Is Your Search Engine Reputation at Stake?Dec. 13, 2010

Confidential

Situation

“Any Review is a Good Review” The New York Times profiles a business owner whose negative reviews gain him

business

Google quickly takes action and revises its algorithms to prevent bad business practices from gaming the system

Some news reports cry foul that Google is sole decision maker based on reputation cues and automated technology

– Other reports indicate links from mainstream media, not reviews, increased the company’s search results

Social and technology collide: business owners and consumers are left guessing about search engine influences

Confidential

Where the Reviews Are

Search Engine Results

No reviews

Your Business Website

1. Review2. Review3. Review4. Review5. Review6. Review

Confidential

How Do Visitors Reach Your Site?

Confidential

Reputation Perception

Confidential

Managing Your Reputation

Confidential

Summary

In the end, good customer service and business practices win

Search engines continuously adjust algorithms and search results

Web users assume search engine rank includes sentiment

Google may add reviews next to businesses on search results pages in the future

Businesses that engage with customers build stronger reputations

Strong online reputations can make or break a business