Search engine organization (SEO) is much different now compared to previous years. Before, marketing professionals would simply place a certain keyword within content a number of times and then it would appear on the first page of Google and other search engines. Google has now changed its algorithms in order to keep these search results from being tainted with low-quality content and prevent the takeover of advertorials and sponsored content. If you’re not careful, it could hinder your online reputation.

Digital Archives Are Forever

Given the staying power of the Internet, your words will remain visible for many years to come. Often your business will learn about any negative content by performing a Google search. When this negative content pops up near the top of your search results, it can feel a little overwhelming. Online rating and review sites will typically avoid removing negative reviews unless they are illegal or include sensitive information. Therefore, the only way to address these negative results is to them with positive content.

Mark Your Online Territory

Most Internet users focus their attention on the first couple of pages of search results, so it’s imperative that you push negative results further down the list. By establishing your own piece of online real estate, and incorporating relevant keywords about your industry or services, then you can distinguish yourself from competitors and drive negative content away.

Establish profiles on all of the social-media websites such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. If you take ownership of these accounts, you are going a long way towards burnishing your online reputation. Even a carefully crafted response can draw you into a verbal assault with site posters, and most of them remain anonymous.

Keep Away from Anger

Today’s business owners can be better equipped at coping with any issues related to customer service if they stay in tune with their audience. Review sites give Internet users the opportunity to post reviews anonymously, so no business is immune to complaints and criticisms. For any business with a significant customer base, negative reviews will occur from time to time. On occasion, these reviews will stem from angry customers.

If you encounter an inflammatory review online, your first response might be to unleash fury upon the Internet commenter. After months and months of building your positive online reputation, you will compromise these efforts by replying back in anger. Map out a strategy for addressing this negative posting. Shooting off a nasty response will only cause the situation to escalate. Unfortunately, there is little recourse for your business if it’s been disparaged on the Internet.

An added bonus of posting information-rich content will be that customers are much more likely to share it. If Internet users are forwarding your content on their own social-media accounts, your website traffic will skyrocket and a new audience will follow you. Recent adjustments to Google’s algorithm have changed the complexion of the Internet for business owners. By posting regularly scheduled high-quality content with text and visuals, you will improve your chances of appearing near the top of search engine rankings.