It may seem that repairing your online reputation might be a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. There is a simple but elegant way to change the conversation surrounding your name – blogging.
Blogging can be an effective way to turn the tides because of the emphasis the Google places on created content. Therefore, the material that you create can eventually rank higher than the harmful content that is flooding the first few pages of Google. Since most people rarely look beyond the first page of Google anymore, it would seem that creating content is a somewhat effective way of pushing down harmful content about your company.
Below, you will find a few things to keep in mind when you are creating your content. Adhering to these rules will help you to repair your reputation faster than doing nothing at all.
Create Quality Content
If you put on your blog, you are going to want to have well-researched and clear grammatical errors. Google places a lot of value on how trustworthy a site is when it comes to rankings. Therefore, if your content is riddled with grammatical errors, they could devalue your website. When this happens, you are better off not writing anything at all rather than posting terrible content.
Besides being grammatically and informationally correct, you need to make sure your content provides readers’ information they are looking for. This practice is known as “user intent.” Since this aligns with the core goals of any search engine, it should not be a surprise they put a lot of value into information. After all, that is the reason readers are going to the search engine in the first place. They want information, and search engines promise to deliver them the correct information.
The goal of your content writing should be to have people read it to the very end. Additionally, it would be helpful if the information you provide is something they can link on their websites or social media pages.
All of the above points are what help search engines to learn what is right and what is wrong. Once the algorithm decides what to show the end-user, it is up to them to find value in the information you provided.
Publishing Strategy
We all know that you are going to post the content you create on your page. However, when it comes to posting content on other pages, you have to have a plan. While it would seem like a good idea to sign up for a bunch of hosting sites and publish a lot of information, this is not always the case.
Different platforms are better suited for certain types of content. Meaning, what works for Facebook, will not necessarily work for LinkedIn. That is why you need to have a plan before you start.
In the example above, your content should not be as business-oriented when you are posting content on Facebook, but when you post on LinkedIn, it should be. LinkedIn is a great way to publish content that showcases your professional background. Facebook, on the other hand, would be a great place to engage customers looking for sharable posts.
Post Regularly
We often tell our clients that we have a certain cadence we like to keep. That means that we want to post the same number of articles each week. Doing this creates the tempo at which the web crawlers visit your site.
Over a given amount of time, the web crawlers determine how often you post. They will check back to see if there have been any changes. If you were supposed to have posted since the last time they checked, and you didn’t, they will devalue your website. The reason for this is that Google, and other search engines, like to keep things fresh. In other words, they don’t want companies or individuals to do a lot of work to become ranked and disappear. That would be unfair to others that are trying to post content continuously.
Much the same way the devalue your website if you have not posted and you should have, posting will add value to your site. Whenever the web crawlers come by, and you have new content, they see the site as a little better. The better you are, the higher you get ranked.
Promote Your Content
You have taken the time to make sure that you have a great blog for people to read. If it just sits on your website, chances are people will not just happen upon it. It is then up to you to make sure your customers see it. Utilize the platforms that you have access to bump your viewership. The more people that know about your blog, the more they will look forward to reading what you have written.
The best way to promote your content is via social media. Millions of eyes are on a handful of social media sites every hour of the day. Posting your content is a great way to have even more eyes to see it. When someone that follows you like, comments, or shares the information, your reach goes beyond your followers. Their friends see this as well. As much as 30% more than your total followers can see your content if your followers are engaging with you.
Conclusion
There you have it. By only using your blog, you can increase your reputation. The key factors to remember when you are blogging is to make sure that you are posting quality content (free of grammatical errors), publish it on the right platform, post regularly, and promote your content as much as you can. It is important to note, blogging is not the only way that you can improve your online reputation. It is merely a jumping-off point. If you would like more information on boosting or repairing your online reputation, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to map out a plan that can work for you.