Over the years, the Internet has become an essential space for business and personal activities. Whether for a company, a brand, a product or an individual, online reputation plays an essential role in their success… or failure. Indeed, when hundreds of customers express their dissatisfaction in posts, articles or reviews, this has an impact on future sales. Hence the importance of paying particular attention to e-reputation.
What is e-reputation?
E-reputation, also known as online reputation or digital reputation, is defined as the image that Internet users form of an entity, be it a company, a brand, a product or a person. This image is based on all the information available on the Web (whether positive, neutral or negative) concerning this entity, and can be influenced by various factors such as :
- Customer reviews,
- Press articles,
- Publications on social networks,
- Comments on forums,
- Testimonials and recommendations.
How is e-reputation built?
The role of search engines
To build their opinion of an entity, Internet users generally consult various sources of information. Search engines are often the starting point for these searches, especially Google, as over 91.53% of searches worldwide are carried out on Google (90.79% in France – source BDM ). They provide rapid access to a vast amount of information, particularly on :
- The official website of a company or brand (usually very smooth – a brand communication tool),
- Professional and public social networks (places for exchange, discussion and criticism),
- Online directories (generally neutral, but not always),
- Platforms specializing in company and product evaluations (consumer reviews).
- Press release sites (often linked to the relationship with the publisher/editor)
- Online comparators (often linked to affiliation contracts)
- Fan sites (often very positive, unless there’s a relationship accident)
The weight of social networks
In addition to search engines, social networks are a major vector in building e-reputation. They offer Internet users the opportunity to share their opinions, recommendations and criticisms, which can have a considerable impact on an entity’s image. The concept of influencers is based on this, with brands trying to create a reputation for themselves as “known” or “followed” people talk about you or use your products.
Why is it essential to monitor and manage your e-reputation?
In today’s digital society, e-reputation has become a key issue. Managing and monitoring it allows you to :
- Get to know your target and its expectations,
- Improve the quality of its products and services,
- Detect and anticipate potential reputational crises,
- Develop and maintain a positive public image,
- Strengthen customer trust and loyalty,
- Improve the natural referencing of your website.
What are the best practices for managing your e-reputation?
1. Audit your online presence
The first step is to assess the state of your online reputation through a complete audit of your web presence. To do this, it’s essential to identify and analyze :
- Its strengths,
- Areas for improvement,
- Feedback and customer opinions,
- Current press and media references,
- Discussions related to its activity on forums and social networks.
2. Define an appropriate communication strategy
Once the audit has been carried out, it’s time to determine a digital communications strategy tailored to your objectives and target audience. This approach must take into account the specific challenges of each platform (website, professional and general public social networks, blogs, etc.) and prioritize actions consistent with the positioning and values of the entity concerned.
3. Manage your online presence on a regular basis
Managing your online presence is a key element in maintaining and strengthening your reputation. This includes :
- Producing regular, high-quality content,
- Updating its website,
- Search engine optimization (SEO),
- Creation and regular maintenance of controlled external links (backlinks)
- Developing and retaining an online community,
- Monitoring and listening to discussions related to its activity.
4. Dealing quickly with negative reviews and managing crises
It’s crucial to be reactive in the face of negative opinions or situations potentially damaging to your reputation. An appropriate response can defuse a crisis and preserve your image. In this context, it is important to :
- Monitor feedback and opinions from Internet users on a daily basis,
- Respond professionally and respectfully,
- Address and resolve any issues raised as quickly as possible,
- Implement preventive actions to avoid the recurrence of these situations.
- Publicly demonstrating your customer focus
- Create new offers in response to your customers’ (or your competitors’) disappointment.
Retailers, B2B or B2C companies, organisations, do you want to improve your digital visibility and reputation?