Good reputation is an important thing to have – and the same can be said with websites. It is one of the factors search engines present to users and is a major factor to be considered before purchasing a service or product online. When a search is done for a service or product online,a reputation score is seen along with results listing which can greatly influence a purchasing decision. Reputation marketing is a combination of strategies to put a product, a service, or a business in a positive light over the internet.
Basic Need
Reputation is something that can be gained overtime, either good or bad. It can evolve from positive reviews; however, it appears to be easier to gain negative rather than positive ones. Why? Usually because there is more of a driving force when a customer is unhappy than the customer is satisfied. For example, a blogger who is trying to get attention can easily do so by creating bad reviews for a business, product, or service. Competitors wanting to discredit their competition can easily make bad comments about a competitor to try to gain clients. Of course unsatisfied customers can a review about a bad experience.
The sad thing is that the general population is more drawn toward negativity than toward positive information. Even if not completely believed, doubt has been planted in a customer’s mind. For example, a potential client is searching for a restaurant online and finds one with 10 positive reviews and another with 4 positive and 1 negative reviews. Most often, that client will select the one with 10 positive reviews.
Basic Strategies
There is no single approach to reputation management because of the many ways that it can be damaged online. Blogs, comments section, and forums are just some of the venues where bad publicity can be created about almost anything. Following are some other steps to be taken:
- Search Engine Optimization – The first step is to secure positive content on the search engine results pages, as this is the first place web users see when looking for something online; it is also the place where negative contents are most likely to appear. By developing a strong positive standing on the search engine’s results page for keyword related to certain services or products, it is possible to decrease the standing of negative contents that draw the attention of web users.
- Solicit Positive Reviews – Reputation is greatly influenced by reviews, so numerous positive reviews can usually gain a high rating. To achieve such a goal, a website location must be established where clients can leave a short note about an experience regarding the service or product that was purchased online. This is one time when a pop-up soliciting comments about a sales experience just complete may be helpful. It is also important that satisfied clients are encouraged to leave a review on the company’s website.
Reputation marketing is indeed a valuable online strategy. Since web users frequently base a purchasing decision on reputation – and negative reviews are all to easy to happen – it is time to take a proactive stance to establish positive reputation through the prompt and active management of an online reputation!
Call on Web Unlimited to Handle Your Company’s Reputation Marketing!
Has your company’s online esteem taken a hit lately? Call Web Unlimited at 979-696-2500 and let us handle your reputation management needs!