Monday, August 17, 2015

Reputation Management: Taking Control of Your Brand


95% of consumers research a company’s products or services before making purchases.  Your company’s web presence and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) go a long way toward getting you those coveted top slots in search results pages, and that attracts new customers.  What if, though, there were unfavorable reviews of your company, or someone in your firm made an unfortunate mistake and got into the press for all the wrong reasons?  Guess what – search engines display the bad information along with the good.

What can a company do to repair their status as a trustworthy organization?  Smart companies take advantage of a strategy called Reputation Management.  This method, used by Swell Marketing, Inc., helps to suppress the bad information and get fresh, positive content to appear at the top of search results.  While it is next-to-impossible to actually remove bad reviews or unflattering news about your company, it is possible to push those bad elements further down in search engine’s results pages.

The SEO experts at Swell approach reputation management in a multi-step process.  First, it is important to assess the damage being caused by the bad information.  This is done by researching the crucial keywords that are triggering display of the negative press or reviews.  Researching those keywords gives the SEO professionals a strong idea of what keywords to use in place of the bad triggers.

Next, it is important to formulate the strategy required to suppress the bad information.   Depending on where bad press is located, the strategy may only require some casual assistance, but if negative reviews appear on trusted news sites or popular consumer review directories, more firepower is needed to overcome the bad information.

Finally, it is time to take action.  Swell’s SEO professionals may do a number of things to get the good information out there, including:

The timing of this new content is crucial for the success of a reputation management campaign. Content must appear at regular intervals rather than all at once, ensuring that the search engines will see it is organic traffic.  Swell’s network of trusted media outlets and site owners gives them the leverage to start building links to the new content, which is very important for the purposes of getting the new “clean” content to appear at the top of search engine results pages. In short order, consumers will no longer stumble across those unflattering bits of information.


Reputation management can be a daunting task, and sometimes takes a while before it starts showing its benefits.  Swell Marketing is one of the industry leaders in this method, and their track record with some very high-profile clients proves they have the skills to take care of any bad press your company may have had. 

Swell Marketing 949-494-0007

SEO 101 - Where Do I Begin?



If you own a business, you want customers to be able to find you.  Listing your business online has rapidly become the most effective way to connect with customers, and local searchers make up a sizeable percentage of those customers.  Gone are the days when people flipped through the Yellow Pages to find local businesses; today, over two billion local searches are conducted every month on search engines like Bing and Google.

One of the components of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is local search optimization.  This helps people find your local business when doing an online search.  SEO experts understand that tailoring websites for local searches helps to:
  •  Rank higher in local search databases like the online Yellow Pages or other business directories
  •  Promote your brand and local identity, connecting with customers from your area
  •  Keep costs down by taking advantage of online searches rather than expensive Yellow Page or print ads

Recent studies have indicated that between 59% and 79% of all consumers use search engines to find businesses local to them.  The time is now to optimize your web presence so that you can get more business into your door.

A reputable SEO company can help your business make those important local connections, boosting your business revenue and attracting a steady stream of new clients to your establishment.  Optimizing for local searches comprises several steps, and the best SEO experts will:
  •  Promote your company’s listing in directories
  •  Submit your listings to local databases and directories and prepare them to be indexed by search engines
  • Create new listings for your company or modify existing ones for maximum impact
  • Tailor your listing to include all the relevant information your potential customers are looking for, including hours of operation, contact information, and products or services on offer

The first step is to identify keywords that searchers are using when looking for a business like yours.  Take a look at your competitors; their websites may offer you suggestions on which keywords are effective and how you can separate yourself from a crowded marketplace.  Adding relevant keywords and terms to your site’s content pays huge dividends in search engine placements, especially when considering local searches.

Second, creating social media profiles on platforms like Google Plus, Facebook, and Twitter can help you make those important connections with locals, encouraging them to share your information with their peers.  Next, optimize your website content with the local keywords and other information like ZIP codes or city names, helping the search engines index your pages correctly for local searches. 

Another way to boost your local search standings is to capture the mobile market with pages optimized to display perfectly both on desktops and smartphones/tablets.  Consumers spend a lot of time doing local searches on mobile devices, so it makes sense to be sure your website can be accessed through these devices.


Finally, reach out to your existing customers – make sure your web presence has a means of leaving feedback, reviews, or user comments.  This user feedback can boost your placement in search engine results. Having customer feedback put into a YouTube video is a great example of how to optimize your website with content: