Your Guide to Reputation Management on Google

When it comes to your online presence, search engines play a significant role. Google has an 85.53% share of the search engine market, so what people see on their matters. Google Search results can affect their entire perception of you and your business. 

A positive reputation on Google is crucial to your digital strategy. It can help build trust, protect your brand image, and ensure people see you in the best possible light. So, how do you manage your reputation on Google?

Why is Managing Your Reputation on Google so Important?

In this digital age, people often form first impressions online. There are approximately 9 billion Google searches done per day, worldwide. Given the number of users on Google, searchers will find content that will shape their perception of people or businesses. Because of this, you must protect your online brand.

Search Engine Reputation Management on Google is crucial for controlling negative content and proactively building a positive digital presence. Establish trust by aligning your online reputation with your real-world reputation. This trust reinforces your credibility, enhances your image, and converts potential customers into loyal ones. 

A single negative search result or review can significantly impact your business or personal brand To ensure digital survival, make online reputation management (ORM) on Google a priority. 

Google accounts for the vast majority of the search engine market (85.53%), meaning that anything that appears on results pages can have a huge effect on your reputation.

Step-By-Step Guide to Reputation Management on Google

How can you take control of your reputation on Google? Here’s a guide to managing your online reputation on Google:

1. Audit your online reputation on Google
2. Remove any negative content appearing in search results
3. Give search engine suppression a try
4. Reach out for positive reviews
5. Monitor your reputation on Google continuously

1. Regularly Audit Your Online Reputation

To monitor your online reputation, simply start by going to the Google Search bar. Type in your name, your business’s name, and the names of key employees at your company. This will give key insights into the way people perceive you. Look for and identify:

• Online search results (both positive and negative) 
• Online reviews (both positive and negative) 
• Videos or images on Google
• News articles, press, or blog posts
• Social network mentions
• …or anything relevant

You may find negative content in your audit. If this happens, it is important not to panic, because there are ways to address this. Follow the next steps closely to address negative content in Google.,

2. Strategically Remove Negative Content

Negative content can tarnish your reputation. The good news is, you can try some of these methods to eliminate the content that appears on Google:

• Directly request the publisher to remove the offensive content. 
• Report the content if it violates Google’s terms and conditions.
• Use a DMCA Takedown Notice if someone uses your copyrighted content without permission. 
• In extreme cases, pursue court-ordered content or link removal.

While there are several options to try, there may not be a way to get the content removed. If this is the case, move on to the next step.

3. If Removal Fails, Try Search Engine Suppression 

If you cannot remove the negative content, your next best strategy is search engine suppression. 

Search engine suppression involves creating and promoting positive content to push down negative search results. The more positive, high-quality content you have, the less visible the negative content becomes.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Create a personal website with your name as the domain
• Create a new blog (WordPress, blogger, Medium, etc), and regularly upload new posts
• Create a Wikipedia page about you or a company, and monitor it regularly
• Generate positive press for you or a company 

4. Encourage Positive Reviews

Google Reviews play an important role in reputation management strategy. Business owners should ask satisfied customers or clients to leave positive reviews on Google My Business or other review sites. Not only does this provide social proof for your business, but it also pushes down any negative reviews.

• Optimize your Google My Business to increase visibility online
• Encourage happy customers to leave 5-star reviews.
• Respond to all reviews on Google, positive or negative 
• Be understanding and empathetic toward negative reviews in your response.
• Add reviews and testimonials to your website, too.

5. Monitor Your Reputation Continuously

Reputation management is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process. Regularly audit your search results, monitor reviews, and respond to negative feedback promptly and professionally. Using online reputation management tools can make this process easier and more efficient.

Regularly repeating this process will help you keep track of any changes in your online reputation. This can be time-consuming, but reputation management tools can help automate the process to save you time. Try these tools:

• Google Alerts (free)
• SEMrush
• Buzzsumo

Reputation monitoring also ensures that you catch pieces of negative content quickly, before they pick up steam. Identifying them early in the process gives you more time to take effective action. 

In Closing: Google Reputation Management 

If you’re struggling with negative content in  Google searches, consider outsourcing reputation management services for help. A reputation management company will use the best practices to fix your reputation right the first time.

Reputation911 offers professional help with:

• Business reputation management
• Personal reputation management