[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Go on, admit it – you’ve egosurfed yourself more times than you care to admit. Don’t know what ‘egosurf’ means? It’s the latest urban slang for people who put their own names into Google search engine.
Joking aside, there are sound business reasons to egosurf your own organisation. For example, when you egosurf your own name you’ll quickly gain an idea of the total level of response the search brings and more importantly the quality of the search; it’s a good indicator of the success (or otherwise) of your digital marketing and the reputation of the organisation.
[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Page one, above the fold?[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]The critical information for any commercial website are the results that appear on page one and ‘above the fold’ – i.e. on the screen without requiring scrolling. Although this varies depending on computer resolution, you’ll get a general idea from your own search. You’ll need to make sure your company website is appearing above mentions of your organisation on other websites. And you’ll want to make sure that the wording people read (the meta description) is not just correct but genuinely interesting and likely to encourage people to click on the link.
Ensure there are no broken links and that all information is up to date. Make sure that the other digital content you own also show up e.g. your blog, paid advertisements, social media channels (e.g. Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) and review sites like Yelp. Once you notice these developments you will have a firm foundation for success. If not, you’ll need to do some work (perhaps with expert advice) to ensure these are correctly optimised.
[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Rescuing your reputation[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]The Google search will also help you discover how the rest of the digital world views your business as you’ll find links to review sites, forums and the many other platforms that allow people to comment on your company, its products or services and its customer service. These are important as they are often more ‘trusted’ than corporate websites. But how do you deal with bad feedback?
Firstly, remember the ‘page one, above the fold’ rule: By increasing the level of optimised links that occupy this position you can effectively push third party links further away from searchers view.
Secondly, if the feedback is simply wrong or malicious, then respond either directly on the page or to the pages moderators or organisers. Answer specific or persistent complaints on unique blogs or web pages.
Thirdly, if you have ongoing reputation issues then don’t paper over the crack – address and correct the issues. Once you have done so, use direct mail and other marketing to tell the world about the new improved services and products, so that your poor reputation will soon be a thing of the past.
Image Credit: C_osett[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]
