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There was an inspirational bumper sticker back in the ‘80s that read: “Don’t worry about what anyone says behind your back… it’s none of your business!”
Alas, this may have worked 40 years ago, but in the internet age, you need to be proactive about your online reputation management (ORM)—for the sake of your business and your bottom line!
Should I pay someone or manage my online reputation myself?
You may want to outsource your reputation management and let a professional handle it for a monthly or yearly fee, but unless you’ve got a big PR challenge, that’s probably not necessary.
To manage your reputation on your own, begin by conducting a Google search for every possible variation of your name, including your full name, nickname, maiden name, etc.
Next, search for your name in conjunction with relevant keywords, such as “real estate,” “REALTOR®,” the name of your brokerage, and the name of your city.
Finally, search for your current email addresses and any email address you can remember from your past.
Can I remove my personal information from Google search results?
If you stumble across a website that posts slanderous or sensitive information (such as bank account numbers, unauthorized videos or images, etc.), you can contact Google and ask them to remove this information from their search results. Learn more about Google’s removal process here.
Of course, removing the website from a Google search will not remove it from the internet itself—you’ll need to contact the website’s administrators and ask to have it removed. If the webmaster refuses, contact your attorney to determine whether you have any legal recourse.
How should I handle negative reviews?
Needless to say, you may be unsuccessful in getting someone to remove a comment or a review just because it’s unflattering. That said, you can dilute any negative voices by encouraging more positive reviews.
Ask happy clients to post positive reviews
It’s human nature to speak up when there’s a problem and to say nothing when everything goes swimmingly, but that’s all the more reason to ask your satisfied clients to leave a review on Yelp, Facebook, Google Reviews, etc.
Make it a habit to ask for positive reviews, even if you don’t have any negative ones to counter. After all, the more five-star reviews your prospects see, the more comfortable they’ll feel trusting you with their transactions.
Monitor your online reputation with Google Alerts
Once you’ve scoured the internet for any mention of your name or your business, create a Google Alert for each variation on your name.
Enter your name into the “Create an alert about…” field on the Google Alerts set-up page. Enter your email address in the appropriate field to receive an email every time your name appears in the news or across the web.
Keep it professional off and online
Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the best way to have a stellar online reputation is to avoid creating problems in the first place.
To that end, be sure to remain professional on all public social media outlets, choose your clients carefully, and do whatever you can to resolve potential issues before your clients take to the internet.
Reference to any specific brand, product, or service does not constitute an endorsement by ORHP. ORHP does not receive compensation for providing third-party links.
