25 Free Online Reputation Management Tips and Tools

Recover Reputation / Blog / 25 Free Online Reputation Management Tips and Tools

25 Free Online Reputation Management

Tips and Tools
 APRIL 3, 2014
 STEVEN W GIOVINCO
 BLOG, HOW TO FIX YOUR WEB PRESENCE, HOW TO REPAIR YOUR REPUTATION, ONLINE
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT, RECOVER REPUTATION, REPUTATION MANAGEMENT FIRM

Online Reputation Management: 25 Free Tips

Updated for 2018

See Related Article: Calculating the Value of Online Reputation Management
Here are some of the top, effective and free 25 online reputation management tips from Recover
Reputation to help build, boost or repair a web presence for CEOs, businesses and professionals such as
lawyers, financial advisors, or those in the art world.
The tips range from content creation, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), monitoring, and
off-site suggestions, and are listed roughly in order of importance and effectiveness.
Some can be accomplished by dedicating time and a varying degree of effort; other online repair
techniques require research and technical expertise, such as defining effective key search terms and
adding them to Title meta data of your web site, and others require direct help from an online
reputation management expert.

Remember, however, that online reputation management is a long term process,

and can take about six months or more to complete, requiring about two or four
hundred hours of consistent work, two to three hours per day.
1. Create Website with Business as Domain

Making a website or updating a site with quality content and using your name or business as the
domain name is one of the top tips. Be sure to add legitimate information your readers or clients will
truly find valuable. Also, the site should be updated frequently. I highly recommend WordPress and
it’s thousands of free or low-cost templates.

2. Write an Informative, Consistant Blog

Writing a blog is probably one of the best solutions. Posting instructive and engaging articles weekly
or very frequently is crucial. It is best to use a catchy title, have good images (don’t swipe it:
purchase it or use a Creative Commons image), use headings to break the piece down into easy-to-
read sections, and insert one or two links back to your site.

3. Be Very Active On LinkedIn

For business connections, nothing beats LinkedIn. As with any social media site, completely fill out
the profile and make sure you include web site links in your contact information. An additional
online reputation management tip: customize your URL with your name or business.
4. Attempt to Remove Negative Links

Removing a negative post, link, image or blog post is sometimes possible but frankly, however, it’s
usually extremely difficult once something has been published. Politely contact the author or
webmaster and professionally state your case and request the item to be removed. Be sensitive that
you don’t want to open a “hornet’s nest” by reaching out to the author, however. There might be
options that an online reputation management specialist might have, such as reaching out to
Google.

5. Create a Neutral Wikipedia Entry

A Wikipedia article is extremely useful and since it is highly valued by search engines, it will usually
rank on the top of the first page of Google, making it a powerful online reputation management tip.

Creating one can be problematic, however. The entry must be truly noteworthy, backed-up with
verifiable sources and legitimate links. One approach is to focus on major recognizable
accomplishments that can be documented, such as lectures given, awards won and articles
published. Also note that your article could be taken down by administrators or other
editors/readers if your achievements are not substantiated. Be aware that if negative articles just
came out, you could be “adding fuel to the fire” by creating additional unwanted attention on
Wikipedia.

6. Create a YouTube Presence and Videos

YouTube and videos are extremely powerful ways to repair an online reputation. Create one that
focuses on you and the positive things you do. Keep it brief and as professional as possible, offering
useful information. Using your smartphone could be fine so long as your are authentic or provide
great content.

7. Stay Clear of Additional Negative Comments

Don’t comment on negative content such as a review on RipoffReports.com because it will only push
its ranking higher. Tempting as it might be to tell your side of the story, this will only make things
worse so avoid it.

8. Build Positive Links to Your Site

Links to your web site help drive traffic and shows search engines such as Google that you are a
noteworthy, good site, thus helping your ranking. Developing a good linking strategy can be
extremely time consuming but is worth it. Never buy links: as Google continues to weed out bad
links, you’ll quickly get blacklisted and ruin your reputation further.

9. Make a Presence on Related Industry Platforms

Identify good, interesting and useful platforms specific for your industry, and add your online
presence there. Be sure fill out all the profile information, including links to your site and blog, your
photo, and links for key articles.

10. Write a Whitepaper and Publish

You are an expert in your field—whether it be mortgage backed securities, rental properties in the
Hamptons, or contemporary emerging art galleries in Chelsea. Create a detailed whitepaper or
thoroughly written informative document on a topic of your choosing, and then post it to a well
regarded site.

11. Join College Alumni Groups

Add yourself to high school, undergraduate or graduate schools alumni sites. Usually, sites with
“.edu” domain extensions are ranked extremely high by Google.

12. Update Your Web Site with Meta Tags Title and
Descriptions
Be sure your web site is optimized, ideally for the negative term. This could be complicated and
might involve an SEO or reputation expert but make sure your name or your company is included in
the title metatags of some of your pages. The page’s Title is the link that Google displays when
searching for you, and without it set up properly, good information is less likely to be found.

13. Tweet Several Times a Day

Photo Credit: HTSABO

Google is using cues from social media engagement more and more so Twitter is an excellent online
reputation management tip. Gain good followers, put out helpful information, and link back to your
site. Tweet consistently several times a day.

14. Add Images to Pinterest Every Week

Adding visual information to Pinterest can also be very powerful. Comment on others, “like” and
“Pin” compelling images. The best times to post images are after 8pm or the weekends. Look to gain
Followers too and develop Boards that are clear, colorful and have a specific niche.

15. Post Images to Instagram

Although depending on your industry, activity on Instagram can vary, but minimally make an account
and add your website in the Profile section. Comment on others, “like” and add your own images you
take ranging from cityscapes, vacation photos, meetings locations, etc.

16. Be Active On Facebook Every Day

Be very active on social media sites such as Facebook by posting good content. These should not be
purely promotional but should be geared to engage with your friends. Add images, ask questions,
and comment on other’s post at least once a day.

17. Get a Presence on Relevant Blogs

Follow useful blogs and online sites in your field, and be an active voice there. This includes writing
comments on others’ posts, adding newsworthy links, and writing original articles tailored for the
site.
18. Complete Image File Information

As mentioned above, images are more important than ever to Google, and having a properly named
image file is crucial. Be sure when adding images to blogs to make sure all additional fields are
completed.

19. Write an Informative Guest Blog

Writing an article or blog post as a guest can be a very helpful but not as much as in the past—be
sure to work only with blogs focused on your industry. Start by following blogs and topics that are
appealing or relate to your business, and eventually pitch them an idea for a blog topic. This is a
great way to get links pointing back to your site.

20. Create a Reddit Account and be Active

Reddit is an extremely popular site that aggregates news and comments on various topics. It can
sometimes be hard to add a comment or link because it is geared to block spam or frequent
additions.

21. Make Comments on Online Communities, Forums,

Publications

Follow and good, interesting and online sites, forums and communities specific for your
industry. Check them frequently and commit to making one comment daily to show that you are a
“thought leader.” Also be engaging. Don’t just say, “Good article,” which sounds “spamy,” but put
some thought into the comment.

22. Monitor Google Alerts For Updates

Monitor your online reputation by signing up for free Google Alerts. Note that you need a Google
account, but you should have one already—if you don’t, get one immediately. Enter the word or
phrase you want to monitor and when it shows up online, you’ll get an email notification. Usually,
enter your name or your business name. If it’s a common name, you can include an attribute about
your name, such as, “Jane Smith Finance”. You can also select how often you want alerts (select
immediately) as well as other options.

23. Give a Talk or Speak at Conferences

Being visible in public is a way to generate positive news about you and build an excellent
reputation, so pick some topics that you are an expert in and contact a local library, club or business
organization and offer to give a talk.

24. Create a Google+ Account and Update Daily

Although Google Plus is on it’s way out, it still can be helpful since it’s a Google property and post
and comment daily. Follow influencers in your field and engage with them. Since it’s a Google
platform, it will be indexed very quickly making it a great online reputation management tip.

25. Create Yelp Reviews for Others

Yelp is a very popular review site, and having a presence there is a way to boost your online
reputation. Create some legitimate reviews for places you genuinely like, and avoid the temptation
to write a glowing review for yourself posing as someone else—it’s illegal and if you get caught, this
could damage things further.