How to Monitor Your Online Reputation

An estimated 57 percent of adults use search engines to find information on themeselves, according to a Pew Research Center study published in August of 2010.

The Internet has become a modern day Wild West. Anyone can create a web page or write a review that inaccurately describes you or your company. This misinformation can be damaging to your personal reputation and business, which depends on its online visibility to attract customers and brand recognition. Monitor your online reputation with these tips.

Instructions

Search

1. Select a popular search engine, such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, and type in your own name, company name, brand, product name, website name or social media account.

2. Click on search to see what information is on the Internet about you and your company. The search can include websites, blogs, photos, videos, social media posts and reviews.

3. Scroll through the results and research the findings.

Alerts

1. Visit Google Alerts, TweetBeep or Social Media Firehouse to set up an account. These search tools scour the Internet to deliver an email to you with any mention of you or your company.

2. Sign up for a free account with your name, email address and password. The email address you list is where all of the alerts will be sent.

3. Identify the keywords that you would like these engines to look for, which should include your name, company, brand and products, at a minimum.

Reviews

1. Monitor review websites to see what people are saying about you and your business. There are dozens of review websites, but some of the most popular websites include Yelp, YP.com, Dex Knows, City Search, Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon (for restaurants), Google, Yahoo and Merchant Circle.

2. Respond as the business owner if you want to clarify or correct a review. Most review platforms require you to have a free account in order to respond to reviews.

3. Encourage your customers to leave reviews based on their experience to increase your online visibility, and to bury unfavorable and negative reviews.

Tips & Warnings

• Use quotation marks if you want to search for two or three words together. For example, type in "Jane Doe" so that you only see results for the first and last names, instead of variations using either name.

• If you read something that is untrue or unflattering, you can contact the website source and ask them to remove the information or image.

• Set up alerts for your competitors to monitor their online activity and reputation.

References

• Sustainable Journalism: Online Reputation Management -- Pew Statistics; August 2010
• "New York Times," Erasing the Digital Past; Nick Bilton; April 2011
• "Central Penn Business Journal:" Top Tips for Monitoring Your Online Presence: Part 1; Kelly Carson

Resources

• Google Alerts
• Tweet Beep
• Yahoo: Social Media Firehouse