It’s not uncommon for job seekers to put their name into a search engine to make sure no potentially embarrassing items pop up, but businesses might want to consider doing this as well to make sure clients and customers aren’t seeing negative content when they do a search. To maintain a good online reputation, companies might want to consider using search engine optimization (SEO).
Alicia Whalen, co-founder of Canadian-based marketing firm A Couple of Chicks Marketing, writes on her IdeaHatching blog that companies should Google themselves frequently to see what others are saying about them. But finding out what’s being said about your firm online isn’t just limited to Google, as Whalen also suggests doing a search on Twitter.
"Often people Google themselves or their business and are shocked to find not only competitor websites appearing in the results, but unfavorable web or blog postings about their brands," she writes. "Disgruntled customers, an angry ex-partner or friends can post blogs and photos that portray you or your business in a negative light."
One way to fight this, according to Whalen, is through a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, which she suggests having a professional implement.
In a piece this week for Adotas, John McCarthy, director of search engine optimization (SEO) at WebMetro, noted that sometimes it can take months to properly push down negative content unless a company is proactive.
