Reputation Management Denver: An Introduction

In “real life,” managing your reputation is a relatively straightforward process. If someone begins to think negatively of you for whatever reason, you can always go talk to them and clear the air. If your employer thinks that you were failing behind on your work due to your own negligence, you can easily take a few minutes to explain that it was actually because you were helping out a colleague.

Reputation management in the world of the Internet, however, is an entirely different animal.

Negative or embarrassing news articles. Photos that you never thought would see the light of day. Comments on social media that you would later come to regret. Not only do these things not go away – they also have a much farther reach than ever before. If you say something mean to a colleague and later regret it, the issue is gone just as soon as it appeared. If you say something mean on social media, hundreds of thousands of people could potentially see it before you even realize you have a problem – and rest assured, those people don’t forget a thing.

Online reputation management therefore becomes a digital version of a technique people have been using for years. You use whatever means available to you to regain control of your own image and put out the idea of yourself that YOU want to present, instead of the one that other people may be presenting for you.

Reputation Management in the 21st Century

To say that your online reputation is important is something of an understatement. This is especially true in the modern digital era, when more and more people are taking even personal interactions into the realm of the Internet first, reality second – maybe.

If you ask someone out on a date, they might Google you before they say “yes.” If you reach out to a potential client, they might look at your business’ Facebook page before they decide to do business with you. If you apply for a new mortgage, the bank may look you up to see how trustworthy you really are.

Bad press, embarrassing photos, negative reviews – these are all things that could put a damper on your life in a number of ways but the good news is that they don’t have to any more.

What You Need to Know About Reputation Management

The fact of the matter is that your online reputation doesn’t just affect what your friends or family members think about you. It doesn’t just affect how easy (or difficult) it may be to switch jobs, or even to attract new customers to your business. It affects all of these things immeasurably, which is why it is so important to protect.

Consider just for a moment the multitude of ways that your reputation affects the life you’re trying to lead:

• New employers will conduct online research into your background, ethics and character before offering you a position.
• Your existing employer will likely see what you’ve been up to online before approving you for that raise or promotion.
• Coworkers will be very interested in your online reputation, as you’re someone they will be spending a great deal of time with each day (up to 31% do, according to one recent study).
• Colleges have been known to conduct online research before extending admission to certain applicants.
• New clients will absolutely conduct online research before choosing to give you their business.

Many people think that online reputation management is just for business professionals, but in truth it’s for everybody. Your reputation is a powerful asset, but it’s also an inherently fragile one. An old saying tells us that the Internet isn’t written in pencil, it’s written in ink. This means that even one or two damaging items can have very real and very unfortunate consequences years down the line. Maintaining a positive reputation online isn’t just important – it’s one of the most important proactive steps you could possibly take to protect your future.

Go Beyond the First Page of Search Results

One of the most important areas of reputation management that people fail to pay enough attention to has to do not necessarily with the results that are being generated, but the NUMBER of results. Many reputation management services only concern themselves with the first page of results on a search engine like Google. In a way, this makes sense, as:

• One recent study revealed that 33% of all search traffic is directed at whatever site holds the number one position on Google.
• Furthermore, an additional 18% of traffic is directed towards the site in the number two position.
• Traffic degrades significantly from there almost universally. Many people find what they’re looking for in just the first few results, meaning that they would rather conduct a new search than scroll to find more sites.
• Less than 2.4% of traffic ever makes it to the tenth (and final) result on the first page of Google results. Very, very few people ever venture into page two and beyond.

However, these statistics can absolutely be deceiving. While this all holds true when someone is trying to pick a restaurant to eat at, or trying to find the best new smartphone to buy, they are NOT accurate in terms of reputation management. If someone really wants to find out about the ethics and character of a potential business or employee, rest assured they’re going to find it. In these situations, people can go as many as 10 pages deep in Google to find the information they’re looking for.

This is why we do NOT stop at the first page of results. We don’t just help you make sure that negative items are gone from the first page, we make sure they’re gone – period.

Don’t Let Your Online Reputation Go to Waste

You’ve spent your entire career (and in certain cases, your entire life) to carefully build, hone and cultivate the perfect reputation. Don’t let one or two negative items ruin that for all time, threatening not only your future but the future of your business or your career in the process.

If you’re looking for the type of high end reputation management solutions partner who you can trust to protect your most valuable asset of them all, you’ve come to the right place. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive online reputation management services.