3. Influence

We can influence the results. Many of our techniques are closely guarded secrets; however, here are some of the better known tactics to dominate your search engine space:

Development of Your Corporate Site(s)
You must make sure that your corporate site is fully search engine optimized and appears at the top of results lists for your name and your brand. If your organization has more than one brand site, the same attention should be given to all of your sites.

Sister Sites and Micro Sites
If there are other sites within your organization, such as micro sites and individual product sites; these should include an optimized page about the corporate site.

Corporate Blogs
Consider the benefits of developing corporate blogs if you do not already have them. Blogs can be aimed at supporting specific business functions such as marketing or customer service. Being a forward thinker within your industry will help your reputation to grow.

Employee Blogs
Encourage employee blogging. These blogs can be search engine optimized for your brand.

Partner Sites
Look for third party opportunities to include information about your company. These could include the websites of your product retailers, parts suppliers and distributors. Develop relationships with various types of partner organizations and try to get information about your business on their site.

Communicate with your business partners and ask them to optimize a page about your brand. Make sure that all content relating to your company on other highly ranked sites is accurate and current. Communicate with these partners regularly and provide them with site updates.

Corporate Communications
Publish all your corporate communications on your website including press releases, articles, testimonials, case studies, white papers, or anything else which is either innocuous or beneficial, and be sure these pages are optimized. If this information is not published or optimized in a search friendly way, it won’t be indexed or listed by search engines. Release regular press releases and submit them to online wire services. Optimize these press releases for your name or brand. Submit articles about your business to online industry publications. Optimize these articles for your name or brand. Eventually, you’ll create a linking structure which will be extremely difficult to compete with. It simply adds up to wall of information in your favor.

Paid Advertising
Consider getting a paid search engine listing for your company name or brand. Although this does not affect the ‘natural’ listings, it contributes to your total domination of your search engine space. Dominating your space in this manner also counters the efforts of competitors who divert traffic by using your trademark.

We Influence the Results by Participating in the Conversation and Eliminating Negative Sites

We Influence online conversations by being actively involved in them. Your participation will give you the opportunity to improve the perception of your brand. We give you the tools to take an active part in your industry conversation by becoming a regular contributor to blogs and forums within your industry. Lead the conversation about your brand.

Sources of Potential Reputation Problems, Sources of Opportunity

• Blogs, Forums, and Consumer Opinion Sites
• Consumer Complaint Sites
• Social Network Sites
• Competitor Attacks
• Trademark Infringement
• Counterfeit Products
• Counter-intelligence
• Crisis Management Developments