It’s human nature to retaliate against someone who speaks negatively of you or the things you represent. But this could land you in hot water, especially if you are a brand or business. Your reputation matters even more, especially when you are online. Unfortunately, online reputation management doesn’t come easy to most brands. It isn’t second nature to know exactly what needs to be done and many end up making easily avoidable mistakes because of it. Any SEO agency will tell you what needs to be done, but what’s equally important is what you shouldn’t do.
Ripoff Report is one of the leading websites for complaints. It has a great reputation for tarnishing reputations, which is why a lot of brands take measures to retaliate against negative reviews. There’s been skepticism about certain reviews for years, and many believe there are people on there who leave false reviews. However, this still doesn’t justify certain reactions from brands.
So the first thing you should NOT do is…
Write a Rebuttal
Some experts promote responding to negative comments, which is fine when we’re talking about social media. But when it comes to high-ranking sites like Ripoff Report, that’s one of the worst things you can do. Not only are you fueling the fire, but you’re helping to promote visibility of the content, since Google ranks off of activity, as well as keywords (like your company name). The person you respond to may fire back with more replies, further boosting the SEO of that review. Getting this to disappear will be much harder on your end.
Secondly, you should also avoid…
Writing Something Damaging About the Poster
Again, it’s human nature to feel a certain way when we’re being attacked, especially when it’s done in public. It’s embarrassing and you have the desire to set things straight. But how you go about it is important. Some brands make the mistake of going after the poster with their inflamed emotions. Attacking the poster isn’t professional and will only make things worse. Kindling the fire isn’t going to do anything for your online reputation and will only create more work for the SEO agency that’s trying to restore your glory.
Negative Links Rule
At least that’s the way it seems. Search engines tend to favor negative links, which is why they shoot up to the top of the ranks. Reviews posted on sites like Yelp and Angie’s List are always found on the top of the first page. This makes it difficult and time-consuming for brands to counter. The following factors have to be considered when an SEO agency is employing online reputation management services.
Domain Authority of the Link
The location of the negative link plays a big role in how difficult it will be to top. This is determined by the domain authority. If the authority level is high, then it will take some time to push down. This is the case with sites like Ripoff Report.
The Presence of Your Brand
An evaluation of your existing assets has to be done to determine your presence on the world wide web. This includes inbound links coming from multiple trusted sites. Google trusts backlinks that are generated by humans. In order to gain a higher position in the SERPs, you need to have high quality backlinks and other assets like multiple domains. For example, you could purchase a .com, .org and .net versions of your domain name (having your business name in the domain helps greatly).
If this sounds like too much for you, then you can hire an SEO agency in Los Angeles to improve the reputation of your company.
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