Search Engine Reputation ManagementSearch Engine Reputation Management (or SERM) tactics are often employed by companies and increasingly by individuals who seek to proactively shield their brands or reputations from damaging content brought to light through search engine queries. Some use these same tactics reactively, in attempts to minimize damage inflicted by inflammatory (or “flame”) websites (and weblogs) launched by consumers and, as some believe, competitors.

Given the increasing popularity and development of search engines, these tactics have become more important than ever. Consumer generated media (like blogs) has amplified the public’s voice, making points of view - good or bad - easily expressed. This is further explained in this front page article in the Washington Post.

Search Engine Reputation Management strategies include Search engine optimization (SEO) and Online Content Management. Because search engines are dynamic and in constant states of change and revision, it is essential that results are constantly monitored.

Social networking giant Facebook has been known to practice this form of reputation management. When they released their Polls service in Spring 2007, the popular blog TechCrunch found that it could not use competitors’ names in Polls. Due largely to TechCrunch’s authority in Google’s algorithms, its post ranked for Facebook polls. A Facebook rep joined the comments, explained the situation and that the bugs in the old code had been updated so that it was now possible. See SEO ROI’s story for full details.

Reputation management is the process of tracking an entity’s actions and other entities’ opinions about those actions; reporting on those actions and opinions; and reacting to that report creating a feedback loop. All entities involved are generally people, but that need not always be the case. Other examples of entities include animals, businesses, or even locations or materials. The tracking and reporting may range from word-of-mouth to statistical analysis of thousands of data points.

Reputation management has come into wide use with the advent of widespread computing. This is evidenced by a recent front page story in the Washington Post featuring several online reputation management firms. Reputation management systems use various predefined criteria for processing complex data to report reputation. However, these systems only facilitate and automate some aspects the process of determing trustworthiness. This process is central to all kinds of human interaction, including interpersonal relationships, international diplomacy, stock markets, communication through marketing and public relations and sports.

By: Nicole McAfee

Let’s assume that you do not have an online reputation and you’re just like every other John or Jane Doe in the world. Maybe you have never had any negative comments made about you or had the press slander your good name on the internet. However, you need to establish yourself. You would like to have an online presence so that the world knows who you are, your values, principles, and what you stand for. On second thought maybe your looking for a new job and you would like prospective employers and head hunters to learn about you online. While everyone’s situation is unique, here are some basic ways to improve your online reputation (if you need more help look into Reputation Builder and let the pro’s do it for you):

1. Join several social media / networking sites. Top recommendations include: LinkedIn, Twitter, Naymz, Delicious, Technorati, and Magnolia. When you are trying to build search engine results for your name, each site you join must be joined under your real name. Use nicknames and handles for those sites or profiles meant just for your personal enjoyment. Create each profile for reputation management under your first and last name and be sure to add background and professional information when possible. Other sites you should consider joining include: Digg, Reddit, Propeller, and Facebook (1).  
2. Read other people’s blogs and write comments. Most blogs require you to enter your name and email address before you can post a comment. This is another chance for you to write intelligent responses to what you read, and to earn some low level rankings for your name as well. Go ahead and enter your blog URL in the field available. This gives you the added benefit of sending a few blog comment readers to your site (1).  
3. Join several free article publisher websites. I recommend Buzzle, Amazines, Content Articles, Helium, and Ezine Articles. These are listed in order of importance and current search engine authority. Join each of these publishers and post at least one article on each that you write. Pick a subject that you are somewhat of an expert on and keep it simple and informative. Remember that any headhunter or interviewer may review these words prior to your interview, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve posted well written pieces (1).

Each one of these options is free to register and participate. They take a little time, but establishing an online reputation is well worth it. If you don’t have the means or time you can still take advantage of Reputation Guardians “Reputation Builder.” Reputation Builder has developed several key in-house proprietary techniques that will return a positive online reputation for you; without all the headache and leg work on your end. Let our pro’s establish your online presence today.

References

D.Dessinger.(November 20, 2007). 6 Easy Steps to Personal. Retrieved on December 25, 2007, from http://www.reputationadvisor.com/6-easy-steps-to-personal-reputation-management/

In today’s society the internet controls our lives. Millions of people are attached to various social networks, blogs, and new/media sources that are spidered everyday by hundreds of thousands of search engines. These search engines index that information into their files, so that anyone who has access to a computer, and the ability to type a name, can find anything they want about you. 

Reputation Guardian has set its sights, not only on protecting and eliminating the negative information hurting your reputation, but helping you to establish or re-establish your reputation as well.  

Reputation Guardian has set the standard for online reputation management and with its patent pending Reputation Score System “Rep Score” has now provided the end user with a numerical score (comparable to your credit score) based on the information collected about you through the World Wide Web. Like cultivating a good credit score, developing a good reputation is done over time. The Rep Score represents your reputation strengths and weaknesses giving you the ability to fight negative information and or establishing positive information to develop your good name.  Then sit back and watch your score grow. 

 “One bad blog post can kill you. But if you’ve got hundreds or thousands of sites linking to you and commenting on you, the law of averages takes over, and odds are the opinion will be accurate: The cranks will be outweighed by cooler heads…The Net rewards the transparent (C. Thompson).”

Reputation Guardian provides a user friendly interface which gives you the ability to see the information found on you throughout the World Wide Web in one simply report. Then you choose the information hurting your reputation and we will eliminate it. Next by utilizing the Reputation Builder we will work with you to establish or re-establish your good name; it’s that simple!