Your brand's online reputation is not helpless from negative reviews on consumer complaint sites. Though it's nearly impossible to remove them from the Internet, there are online reputation management strategies you can use to deal with these pesky complaints.

Don’t engage site or users directly

Don't send emails demanding to have the content removed or engage with the person who posted the content in an attempt to resolve the issue. The main reason: both users and content posted are not verified.

There have been reports of users posting fake reviews in an attempt to solicit money from businesses they criticize. A few of these sites also claim to offer paid services to remove bad reviews but business owners should be extremely wary of any site offering to remove or edit a review in exchange for cash.

Get on social media

If one of these negative reviews makes its way onto the first page of Google’s search results, create social media profiles to bury it. Not only do active and relevant social media profiles outrank negative reviews, they also provide your past, present, and future clients with better information.

Even if you already have a Facebook and Twitter account, don’t be afraid to expand beyond that to Instagram, LinkedIn, and even Quora. It’s also a good idea to get on Foursquare, Google+, and any other sites where reviews are verified by real users and not nameless people who don’t have to be accountable for what they say. Remember to update these regularly to ensure they stay at or near the top of the search result rankings.

Encourage positive reviews

You need to encourage customers to post positive reviews on verified review sites. Like social media profiles, positive reviews from credible review sites will outrank negative reviews from defamation sites.

Depending on what your business does, sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Angie’s List, or even Facebook are great places to have satisfied customers leave reviews. Of course, getting them to do that can be difficult.

Consider offering a discount to customers who post a review of your business on any of these sites. Doing this will help you climb up in search rankings while increasing customer loyalty.

Combine efforts with an SEO strategy

To optimize your brand's search results, you will have to create positive content that is search engine optimized. Aside from social media profiles and good reviews on verified sites, optimizing search results for your brand start with its website. Promote a positive message about your brand with benefits and customer reviews.

Strengthen your website with regular content such as newsletters, case studies, and blog articles. Content is about building consumer trust by being helpful. An informative blog is the best way to start.

Avoid “selling” your brand on every piece of content. The best practice is keep this down to 20% of your overall content, or two out of ten blog articles.

Try posting helpful videos on your company’s YouTube and be active on all your social media. It also won't hurt to partner with influencers on social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram to spread positive comments about your brand.

These are just a few strategies companies use to manage their online presence. For more ways to get positive search results, call our team of experts today.

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