Search Engine Reputation Management is a tactic that is used to tamp down negative content in search results and improve online reputations. The standard idea is to create a lot of positive content and get it to rank highly in search results by increasing the traffic to, and influence of, the link. However, this does not always work. Often the other pages are simply ranked too highly or the search engine likes them for some inane reason.

One way to get around this problem is to check with the registrar and see if they have broken any of the terms and conditions with the company where the website is registered. They could also be spamming Google using SEO tactics which are frowned upon by Google.

Of course, this is only mentioned in order to highlight the idea that traditional search engine reputation management tactics are not the only ones that can be used, though they are certainly the most advisable methods.

One of the problems with reputation management is that it can be incredibly technically confusing. It is not a subject which people can easily tackle themselves because they often do not have the necessary knowledge about the Internet, search engines, backlinking, etc. So a “do it yourself” solution is often ruled out. However, this is not necessarily a standard that is going to remain. A look at this article shows that it can be done, though the “simplification” really isn’t as simple as it seems.

Listening to what is being said about you or your business online has emerged as a critical part of a company’s reputation management strategy. The multitude of social channels and communication technology enables customers to comment and feed back on experiences, products and services every time they interact with your brand, regardless of their location or the time of day.

The article goes on to detail a number of free tools that can be used to monitor online reputation management problems. Tools named include Google Alerts, Yahoo pipes, Boardreader, Blogpulse, and Social Mention. Paid for services that are mentioned include Brandwatch, Radian 6, Scoutlabs, Attensity360, and BuzzDing.