What is Search Engine Reputation Management?
Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) is essential to ensuring a positive public image for companies online. It involve monitoring and influencing the public perception of the entity and involves the further management of any negative search results or remarks related to it. SERM allows for businesses to address any negative feedback or search results quickly, helping to protect the company’s reputation on the Internet.
Through Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM), businesses and websites can be proactive in monitoring and managing their reputations. Strategies can include SEO, Paid Search Marketing, Press Optimization, Blogging, and Social Media, to help ensure damaging activities are swiftly responded to, and positive activities can be amplified to help build or maintain a good reputation. SERM allows firms to be aware of and take control of their reputations, with the power to ensure negative activities are minimized, and positive activities are highlighted.
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 Windsor (Ontario)
Our reputation team specializes in monitoring and repairing your online presence. You owe it to both yourself and your business to be aware of how you’re perceived online. Ignorance can potentially cost you quite a bit – something you don’t want to risk. So stay informed and take action where necessary.
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
For effective online reputation management, it is crucial to first monitor it. Leverage search engines and different online resources such as blogs, review platforms, and more, and be actively present in the places your customers frequent. This way, you can address their queries and grievances in advance, and prevent negative criticism from accumulating. Ultimately, by staying alert and monitoring your presence you will safeguard and promote your reputation on the Web.
2.- SERP Cleansing
For SERP Cleansing, the aim is to clean the top pages of the search engine results of any negative results. It’s essential to ensure that the top ten search results for your company are optimized. To make this possible, you need to actively produce content related to your business, such as reviews, testimonials, media coverage, guest posts, and other relevant pieces.
3.- Improve SEO
To improve SEO, it is important to:
- Analyse the existing website backlinks and work on improving their quality
- Detect and fix any broken links within the website
- Develop a content strategy and generate high-quality content
- Use relevant keywords which better target the target audience
- Optimize page and images for mobile and desktop search
- Improve page loading and response speed
In order to improve your website’s SEO, it is essential to analyze the current backlinks and work on improving their quality. Additionally, detecting and addressing any broken links within the website is important to ensure that users have an optimal experience. Furthermore, a content strategy should be developed to create and publish high-quality content on a regular basis and using relevant keywords to better target the desired audience. Moreover, pages and images should be optimized for both mobile and desktop users while improving page loading and response speed.
4.- Respond to Negative Content
Monitor consumer forums and review platforms in order to stay informed of public opinion. It’s essential to take action to reply to and try to diffuse negative content as soon as it’s found. Reach out to the customer to apologize for poor experience and rectify the situation. This will show that your company is willing to work to meet customers’ satisfaction and that their opinion has been heard. Moreover, demonstrating that your brand is true to its promise may endear potential customers and build positive relationships.
5.- Social Media Presence
Social media is an effective tool to foster audience growth, trust and influence. By connecting with customers, increased engagement can help build SEO rankings and online presence. Positive feedback from customers boosts reliability in the eyes of the search engines, positively impacting search engine results page positions. Fostering trust and brand awareness enhances search engine performance.
6.- Push Positive Content
Social media is an effective mechanism to increase reach, build leadership, and increase trust. It facilitates connecting with customers and carries huge potential for improving SERP rankings. Generating beneficial sentiment and customer reviews for your business through social media contributes to greater trust placed in you by search engines. The more engagement you can earn on social media, the more trustworthiness search engines attribute to you.
Conclusions for SERM
To get started with SERM, keep a watchful eye over your online reputation, as this helps protect your business. Enhance this through active use of social media, helping you build and retain an audience. Pay attention to customer responses – both positive and negative – as this makes you more transparent, building trust. Our network of SERM experts have worked on over 500 projects worldwide and can help you to achieve the best possible results.
