5 Fundamentals for Managing Your Online Reputation

Managing your online reputation is a critical risk management activity. Involving the protection of your online profile, Online Reputation Management (ORM) ensures positive listings are highly visible, while irrelevant or negative listings are dislodged from top ranking positions in search engines or are removed completely.

Although ORM is a serious issue that requires the skill of professionals, there are a number of basics that a business or individual can do to manage their online profile.

Online Profile Management Basics

• Create positive listings . Positive listings are at the core of ORM. Although only one element of online reputation management, positive listings are a must-have component. The good news is that creating positive listings online is easy. Whether it is via your own website, link building, creating a social media profile, blogs, press releases or articles , the goal is to ensure that online users are presented with the best image possible.
• Monitor competitors . Continually monitor your competitors' online talk, especially if the discourse often refers to you or your business. If a negative listing is identified, thoroughly consider your plan of action prior to acting. If possible, correct the negative listing or post a comment that explains how it really is. Remember to present a good image at all times and remain professional.
• Meticulously analyse online content . Once posted online, content can go viral. Don't allow posting unless it has been thoroughly scrutinised. Can the content be misinterpreted in any way? Is it exactly how you want your image to be conveyed?
• Continually monitor your online presence . Maintaining a positive online profile requires ongoing effort. All it takes is one negative posting and damage to your online profile, brand and bottom-line can result.
• Swiftly clean-up negative listings . Once a negative listing is found, especially in the Top 20 results on Google – the most popular search engine – action must be swift and considered. The remedy will depend on the type of posting and platform in which it was uploaded.

Professional ORM

Professional Online Reputation Management firms, such as Zanity, provide essentially what is known as a clean-up service. From dislodging negative listings in high ranking positions to consulting with legal representation in relation to copyright breaches, Zanity can help protect, safeguard and defend your online brand and image. Whether the online profile relates to the business, products / services, employees, expert areas, images, keyword synonyms and/or even relevant geographic locations, no business or individual with an online presence can afford to be without a professional online reputation management strategy.