Picture this: Your brand has been tarnished online. You wake up one morning, coffee in hand, and check your phone, only to find a barrage of negative reviews and articles spreading like wildfire. Your heart sinks, your palms sweat, and you wonder, “How did this happen, and what can I do to fix it?” If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
Welcome to the world of Online Reputation Management (ORM), where the stakes are high, and the game is fierce. ORM isn’t just about damage control; it’s about proactively managing your brand’s online image to ensure you remain in the good graces of the digital community. Today, we’re diving deep into the strategies and insider hacks that can help you not only survive but thrive in the cutthroat world of online reputation.
Before we dive in, let me introduce you to JC Burrows, the co-founder of Warrior PR, one of the fastest-growing digital PR agencies in the United States. Warrior PR specializes in crisis and online reputation management. JC and his team have successfully navigated the turbulent waters of ORM for clients ranging from CEOs facing indictment to companies recovering from public missteps. So, let’s tap into JC’s expertise and uncover the secrets to mastering your online reputation.
Understanding Online Reputation Management (ORM)
To kick things off, let’s break down what Online Reputation Management (ORM) really is and why it’s so crucial in today’s digital age.
What is ORM?
ORM stands for Online Reputation Management. At its core, ORM is the process of monitoring, influencing, and improving how your brand is perceived online. It’s about shaping public perception by managing the information available about you or your business on the internet. This includes handling negative content, promoting positive content, and ensuring that your brand’s online presence accurately reflects your values and mission.
Why is ORM Important?
In the digital age, your online reputation is your calling card. It’s the first impression potential customers, clients, and partners get when they search for you online. A positive online reputation can lead to increased trust, higher customer engagement, and ultimately, better business opportunities. Conversely, a tarnished reputation can result in lost business, diminished credibility, and long-term damage to your brand.
Common Issues That Tarnish Online Reputations
Before we delve into the solutions, it’s essential to understand the common issues that can tarnish your online reputation. These problems can arise from various sources, and identifying them is the first step towards effective ORM.
Bad Reviews
Negative reviews are perhaps the most common and visible threat to your online reputation. Whether it’s on Yelp, Google My Business, or other review platforms, a few bad reviews can significantly impact how potential customers perceive your business. Addressing these reviews promptly and professionally is crucial to mitigating their impact.
Negative Press
A single negative article can spread like wildfire and cause substantial damage to your brand. Whether it’s a scandal, a lawsuit, or a public relations misstep, negative press can linger in search results and haunt your brand for years. Proactive measures and swift responses are essential in these situations.
Social Media Attacks
In today’s interconnected world, a disgruntled customer or competitor can launch a social media attack that quickly gains traction. Negative comments, posts, and shares can spread rapidly, causing a ripple effect that damages your brand’s reputation. Monitoring social media channels and responding effectively is vital to managing these attacks.
Online Trolls and Haters
The internet is rife with trolls and haters who delight in spreading negativity. These individuals can leave malicious comments, create defamatory content, and engage in online harassment. Identifying and addressing these trolls is necessary to protect your brand’s image.
Misinformation and False Accusations
Misinformation and false accusations can spread rapidly, leading to unwarranted damage to your reputation. Whether it’s a competitor spreading rumors or a disgruntled ex-employee making false claims, combating misinformation requires vigilance and strategic action.
Two Main Approaches to Managing Negative Online Presence
Now that we’ve identified the common issues that can tarnish your online reputation, let’s explore the two main approaches to managing a negative online presence: Removal and Suppression.
Removal
The first and most permanent solution to negative online press is removal. This means getting the journalist, publication, reviewer, or whoever originally posted the negative content to delete it. Removal is the ideal solution, but it’s not always easy or feasible. Let’s break down the different ways to approach removal.
Humanitarian Approach
The humanitarian approach involves appealing to the poster’s empathy. This method is particularly effective when dealing with individual reviewers or small publications. You can explain how the negative content is affecting your life, relationships, business, and finances. A heartfelt plea might convince them to remove the content.
Legal Action
When the humanitarian approach fails, legal action might be necessary. Companies like Guaranteed Removals specialize in handling defamation cases. They can get a lawyer involved to argue that the negative content is defamatory, untrue, or harmful to your mental health. This approach can be effective, but it often involves legal fees and a lengthy process.
Monetary Incentives
Offering money to remove negative content is another approach. However, this method is risky and can backfire. Some companies engage in a sketchy practice where they take your mugshot or other negative content, keep it posted on their website, and then charge you to remove it. Be wary of this technique, as paying once might lead to further demands for payment.
Challenges of Removal
While removal is the best solution, it’s not always possible, especially with major publications. Reputable sources like the New York Times adhere to stringent journalistic standards and are reluctant to remove content. They value their credibility and are unlikely to take down articles without a compelling reason. This means that removal is often not an option for content published by major news outlets.
Suppression: The Preferred Method
When removal isn’t feasible, suppression becomes the go-to method. Suppression involves creating positive content that outranks the negative content in search results. By pushing negative links down in search rankings, you can minimize their visibility and impact.
Definition and Importance
Suppression is the process of overwhelming negative content with positive content that ranks higher in search results. This approach is effective because most people don’t go beyond the first page of search results. By pushing negative links to the second or third page, you significantly reduce their visibility and impact.
Process of Suppression
Suppressing negative content involves several steps and requires a strategic approach. Let’s explore the key factors and practical steps involved in suppression.
Key Factors in Suppression
Time
The age of negative content plays a crucial role in suppression. Older content tends to lose significance over time, and search engines are less likely to promote it. This means that as time passes, negative content naturally becomes less visible.
Location
The geographic relevance of negative content also matters. If the negative content is tied to a specific location (e.g., an incident in another country), its relevance diminishes when people search for your brand in a different location.
Domain Authority and Traffic
The strength of the publication that posted the negative content affects its ranking. High-authority websites like the New York Times are harder to suppress. Additionally, the amount of traffic the negative content receives influences its ranking. If people frequently click on and engage with the negative content, it will remain higher in search results.
Practical Steps to Suppress Negative Content
Now that we understand the key factors, let’s delve into the practical steps you can take to suppress negative content.
Social Media Optimization
Social media platforms are powerful tools for ORM. By optimizing your social media profiles and consistently posting positive content, you can push negative links down in search results. Focus on the following platforms:
- YouTube
Ensure that these profiles are SEO-optimized, active, and linked to each other. This creates a network of high-ranking, positive content that can dominate the first page of search results.
Utilizing Free SEO Resources
Several free resources can help you create high-ranking positive content. Websites like Crunchbase and Medium have strong SEO and can rank well in search results. Register and create accounts on these platforms, then link them to your social media profiles. This interconnected web of content will enhance your online presence and push negative links down.
Feature Articles in Strong Publications
Securing feature articles in reputable publications can significantly impact your ORM efforts. Positive articles from high-authority sources have a strong chance of outranking negative content. For example, if CNN publishes a negative article, a positive article from the New York Times can help suppress it.
Building Backlinks
Backlinks are a critical component of SEO. The more high-quality backlinks a piece of content has, the more likely it is to rank well in search results. Focus on building backlinks to your positive content from reputable websites. This can be achieved through guest blogging, partnerships, and content sharing.
Wikipedia and Wikidia
Having a Wikipedia page can greatly enhance your online reputation. However, Wikipedia has strict guidelines, and not everyone can get a page. An alternative is Wikidia, which ranks well and is easier to maintain. Create and maintain a detailed page on one of these platforms to boost your ORM efforts.
Advanced Techniques and Tools
In addition to the basic strategies, there are advanced techniques and tools you can use to enhance your ORM efforts.
Publishing on Press Platforms
Continuously publish positive content on various press platforms. This keeps your name in the news and helps push down negative content. Regular updates and new articles ensure that positive content remains fresh and relevant.
Click Services
Using click services can manipulate Google traffic with real people. These services drive traffic to your positive content, signaling to search engines that this content is more important than the negative links. This can help push negative content further down in search results.
Case Study: Successful ORM Strategies
Let’s take a look at how Warriot PR successfully managed to improve the online reputation of a high-profile client.
Initial Challenges
Our client, a well-known CEO, was facing a barrage of negative press due to a legal issue. Articles from major publications and negative reviews were dominating search results, significantly damaging their reputation.
Strategies Implemented
Warriot PR implemented a multi-faceted ORM strategy:
- Removal Attempts: Initial attempts to remove negative content through humanitarian appeals and legal action.
- Social Media Optimization: SEO-optimized social media profiles with regular positive updates.
- Feature Articles: Securing positive articles in high-authority publications.
- Backlink Building: Generating high-quality backlinks to positive content.
- Wikipedia Page: Creating and maintaining a detailed Wikipedia page.
Results Achieved
Within six months, the negative content had been pushed to the second and third pages of search results. Positive content from reputable sources dominated the first page, significantly improving the client’s online reputation.
Bottom Line
Managing your online reputation is a continuous process that requires vigilance, strategy, and effort. By understanding the key factors and implementing practical steps like social media optimization, backlink building, and utilizing free SEO resources, you can effectively suppress negative content and enhance your online presence.
Remember, you’re not alone in this journey. Warriot PR and experts like JC Burrows are here to help you navigate the complexities of ORM. Take the first step today and proactively manage your online reputation to ensure your brand remains in the good graces of the digital community.
References
U.S. Small Business Administration. (2021). Improve your online reputation. Retrieved from https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/improve-your-online-reputation
Pennsylvania State University. (2021). Online reputation management and digital footprint. Retrieved from https://extension.psu.edu/online-reputation-management-and-digital-footprint
Wikipedia contributors. (2021). Reputation management. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management