It’s common sense that a good reputation is important to your business. But do you really understand just how important?
According to Forbes magazine, just one negative article on the first page of a google increases a brands’ risk of losing business by 22 percent.
Three negative articles jump that risk of losing business to almost 60%.
Those numbers cannot be understated.
A negative digital reputation will be a nail in the coffin for a brand that is already struggling to recover from any setback. And with inc.com stating that 84% of people trust the online product and business reviews to help them make decisions, negative reviews drive those nails even deeper.
It’s hard to get across just how crucial a positive online reputation is to business’ today. What the public sees on the very first page of Google when they research your brand will most likely determine if they ultimately choose to do business with you.
The First Page of Google Catches 92% of Search Traffic
It has been reported that the first page of Google catches as much as 92% of search traffic.
This means that most potential clients and customers will not go past the first page to find positive articles about you.
And if what they are seeing is not wholly positive and up-to-date news articles, websites, and reviews, you may be missing out.
Let us help you curate the search results that you want people to see.
If people see even one negative article or review on the first page, your business has already moved to second, third, or even not a choice for their purchase.
And it’s not just consumers that are googling your brand. Potential employees, partners, and investors use a business’ digital reputation to make decisions in their job searches and investments.
In fact, for any brand, the CEO and other key executives get searched too. 44% of a company’s market value is attributable to the CEO’s reputation, according to a study by New York-based communications firm Weber Shandwick.
Thus, consumers, potential employees, and possible investors alike will steer clear of companies whose CEOs have a bad reputation.
On the flip side, glowing reviews and positive press related to either an individual or brand deliver a good chance that Google searches will manifest into customer purchases, new hires, and increased financial backing.
And the more positive your reputation, the better. The higher the number of favorable reviews and good press surrounding you, the better for Google’s algorithm. As positive traffic increases, your brand moves up in the ranks in the Google search.
People trust search engines over any other source of information.
Your reputation follows you everywhere. There’s no escaping a bad rep. Even for companies who have held onto an untarnished reputation for years, it’s easy to lose ground when one negative article is published or one bad review hits the web.
So what’s the fast takeaway? It’s crucial to monitor your digital reputation closely. Do everything you can to keep your brand’s name as favorable as possible in the minds of the public. Because in the unfortunate situation that your reputation does take a hit, it may not be so easy to clean up the mess.
While it’s possible to do some reputation management yourself, you’ll soon find it best to enlist the help of reputation management experts. Our experts have the knowledge, resources, and skills to turn your online reputation around.
Just like you wouldn’t go to court without an experienced attorney, you shouldn’t face the court of public opinion without experienced reputation management professionals by your side.
Because in today’s digital world, reputation isn’t just a big thing; it’s everything.
