Your Online Reputation Is Critical

Building a positive online reputation is critical for business, as nearly everyone interested in your company will first do a Google search.

Don Sorensen, principal of Big Blue Robot, which helps corporations and executives manage their online reputations, offers these tips:

• Google your business name and be familiar with the first-page results.
• Set up Google Alerts for your company and brand names.
• Secure social profiles on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Tumblr and Pinterest.
• Develop an active public relations strategy and use major press sites like PRWeb or PRNewswire.
• Assign a member of your team the task of posting news, ideas and short commentary on your social media profiles.
• Create a YouTube channel and three to five videos about your company and products. Be sure to title the videos first with your company name.
• Become a thought leader by having your executives write insightful blog posts about your industry.
• Create an online forum for customer support.
• Be actively involved in charitable giving and create a separate Website to highlight your work.
• Refrain from responding directly to negative criticism about your company on Websites you don’t control—your rebuttals will only help the negative Website move higher in the Google results.