4 Tips & 1 Bombshell – What Lindsay Lohan Should Know About Search Engine Reputation Management

Search engine reputation management is one of the most challenging and difficult tasks a seasoned SEO professional can take on.  It’s not like regular SEO.  In fact, standard search engine optimization seems almost easy in comparison.  With standard SEO the practitioner is attempting to make one individual website appear as high in a search engine as possible. With search engine reputation management the practitioner is trying to push negative or malicious search results off of the first page and on to the second, third or even fourth by optimizing several of the results below it and/or creating new content to trump the negative or malicious search results.

Even more challenging than that is trying to control the words that appear in Google’s drop down search recommendations.  I’ve spoken with some of the top SEO experts in the field about this challenge and how to fix it for clients.  So far, I’ve been able to figure out that the core of this algorithm is centered on original, secondary and tertiary keyword searches.  Meaning, Google tracks the first, second and third searches we make.  So, if you are doing a search for “Flat Screen TV” and you don’t like the results, you may do a secondary search for “Samsung Flat Screen TV.” It’s these secondary and tertiary searches that Google uses to determine what phrases to recommend in the drop down box.

However, this can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.  By Google suggesting a particular phrase to a person in its drop down the suggested phrase is much more likely to be clicked on.  This process can wreak havoc on a business’s reputation when the keyword suggestions are negative in nature.  I hope this is something you or your company will never have to deal with.  You should put a plan in place today just in case you find yourself in need of search engine reputation management.

4 Search Engine Reputation Management Tips

1. Get a head start.  Make sure your company is listed on as many websites as possible.  The more websites with your company name on it the more competition there will be for the negative or malicious links to appear on the first page of Google.  You can start with social media.  Use any social media site that allows you to put a company profile on it.  Then join organizations with websites that will list your company, build company profiles on directories, yellow page sites and anything else you can find.  Merchant Circle and The Better Business Bureau usually show up on the first page of Google.
2. Prepare content in advance.  Make sure you have 20+ pieces of content that are optimized for your company name.  In the event that a negative or malicious link appears in the SERPs you’ll be ready to push out fresh new content to as many websites as possible.  There are dozens of free press release sites out there that you can use to post your content on.  One of my favorites is PRLog.org.
3. Monitor your reputation.  Whether you use HubSpot, Raven Tools, Google’s free Alerts or something similar you should have an idea of what people are saying about your company on the internet.  You don’t want to be the last person to find out about your search engine reputation problem.  I use both Google Alerts and HubSpot.  Google Alerts will send you a daily email with a link to any website that mentions your company’s name.
4. Don't engage the purveyor of malicious content.  If you engage in a blog, forum or website with someone that is writing filth about you or your company you are giving Google a good reason to index the page more frequently.  By leaving comments you are essentially giving the content credence and run the risk of pushing the malicious content higher in the SERPs.  

1 Search Engine Reputation Management Bombshell

If you ever find yourself the victim of a malicious attack on the internet that smears you or your company’s name you can ask Google for help.  If you can show Google that the smears are spammy Google may eliminate them from its drop down recommendations and search engine results.  However, they must be spammy in nature.  So, if someone posts the exact same malicious content on a dozen websites you can report it as spam. Make sure the content fits Google’s definition of spam. You can submit a report and find Google’s reporting requirements here.

Free Webinar:  Avoiding the Legal Pitfalls of Using Blogs for Inbound Marketing

Thursday November 18, 2010 @ 2PM EDT 

For the legal ramifications of search engine reputation management, blogging and social media register for our FREE Webinar featuring Kenan Farrell of KLF Legal.