Managing a Reputation - The Top 10 Results

What are the top 10 search results in Google for your company's name? What about for your own name? As our world becomes increasingly focused on the web as a source of information, whether it be for obtaining news, researching a purchase, or learning more about a company or an individual, the websites that appear at the top of the search rankings in any major search engine can have a great amount of influence on people's opinions and buying decisions. By combining the techniques of search engine optimization (SEO) with the ideas behind old-fashioned PR, online reputation management can help any individual or company successfully manage the websites that appear in relation to their name in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Whether you are applying for a job, running for political office, or looking to put a good name out there for your new (or established) company, online reputation management is something that should be strongly considered.

Recent news stories have highlighted the lack of privacy people are beginning to realize exists for social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook. College students and adults alike have been passed over for job positions because of their personal profiles and comments posted on these purely recreational sites. Because a MySpace or a Facebook is so popular and has so many pages, there is a strong likelihood that if you have your name and personal information posted there that it would show up in a major search engine for a query on your name. Online reputation managers can help push those "personal" website posts down and out of the top search rankings by optimizing their vast network of sites for your name. They can post copies of your resume, add a general profile, post personal statements, etc. Many employers today will do as much research as they can on job applicants by using search engines and browsing social websites - don't let them make a decision on you before the interview. Your online reputation is just as important in today's world as your public reputation. The internet is a free resource open for everyone to use, view, and form opinions over, a powerful tool that has made managing an online rep and controlling the SERPs a fledging industry.

The applications of SEO to managing personal or corporate image in the public eye is only now being explored for the first time. In the next few years, events like the 2008 elections and the continued use of search engines to research purchases, company information, and personal information will only further the understanding of a need to head off threats to one's online reputation and to manage it intelligently and in a time-sensitive manner.