Online reputation management starts with a brand’s performance and service, but its effective amplification and reach depend on how well it is marketed across online as well as offline channels.
Search engine optimization is considered the most important marketing tool in the world of the Internet. That’s why top personal branding companies and consultants ensure to keep reputable and successful search engine optimization consultants in their teams so their clients can get a comprehensive, winning branding strategy.
Here are the top SEO strategies they use to build their clients’ online reputation over time.
Keyword Optimization
Keywords have always remained at the center of SEO strategies for any digital marketing campaign. Search engine optimization experts use these keywords to boost the visibility of their content and business on SERPs. Not only that, but these words also help with gaining traction on social media as well as connecting social media marketing (SMM) with search engine marketing (SEM).
So how can you optimize your brand and its content with the right keywords? Of course, unearthing the most important and easiest keywords is the first thing to do. Once you have selected those keywords, you have to use them in your content, links, and tags to ensure that search engine bots reach you for those keywords.
Search Engine Listings
Now you know your brand’s specific keywords, you must understand that these keywords will make the backbone of your most digital marketing efforts including search engine listings, your website, and social media handles.
Most small-to-medium businesses build their presence through search engine listings initially. Basically, these listings are created by service providers as a way to introduce their business to online searchers. You have to share the name of your business, its contact information, and its address with the services it provides.
When someone types your name in the search bar, this listing will appear on the right hand of the screen. Your listing will also show up when a person uses a near-me search query. Because of the inclusion of your business address, these listings only appear in the local search results. Consequently, these entries are a great way for brands to up their local SEO game.
The best thing about these listings is that they come with a rating system. Viewers can see if a business performs well by looking at the stars it has gotten on the 5-star rating scale. It’s a perfect place for most businesses to showcase their commitment to service by inviting their trusted customers to rate on this scale.
Link Building
Another method to build an online reputation is to build links. However, you must note that the most fruitful links for your reputation management SEO game are those that come from the most relevant and geographically proximal sources.
Experienced organic search engine optimization experts take care of geo-targeting the backlinks they get to their client’s websites. So, if you are located in Berlin, Germany, your SEO specialist will try to get a majority of your website’s backlinks from Germany.
The same goes for the reviews. Online reputation is born out of positive reviews. But if you work as a local business that provides services and products in a small geographical location, you will see minimal results if your most reviews are coming from international clients. After all, these reviews will make no sense. However, you can get reviews from anywhere in the world if your services are offered remotely and you operate internationally.
Creating Relevant Content
Let’s revise the basic rule, a business’s content is only as relevant as the keywords it uses and the search intent it targets.
Now let’s get back to the topic – content is the vehicle that transports your business ideology, impact, and servitude to the masses and search engine bots. You would want this vehicle to look appealing and attractive. Different ways make your content engaging to your ideal audiences. These include using a variety of content types, keeping your message relevant and informative, understanding the search intent of the readers and replying to it, and ditching monotone to keep the audience engaged.
Content makes the cornerstone for on-page SEO services, then it goes on to conquer off-page grounds with relevant and high-quality content on other websites. Various off-page channels where businesses and brands share their content are social media, web 2.0 articles publishing sites, relevant blogs from similar businesses, industry-specific media outlets, journals, and social media channels.
Review Management
Seeking customers’ feedback and encouraging them to post this feedback on review sites is the most important SEO strategy for online reputation management. Take note that even if you don’t ask, your business will gather reviews over time.
However, human psychology dictates that dissatisfied customers are more likely to leave reviews than satisfied customers. In other words, if you don’t approach review management marketing proactively, you are more likely to gather negative reviews than positive ones. To avoid such a situation, you must take time to encourage your satisfied clients and customers to leave reviews on online sites.
Make these reviews more effective by re-sharing them over your social media channels and your website. Take some time to amplify these reviews by adding relevant keywords and hashtags.
Engage with Your Customers
Another way to build a reputation is by engaging with your stakeholders, especially your customers. You can do this on social media channels but those are not only channels for you to foster interactions. Ask them to communicate with you on your website, leave replies to your blog posts, and send emails and messages using the contact information you have provided on your website.
Wrapping Up
Successful reputation management is one thing, but if you don’t complete this management with effective reputation marketing, you cannot sustain the personal branding quest for long. SEO is the backbone of reputation marketing just because it’s the backbone of any comprehensive digital marketing strategy. This blog post discusses SEO strategy for effective reputation management.
