of nearly all countries around the world. You may not ‘remove’ a news article because it paints you or your business in a less than satisfying light. The issue surrounding news articles, is that the information contained within may sometimes be unfair, biased or even inaccurate. Taking legal action is a slow, costly process and even if the media organisation issues a retraction or amendment, the original article may still be accessed on search engines.

What you can do, very effectively, is to control and manage position and page that the news article appears on in search, which will control the amount of people who see the article. Done correctly, it does not take an immense amount of time to show positive results.

• Can I Remove Financial Information from the Internet?

Many clients ask this when facing a bankruptcy. Although filing for bankruptcy does not carry the stigma it did a few years ago, it is still potentially damaging to your good name and your future prospects in business. Unfortunately bankruptcy records are considered public and are freely available online. There are a number of ways to control the information that is available about your name on the internet; contact a professional when it comes to financial online reputation issues.

• Can I Remove An Arrest Record/Mugshot or Trial Information From Google?

Again, unless the records have been sealed, this sort of information is freely available and in the public domain. Many of our clients have undergone legal proceedings, been acquitted and still have to suffer the indignity and damage to their names. In cases like this we recommend a professional solution that involves both the protection of your name and the successful promotion of your name to effectively manage and control search results.

• Can I Remove Negative Reviews and Comments from Google?

Reviews about your business will appear online. It’s a part of doing business in an interconnected world driven by technology. If you have experienced negative reviews, or believe that you’re a victim of defamatory content online that is damaging your business, you need to use a multifaceted approach. Some review sites are notoriously difficult when it comes to removing inaccurate content. At Veribo, we look at negative reviews as an opportunity to actually increase your brand presence through positive, rapid response and controlling search queries.

• Does a Negative Search Result Really Have An Impact?

In one word: Yes. Most people use Google and other search engines to ‘check you out’ before a job interview, or before using your services, or buying your products. Negative results, unwanted images and untoward information can have an effect on your employment future, potential earnings and even your personal life. If you’ve got something on the internet that should not be there or personal information that you don’t want to be seen online, pay attention to the issue and take steps to resolve it, before it becomes a reputation disaster.

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Business owners need to keep track of what is being said about their business – both good and bad. Have a look at our review sites list and the tools you need to effectively monitor and manage your reputation online. ORM should be a constant and consistent part of your marketing strategy and budget. Small business owners and professionals like doctors, lawyers and service individuals must ensure that they pay careful attention to feedback, reviews and comments posted online about their business.

The Top Review Sites Online: Watch For Negative Reviews

1. Yelp – This is a large, vibrant and sometimes vocal website. It’s vital that you keep tabs on any reviews posted about your business on the site, as it can have a dramatic effect on your bottom line if you’re ‘trashed’ on Yelp. It’s not all about bad news and negative reviews on Yelp. Many excellent businesses utilize Yelp as an effective way to market their business with positive feedback.

2. Angie’s List - When people make a buying decision about whether or not to use you products or services, they want to know that they’re getting the best value. Angie’s List has made great strides in marketing excellent businesses. The flipside? Negative reviews on Angie’s List are a killer. If you’ve received negative reviews on a review site, you have to take action immediately to respond and resolve the issue.

3. Google - More specifically, Google Places. if you’re the owner of a small business make sure you have a page on Google Places. It’s an excellent way of receiving feedback from your clientele, but you do need to check it regularly to monitor possible negative comments that can damage your online reputation.

4. BBB – The Better Business Bureau deserves it’s place on our list because while they are relatively new to reviews, they are a trusted authority and many people use them to ‘check-out’ a business online before they ‘check-out’ their shopping cart.

5. Yahoo Local and City Search – Monitor these sites to make sure you’ve not received any negative reviews, and again, just because you come up clean doesn’t mean that you should ignore these sites. Register and account, market your business and  get active in your community.

There are literaly hundreds, if not thousands of review sites scattered across the internet landscape. Start with this small list and then do yourself a favour and set up a simple monitoring tool like Google Alerts to keep you in the loop about what is being said about you.

Consumers are becoming increasingly more educated and aware. Not everyone uses review sites to make purchasing decisions, but it’s still worth your time, effort and reputation to monitor your name online. In a recent article on Endgadget, Joshua Fruhlinger made the startling point that while community review sites like Angie’s List and TripAdvisor do have a role to play in consumer choices, many review sites are weighted and often unfairly biased.

At Veribo, we’ve had a number of small business owners approach us for help with a damaged online reputation caused by competitors who post fake negative reviews online. The problem is that unless an issue is addressed immediately, it can cause immense damage. Monitoring your online reputation and finding out just who’s talking about you is now a best business practice, not an addition to your marketing efforts.

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The first blog of the year for Rand Fishkin from SEOMoz: Analysis of 2012 and some predictions for the year ahead. In 2013 the emphasis will very definitely shift from the broad sweeps of mass advertising to more intimate and personal marketing strategies and planning. How this affects online reputation management remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: It won’t be nearly enough to just provide positive content in the hopes that it will diminish negative online results for your company or personal name. Online reputation management is a fully fledged member of the marketing family.

Online Reputation Is No Longer a Buzz Word

Online reputation management to be specific, will no longer be confined to influencing search results. ORM is going to become a sincere and serious part of any inbound marketing strategy and will utilize all aspects of online marketing. Google remains the dominant choice for internet users around the globe and the company will continue to roll out updates to Penguin, that will further seek to weed out spam, manipulative link schemes and provide more informative and accurate information for internet users. Instead of trying to bypass Google algorithms, professional ORM companies will work on long term strategies that provide long lasting results that actually enhance online reputation instead of just removing negative reviews or articles.

Top Online Reputation Management Tips For 2013

Possibly one of the most important aspects of online reputation management is protecting your good name. There’s a lot that you can do as an individual to protect, promote and enhance your online reputation.

• Stay Ahead Of The Curve: I mentioned Rand’s blog post for a reason; staying ahead of internet trends and changes is one of the most important aspects of managing and controlling your online reputation. Keep up with what is happening in online marketing and if you see an opportunity to utilize a marketing channel to enhance your online reputation in 2013 then take it.

• Bad News Travels Fast: Never make the mistake of underestimating the speed at which bad news travels on the internet. You have to keep up with what is being said about you. Whether it is your personal name, your company name or your brand reputation. Do something as simple as setting up Google Alerts to notify you of new information posted online about your good name.

• Rapid Response Time: It’s a sad fact that a large percentage of negative information (reviews) found online is only there because a company didn’t respond fast enough to their client base. A large part of managing your online reputation will be because of your actions and how you handle your customer service online. Do you immediately respond to your clients? Do you resolve customer complaints? Do you reply to communication sent to you by customers and clients?

• The Internet Is Not Anonymous: If you have personal information and photographs that you don’t want associated with your name don’t post them online. Be very aware of what other people ‘tag’ you with on social media sites. The humble ‘tag’, could become the tar brush that ruins your reputation.

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Can your brand statement have an effect on your online reputation? Will a strong brand improve business online? Can your online reputation affect your recruitment and the quality of your employees? Are all your employees invested in your brand and online reputation?

A strong brand comes from the top down, Presidents and CEOs are the brand and must live the brand on a day-to-day basis. People are rallied and inspired around that. Branding is a confusing term. When most people think about a brand, they think about advertising. Yet from an execution standpoint, that’s only one aspect of the brand. And if you rely strictly on an advertising campaign, you won’t reap the benefits that a strong brand can provide. Branding is about delivering on a promise. That’s why it’s so important to take note of the connection between how your brand is perceived and your reputation online.

Relevant. Your brand has to mean something to stakeholders, especially today because consumers and employees are skeptical

about brands. Consistent and clearly focused. Strategies for delivering on a brand promise may change, but the promise must remain the same.

Defensible. The brand must stand up to certain measurable criteria. Built from the inside out. An effective brand promise extends from the entire organization because everyone understands what the brand is. Employees are aligned on different levels — from what

that overall vision is to the management team understanding its strategy, structure and execution.

Creating and Assessing Your Brand

Creating a strong brand means standing for ‘one thing’. If your company is first to market with a product or service, that makes branding easier. But if you can’t claim ownership, you have to drill down further. Start by thinking about how you classify your company. Then look at your competitors and see what categories they occupy.

Some companies have built their brand around an attitude or mindset. For example, Harley Davidson has developed a brand that wraps around the idea of “outlaws” — of people walking on the wild side. As you build a brand, assess it. Ask: “Where are we today, and how do we prepare for where we need to be tomorrow?”

Tip: We recommend preparing a survey that takes executives, managers and employees through a series of questions about their brand’s strategy, structure and execution that helps CEOs understand whether employees, managers and channel partners “get” the brand.

Building a strong brand to ensure an effective online reputation and presence on the web is no easy feat. But it pays off in a number of

ways:

Clarity of purpose. Your employees will know where the company is going and what it represents. This kind of clarity brings employers unity and trust, which ultimately translate into high productivity, performance and quality.

Competitive differentiation. Clearly standing out is an important factor at the point of sale or consideration.

Loyalty. A strong brand creates “apostles” who keep coming back. These customers believe that your brand expresses them. Strong brands often survive longer and command higher prices, even in economic downturns.

Building a successful brand takes time, for brands must wrap around a strategic plan. Sometimes companies come to us wanting to build a brand and online reputation, and it’s the last thing they need. They need an overall business model and strategy first.

This can be a challenge for start-ups and small companies who, like many entrepreneurial companies, will try to ”be everything to everyone,” just to survive. Spend some time crystallizing your brand promise and benchmark at what stage the brand is and where it needs to move.

There are several paybacks to paying some attention to how your brand is perceived online. You’ll be able to grow through recessionary times, consolidate your reputation and promote a sense of permanence. Another thing that’s interesting is how talent will seek you out. If you create a good brand, people want to work with you — and they want to work for you.”

It’s a question we get asked countless times. More specifically though, we get asked how you can remove photos (that are less than flattering) from the internet. As the information age and the internet era grow, change and diversify, it’s important to have control over every aspect of your online profile and by extension, your online reputation.

Images, Photos and Your Online Reputation

It used to be that photos were taken on a camera and then were developed at a photo shop. You had complete control over what happened to you photos and who got to see them. Apart from the occasional ‘celebrity slip’, you didn’t have to pay much attention to the attention that your images received. Nowadays, you can find a camera on nearly every electronic device: laptops, phones, tablets and digital cameras have completely revolutionised the way that people take photographs and, more importantly how they are distributed…

The advent of social media in conjunction with the development of technology in digital cameras has meant that people all over the world are able to upload their personal photos across a range of social media websites for the world to see. The problem comes in when people can upload photos of you without your permission and sometimes, without your knowledge. Now, it may seem to be harmless, and for many people it is, BUT it is the changing nature of internet usage that has the biggest effect on photographs and your online reputation.

An article on Huffington Post reported that over 37% of employers will do a Facebook search to pre-screen potential job applicants, and over 65% of that group will utilise Facebook as their primary resource. If you’re looking for a job, you need to make certain that all images of you present a positive and wholesome picture to the world.

Photo Tagging and Your Online Reputation

Many readers may be in control of their own online information and images, but how do you manage your friends? Photo tagging is a common way of alerting your ‘friends’ to an image, photo or even website that you think they will find interesting. The problem is that once you are ‘tagged’, that image is linked to your name and is searchable online. Your personal reputation is just as important as your professional online reputation and photographs can affect your online reputation just by being there.

Protect Your Reputation Online

There are a number of steps that you can take to protect your personal online reputation and control information on the internet:

• Make your profile private on social media. Choose who you want to be able to find you online. If you have a public profile make sure that it is squeaky clean and presents a positive image of you.
• Watch photo tagging and review each photo or image to decide whether or not to accept the tag. Remove your name from all tags that you deem unsuitable.

You can’t always control everything online; if you have discovered that your reputation has been damaged or you’d like advice on how to remove negative information and photos online, talk to us about a range of reputation repair solutions both for business and for personal reputation protection.

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Did you know that your employees can have an impact on your online reputation? As social media grows, so do the amount of pople posting about where they work and what they do. Employee engagement and the use of social media in the workplace and as a brand identity tool is growing.

A Payscale report in early 2012 confirms that social media numbers are rising both in the workplace and for recruitment.  Refreshingly, the report showed optimism for the year in almost every sector of employment and highlights an increase in the role of social media in both employee recruitment and industry growth.

Employers Encourage Social Media at Work

According to the 2012 Payscale Compensation Best Practices Report, “57% of employers in information, media and telecommunication hired new talent in 2011.”  This was by far the fastest growing industry and we think it’s no surprise that the same industry was reported as having a 59% rate of employer encouragement of social media at work.  Obviously, not only allowing but promoting the use of social media in the workplace is the where future growth is going and already thrives as seen by Payscale’s prediction of 78% financial growth in the information, media and telecommunication industries in 2012 and beyond.

Recruitment

Payscale reported that 43% of employers use some form of social media to recruit new talent.  This is an amazing number as it not only shows the importance of social media at work but it also shows a clear disconnect between employer behavior and employee directives.  43% of employers use social media to recruit (across all industries) yet 38% of those same employers ban all social media at work.  This disconnect in business practice and business values is on its way out the door as more employers become educated to the value of social media.

It’s been a long time coming but this report shows that industries are slowly but surely beginning to legitimize the use of social media at work beyond the traditional confines of the marketing department. It’s interesting that the businesses who embrace technology and social evolutions like social media may be able to create a more meaningful and sustainable online reputation.  If you’re employees are Facebooking or Tweeting about the business and industry that they work in, it’s like a brand endorsement that can do so much more for your online reputation than a carefully calculated social media campaign.