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Why You Should Give A Damn About Your Bad (Digital) Reputation

 

In days gone by, the only reputations most people were concerned with were the ones in the ‘real world.’ No one ever considered online reputations. But in recent years, digital reputations have become very important; they can have significant implications.

 

About Digital Reputations

People and businesses that are active online have digital reputations. These reputations are developed from the information available on the Internet about the person or business.

 

 

 

Some content may be found at the business website or social media sites, and other information may be at forums, blogs, and even at review sites. In essence, a typical online reputation is comprised of various types of content from multiple sources.

 

Reputation Management

One of the simplest ways to manage online reputations is to monitor what information is available online. An easy way to do this is to routinely search for the business name, names of key players in the business, and related terms, such as keywords used.

 

These types of searches will result in listings of content available on the Internet that is associated with the search term. If all results show true and accurate information that portrays the person/business in a positive way, no further action is needed. If the information found about the person or business is negative, it is time to do some damage control.

 

It’s Not Personal

It is important to remember that customers prefer to do business with certain types of companies and people. For instance, many people prefer to deal with companies that are environmentally-friendly. Others have very strong opinions about religion or politics.

 

With that in mind, sharing personal opinions and viewpoints can be rather risky. This is often the case for key players at businesses. In some cases, opinions can inadvertently be shared at social media sites and the results can be detrimental to the business.

 

 

 

Cleaning it Up

Fortunately, there are ways to clean up a damaged digital reputation. When negative content is found, the first step is to carefully assess and evaluate the information and source. If appropriate, a response should be made to clarify earlier statements.

 

In order to improve the reputation, it is necessary to add positive content to the Internet. This helps ensure that rather than the negative information, positive content will be found when a search for the individual or business is done. But this process requires a lot of work and dedicated effort.

 

For best results, a variety of content should be added in multiple places across the net. Not surprisingly, many businesses find this task overwhelming. Therefore, they hire experts to help them.

 

Customers Check Online Reputations

A company’s reputation can be improved by employing persons of high integrity, but it can be ruined if its employees have a tainted reputation. It has become common practice for potential customers (as well as businesses) to check out the online reputations of businesses before they make decisions about buying.

 

A quick background check usually starts with a Google search for the business name and a search for executive administrative staff. If negative feedback or reviews are returned for any of the searches, many potential customers are likely to determine that the business is a bad risk.

 

Right or wrong, your personal reputation can reflect on the reputation of your business. With that in mind, it is important to carefully manage your online reputation at all times.

 

Debbie Allen is a professional writer and online marketer who often writes on the topics of online reputation management, marketing strategies, work at home issues, as well as topics related to home and garden, and lifestyle.

 

Photo Credits

imagerymajestic | SOMMAI | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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