Everyone discusses everything online these days. So it should come as no surprise that people will share their opinion of companies they interact with. In fact, 65% of people will check online before proceeding to do business with a company.
As long as the opinions are good, this is great for your business. However, have you considered the repercussions if they aren’t? The good news is, there are ways you can use to address this and ensure your company has a great first impression on curious visitors.
1. Get a Meaningful Domain Name
Your domain name will most likely greet your visitors to your business. And it’s important that this greeting is warm and trustworthy instead of fishy or spammy. When you think of domain names, www.buy-leatherapparelz.com can be just as effective as www.leatherapparel.store. However, as a user, which of these links will seem like spam and which one of these will get the vote of confidence? Domain names on new domain extensions such as .TECH, .STORE, .ONLINE, .SPACE, .SITE, ect. allow you to have web addresses that are short and meaningful. So, to ensure that the user journey starts on the right foot, think well and hard about your domain name. Here are some examples of ways that top marketing and branding experts are using new domain extensions in meaningful ways.
2. Optimize Your Website
Your users will most probably leave your website if it takes too long to load, if the landing page is confusing or cluttered, if it isn’t easy to make purchases, or if there are too many complicated subsections. What needs to be modified is the layout, speed, and navigation of your website. Ensure that your website is easy to use and understand. A higher bounce rate can not just lead to lower SERP rankings but also increases the likelihood of bad reviews.
3. Claim Your Google Knowledge Graph
When you Google a business name, do you see a small information box on the right side of the search results?
This is called a Knowledge Graph and is a great way for users to find more information about your business. It is fairly easy to claim the listing, and you can set it up pretty quickly. This will increase your SERP rankings. Not only that, but it will also make it easy for your social media team to reply to reviews and get feedback from users. When you are in control of the conversation, it is easier to come out of it with a good impression.
4. Be Quick With Your Responses on Social Channels
All sorts of discussions happen on social media. Set up a presence on all major platforms, as well as any niche platforms that operate in your particular industry. This will make it easier for you to immediately spot the kind of conversations that are taking place. If you have an active presence, people will often tag you in the discussion as well. This helps center the conversation around your official platform, and you can quickly put out any fires before they escalate. 45% of customers will give a chance to a new business if they respond positively to reviews. Alternatively, you can also re-share appreciative feedback from satisfied users.
5. Start a Company Blog
A blog is a great way to boost your SEO and SERP rankings. Keep your company blog updated with optimal keywords. This will help you improve your search rankings. The best way to do that is to write content that is valuable to your readers. Make sure you’re publishing high-quality content that makes a difference to customers almost on a daily basis.
6. Share Company News Widely
Any positive news should be shared as far and wide as possible. This could be any awards your company has received, notable mentions in the media, events, or important announcements. This includes places like your company blog and social channels. The more you share this content, the more likely it is to come up in search results. As an added benefit, more recent results that show this kind of validation show your company is engaged, active, and doing well – which is heartening for first-time visitors.
Conclusion on Reputation Management
It is not impossible to select a few parameters and take actions to maintain a positive reputation for your brand. It is a continuous process of learning, iterating, modifying, updating and optimizing. The key points to remember are to keep your website and blog updated and optimized. Claim social channels and search engine listings. Provide social proof and be quick to respond. Do this regularly and see how your brand takes on a life of its own.
