by What is Search Engine Reputation Management?
SERM is a strategy focused on monitoring and managing the reputation of a company or individual on the web. It involves tracking and analyzing what people say about a business online, such as on search engines, social media sites, and other websites. This is done to help organizations to reduce or remove negative content and create a positive online presence, so that their customers don’t encounter any unwanted content. SERM is a way to actively manage what people view when they search for a business or individual in order to preserve a positive impression.
Search engine reputation management (SERM) gives businesses and websites the opportunity to monitor activities that can affect their public image, both positively and negatively. This includes optimizing Search Engine Results, Paid Search Advertising, Press Release Optimization, Blogging, and Social Media Marketing. By taking advantage of all of these methods, companies can manage and maintain their reputation.
Why is SERM important?
The ReviewTrackers data shows that 94% of buyers are influenced by negative reviews and won’t do business with the related company. It is therefore essential to manage your online reputation, due to these three factors:
– Your company value is tightly bound up with public opinion.
– Many customers chose whether to engage with someone or an organization depending on what they learn when searching online.
– An increasing number of review sites on the web demonstrates that consumers check out what other people have said before communicating with a brand.
Search Engine Reputation Management in Richmond (Virginia)
Our team of experts can help you monitor and repair your online reputation, ensuring your best appearance to potential clients. Ignorance of your online presence is hazardous to your business, so it’s vital to remain aware and take action.
How does SERM Work?
Once the reputation of a brand is challenged, the next step is regaining the trust and support of the public. We understand what it takes to successfully guide a brand towards a favorable online view through well articulated and trend-informed online reputation strategies. At our company, we offer a suite of Search Engine Reputation Management services to manipulate and influence public perception in a positive light. SERM is a multidimensional process combining key elements of SEO, social media, content marketing, and public relations to affect online reputation recognition. Our approach involves steps such as:
- Utilizing SEO tactics to ensure constructive content is visible in search results
- Expanding your social media presence and engagement
- Creating and distributing content of excellent quality
- Utilizing multiple channels of communication with the media
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
SERP Cleansing is the practice of removing negative search engine results from the top pages. To optimize the top ten search results for your business, create new, impactful content such as customer reviews, media coverage, guest posts and other positive content about your company. Aggressively publishing this type of content can have a huge impact on your search engine results.
3.- Improve SEO
Enhance SEO by making sure to:
- Increase relevancy and authority with content that is related to your target audience.
- Improve visibility by promoting the content on social media platforms.
- Boost ranking by creating backlinks from other sites.
- Reduce the impact of negative content by creating and optimizing press releases where you control the message.
To optimize your SEO efforts, aim to:
- Increase relevancy and authority of your website by creating content tailored for your target audience.
- Improve visibility by promoting the content across a variety of social media platforms.
- Boost ranking with backlinks from trusted sites.
- Minimize the impact of negative news by creating and optimizing press releases that share your viewpoint.
4.- Respond to Negative Content
Maintaining a presence on consumer forums and review platforms is key to gaining a better understanding of what people think of your brand. This allows you to respond quickly and appropriately to negative content, showing customers you have heard their thoughts and care about their opinions. If an unhappy customer has already left a negative review, you should reach out to apologize and try to resolve the problem. This provides a great opportunity to correct the issues the customer had and help to turn their opinion around.
5.- Social Media Presence
Social media is a valuable tool to boost your audience, leadership and trust. Not only does it provide a platform to connect with your customers, but it can also substantially improve your presence on SERPs. Generating positive mentions and feedback of your business on social media will have a large-scale impact on search engine rankings. The more engagement you are able to gain through social media, the more trustworthiness search engines can assign to your brand.
6.- Push Positive Content
Social media has the potential to be a powerful tool to increase your audience, strengthen your leadership and boost your trust. With social media, you have the capability to connect with your customers while simultaneously significantly elevating your visibility on SERPs. Receiving good feedback and references for your business across social media channels will have a significantly positive effect on your search engine rankings. The more engagement you are able to acquire and amplify through social media, the more trustworthiness search engines will give to your brand.
Conclusions for SERM
In order to get started with Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM), there are three important steps to consider:
- Monitor your online reputation. This is especially important in order to protect your brand online and offline. Monitoring activities on social media and building a loyal following is key.
- Pay attention to customer feedback. Transparency is important in order to build trust, so attend to all comments, both positive and negative.
- Leverage SERM experts. Our team of reps can guide you through the process and has worked on more than 500 projects across 30+ countries.
