Quick Reactions are the Key to Successful Reputation Management

Keeping a handle on online reputation management is all about staying ahead of trouble when you can, and reacting quickly when trouble does arrive.
Unfortunately, most SEO and content managers don’t always have a good grasp on the steps they need to take both before and after trouble breaks out.
In recent posting on SearchEngineJournal.com titled, The Top 5 Reputation Management Tips Your Boss  Wants You to Know, blogger Jean Dion tackled this very subject. Her posting includes some reputation management specific advice, as well as some general customer service points that every business should know anyways.
If you’re worried about your online reputation, here’s a few points to consider.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
A couple bad reviews or negative comments in forums aren’t nearly as big a deal as you might think.
Dion points out that most search algorithms are designed to factor in a certain number of negative reviews as a matter of course. That means you don’t need to lose sleep when a disgruntled customer or two take to the web to talk about how much they hate you.
Should a few negative reviews turn into a flood of negative reviews, however, you need to take a step back and figure out the problem.
Say ‘Sorry’ and Mean ‘Sorry’
Should you have the misfortune of stumbling a truly messy online blunder that’s your fault, the best course of action is to simply apologize for your actions as soon as possible.
Your players, like every other person on the planet, appreciates a good, heartfelt apology. Saying sorry, you’ll find, is as easy as it is effective. And the sooner you make amends, the better off you’ll be.
Don’t Delay
Speed matters when you’re dealing with an online reputation crisis. Putting off responding to a PR disaster in the hopes that it will just go away is an absolutely terrible strategy.
Timely responses not only make you look good with whomever the problem is centered on, they also show the rest of your customer base that you really, truly, care about them.
Quality Content Can Solve Any Problem
Search algorithms love one thing above all else, quality content. If you’re churning out a steady stream of good, useful content.
Not only is quality content enticing to readers/customers, it goes a long ways towards burying those negative reviews in the bowels of search results.
Finally
Reputation management is all about taking control of the situation as quickly, and as sincerely, as possible. If you’re out of the gates with an honest apology that’s quickly buried in a sea of good content, you’ll be just fine.