What is Search Engine Reputation Management?
SERM, short for Search Engine Reputation Management, is an online marketing strategy that encompasses a range of activities. These activities include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Paid Search Marketing, Press Optimization, Blogging and Social Media. Through SERM, businesses can increase their visibility in search engine results, while managing their online presence to ensure they are portrayed in a positive light.
Search engine reputation management (SERM) presents businesses and websites with the chance to keep track of activities that could either harm or improve their reputation. It entails employment of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Paid Search Marketing, Press Optimization, blogging, and Social Media. By utilizing these techniques, organizations can protect and build up their reputation successfully.
Why is SERM important?
ReviewTrackers data indicates that 94% of consumers are deterred from engaging with a business after reading a bad review – an impressive statistic that supports the importance of consistently monitoring and nurturing your online reputation. Here are the key reasons why such effort is worthwhile:
– Your company’s market value is directly dependent on its reputation.
– Many people make their opinion on whether to engage with an individual or a brand after searching online.
– Given the immense popularity of review sites across the web, people are likely to read what their peers say about you before forming an opinion.
Search Engine Reputation Management in Rancho Cucamonga (California)
Our expert team is dedicated to monitoring and repairing your online reputation, so that potential customers view you in the best possible light. To stay oblivious to your online presence is not only unwise, but it also poses a grave risk to your business. Ensure that you remain aware of your online footprint, and take necessary steps to maintain it.
How does SERM Work?
Once a brand loses reputation, steps must be taken to restore its standing. People ask if they can alter their Google reputation and the answer is “yes”. Our firm helps brands rebuild their image through online reputation management strategies. Through search engine reputation management, we aim to influence a positive perception of the brand. SERM is multi-faceted and involves SEO, social media, content marketing, and PR. Here are some of the steps we take to achieve this:
- Optimizing website content
- Creating positive content about the brand
- Spreading the content through influencers
- Using SEO tools to reach the right audience
- Building relationships with customers
- Disputing negative feedback with facts
1.- Proactive Monitoring
Proactive Monitoring is key to protecting and improving your reputation online. Search across a range of online channels, such as search engines, blogs and review platforms, to stay up to date with how you’re seen by your customers. Being active in these online conversations means you can address queries, answer complaints and handle feedback before it has a chance to turn negative. This will help build your company’s reputation on the Web.
2.- SERP Cleansing
Cleansing SERPs is a process of removing negative results from the first page of the search engine results page (SERP), for the name of your business. It’s essential to optimize the top 10 search results. To do this, you should publish new content related to your organization, such as reviews, testimonials, media coverage, guest posts and other content.
3.- Improve SEO
To improve SEO:
- Use relevant keywords and phrases
- Update content regularly to keep search engines active
- Link webpages together
- Optimize page loading speed
- Keep titles and meta-descriptions concise and accurate
To optimize SEO, it’s important to use relevant keywords and phrases, update content regularly to inform search engines, link webpages together, optimize page loading speed for a better user experience, and create concise and accurate titles and meta-descriptions. Doing so will help to improve rankings of relevant sites and reduce the effect of negative content.
4.- Respond to Negative Content
Make sure your organization stays on top of customer feedback and is prepared to respond to negative content as quickly as possible. When doing so:
- Reach out and contact the customer. Let them know you heard their feedback and are taking steps to address it.
- Apologize for any negative experience they may have encountered.
- Ask specific questions about their experience, allowing them to explain the issue in detail.
To effectively respond to negative content, be sure your organization is proactively monitoring customer feedback. Reach out to unsatisfied customers and apologize for their negative experience. Ask specific questions so they can fully explain the issue at hand, and then take action to remedy the situation. Doing this will ensure the customer feels heard and their needs are being addressed, improving brand loyalty and future interactions.
5.- Social Media Presence
Social media is a powerful platform for building and sustaining your audience, building trust, and gaining influence. It’s a chance to connect with customers and boost your SERP positions. The higher the engagement levels on your social media, the more trustworthy your brand and website will be in the eyes of search engines. Through positive feedback and mentions of your company or brand, your ranking and online presence will be reinforced.
6.- Push Positive Content
Social media has the potential to be a powerful tool to increase your audience, strengthen your leadership and boost your trust. With social media, you have the capability to connect with your customers while simultaneously significantly elevating your visibility on SERPs. Receiving good feedback and references for your business across social media channels will have a significantly positive effect on your search engine rankings. The more engagement you are able to acquire and amplify through social media, the more trustworthiness search engines will give to your brand.
Conclusions for SERM
Getting started with SERM is easy when you take cognisance of a few key things. First, it’s important that you monitor your online and offline presence – this helps you protect your reputation. Additionally, it’s essential that you foster a good online presence through active social media, helping you build and maintain relationships with your customers. Finally, don’t forget to pay attention to customer feedback – responding to both positive and negative comments can win you trust and respect. If you need extra support, the Search Engine Reputation Management experts at our networks of agencies have worked on projects in more than 30 countries and counting.
