Reputation Management SEO: Rank & Repair Your Image

Reputation is everything in business.

People will buy from you (no matter what you sell) if they think you’re good.

But, of course, reputation is a fickle thing. It can change on a dime.

That’s where reputation management SEO helps. It works behind the scenes to reduce negative stories about your brand in Google search results and promote positive ones instead.

This post covers:

• What reputation management SEO is
• Why reputation management SEO matters
• How to implement effective reputation management SEO

Note: We’ll be covering reputation management SEO tactics from the point of view of brands – but these can be applied to individuals too. Personal brand is as important as your business brand!

What Is Reputation Management SEO?

Reputation management SEO is all about changing how your brand looks in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves things like responding to negative reviews, addressing embarrassing company stores, and improving online content.

This process isn’t always straightforward, but it can minimize the damage when it occurs.

Businesses using this form of SEO can protect their reputation and, hopefully, down-rank things they don’t want consumers to see while up-ranking everything else.

Why Reputation Management SEO Matters

Reputation really matters.

If customers think a company is going down the wrong path or betraying them in some way, the consequences can be disastrous.

Think about what happened to Bud Lite when it got embroiled in the Dylan Mulvaney controversy several years ago.

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney criticized Bud Light for not publicly supporting her after her association with the beer brand sparked calls for a boycott #WSJWhatsNow https://t.co/WOJt8J2ast pic.twitter.com/kb6IiTfT2Z

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 4, 2023

It didn’t have a damage control policy in place so boycotts of the brand’s beer got out of control and the stock price plummeted. Budweiser was the biggest beer brand in the U.S. before the crisis, but not afterward because it did not manage its reputation effectively.

Something similar occurred with Boeing and one of its plane models, the 737 Max. Negative chatter blew up on Twitter and the company’s stock price tanked.

‘Mr Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for 17 years, said he had raised concerns about alleged manufacturing shortcuts repeatedly over three years starting in 2020, only to be told “to shut up”.’https://t.co/JMIlQNevIA

— Boycott Boeing (@Boycott_Boeing) April 19, 2024

We’re not judging these brands. We’re just pointing out how critical reputation management can be.

Sure, you might not be a Bud or a Boeing, but your brand can be as susceptible to damage, and it’s even more important for SMEs to outrank bad rep as customers won’t have the same preconceptions of you!

Reputation Management SEO For Local Businesses

“Okay, reputation management matters for these gigantic megacorporations. But why do I care? I run a small business.”

Well, reputation management SEO matters for you, too. How people perceive your business affects everyone, big or small.

This effect is most visible on Google Maps. Businesses with better ratings are more likely to win customers.

For example, suppose consumers want to grab a bite to eat in Glasgow. They open Google Maps, search for nearby restaurants like yours, and see this:

Google ranks the best restaurants at the top because it wants users to enjoy delicious meals when they search for them on its platform.

It will recommend the restaurants with the top reviews.

As such, customers will likely pick one of the top results on the sidebar, since these are the most visible.

You need to proactively manage and encourage reviews to keep your scores and visibility high.

How To Leverage Reputation Management SEO

Reputation management SEO is critical. That much should be obvious by now.

But how can you improve it?

Use Digital PR

One option is digital PR (digital public relations).

This high-powered method helps you splatter your brand across the front pages of top publications in a flattering light.

Yes, it’s not always cheap. But we think it is probably the top SEO strategy for building a reputation right now.

It works because it gives you control of the media conversation about your brand. Publishers and journalists will post flattering pieces about you and what you do, building your reputation.

Plus, the media outlets your news story gets published on are often those that your audience reads the most, further enhancing your appeal.

Your audience is much more likely to encounter positive news about your brand.

Respond To Reviews

You should also respond to online reviews – especially the negative ones – for reputation management SEO.

Replying to these can sometimes de-escalate the situation.

You can see Dematica, a skincare company, doing this on Trustpilot, an independent review platform. The company responds to 98% of negative reviews within a week, potentially adjusting its review score upwards.

The opposite is true for the car rental company, Hertz. It isn’t active in responding to negative reviews.

Ideally, you should encourage and manage reviews as part of your strategy.

For example, sending follow-up emails to customers asking them if they felt satisfied by the experience you provided almost always works. When they post these on independent sites, like Google, Booking.com, or TrustPilot, search engines boost your rankings.

Meanwhile, if you receive a negative review, respond to it constructively. Don’t get aggressive, and use tactful AI if you feel your blood boiling.

Use Social Media Profiles

You can also learn to use social media profiles to rank higher in results. Improving how they perform by maintaining them and updating them regularly with positive posts can be highly effective.

Just ensure you include your target keywords in profile descriptions where necessary. These inclusions can boost SEO even further by letting Google know what your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook accounts contain.

Build Backlinks To Your Positive Content

Building backlinks to positive content about your brand is another option.

You can do this by:

• Partnering with influencers who can link to your content (or create link-worthy pieces about your brand)
• Use blogger outreach services or guest post on trusted blogs in your niche
• Share your content on forums and include natural links to positive content

Monitor Your Online Presence

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You should also monitor your online presence.

Keeping tabs on what is happening online can help you nip PR disasters in the bud.

Plenty of tools help you automate this process including:

• Google Alerts
• Brand24
• Mention

These solutions send you notifications whenever anyone mentions your brand online by scouring media publications, forums, and social media for mentions.

Additional Reputation Management SEO Tips

Finally, draw broadly from potential strategies to help your brand maintain a thriving reputation online. These should go beyond reaching out for reviews and building positive links.

For example, you could:

• Engage with social media audiences positively (ensuring interactions are healthy and reflect well on your brand)
• Train an SEO team to manage your reputation during a crisis (such as a negative news story on a major network)
• Remove negative reviews and comments from social media channels and review sites where possible
• Refine your SEO management strategy over time, learning lessons from feedback data, and implementing best practices

Should You Invest In Reputation Management SEO Services?

Given the critical importance of online brand reputation, investing in reputation management SEO services makes sense. These reduce the burden on your in-house team and provide access to more sophisticated monitoring techniques.

However, we suggest you avoid picking the first reputation management company that comes along. Always vet them thoroughly to determine whether they are the right match for you.

What To Consider When Choosing A Reputation Management Company

When searching for a reputation management company, you should seek the following:

• A proactive review response strategy – ensuring you reply to negative reviews with a compelling narrative, attempting to resolve the issue
• The use of integrated tools – guaranteeing you detect chatter about your brand across digital channels, including forums and social media
• Effective and transparent communication with you about your reputational status and how it is evolving
• Crisis management solutions for when the proverbial hits the fan

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Now You Know What Reputation Management SEO Is

Ultimately, it’s all about maintaining your company’s positive public image and using SEO to fix the damage should you have any slip-ups.

The number of strategies it involves is extensive – there are potentially dozens, but SEO is an excellent way to help your reputation management AND gain the usual benefits of SEO at the same time.

Just make sure you integrate it into your market strategy. Don’t get left out in the cold like Bud Lite or Boeing.