Does Your Online Presence Compliment or Counteract Word of Mouth Recommendations

It is and always has been a vital part of the construction industry to have a good reputation. Word of mouth and recommendations are one of the most trusted and respected forms of advertising for a brand, as its far more reassuring if someone is willing to recommend the company after having work done by them than simply picking a random company from an advert or directory with nothing but their own word to go by.

However, in the digital age more people are turning to Google rather than the Yellow Pages when they receive a recommendation for a specialist contractor, so having a gleaming reputation online is as important as having one offline. When people type your company name into Google, the first page that will come up is very likely to be your company website, but what follows? Is it your company’s social media pages, directory slots, blog, etc? Or is it a forum post or otherwise where someone is complaining about your company and the work you did for them that they were not happy with?

Ever Googled Your Company?

You may think you have a blemish free online presence, but the truth is you never know the lengths a disgruntled customer with online access will go to these days, and how that could affect your company’s online reputation. Writing a negative review or comments about a company online is just as common if not more so than writing something positive or a recommendation, and even posts of this nature from years before could creep up at anytime in a search, as once something is published online it is very hard to completely erase or evade.

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If you haven’t already stopped reading after the last paragraph to go and Google search your company name to see what comes up on the first page, I suggest you do so now. If what you see is various links to your company’s different channels and maybe even some positive reviews then your company is doing something right. Keep up the good work and make a habit of regularly searching your company to ensure this continues. You also may want to read on to find out ways that can help ensure your searches stay positive and company orientated. If you see negative reviews, pages irrelevant to your company or industry that happen to share some keywords in common with your name, or even competitors’ websites and online channels then you have work to do to ensure your online presence compliments your offline reputation.

How To Manage A Good Online Presence

It is of vital importance in this day and age that companies and their marketing teams are aware of every aspect of the presence online and keep on top of this, as one bad search could lose your company credibility and prospective customers.

If negative reviews and comments are appearing on the first page of a Google search this isn’t irreversible, it just takes some extra effort on your side. Putting in place online PR and/or ensuring you have a regular flow of worthwhile content on all pages associated with your company name, including your website, blog and social media channels, will help to push those pages higher and push the negative comments off the first page.

Ensure you keep a regular check on anything coming up in relation to your company name and related keywords. You can set up Google Alerts to notify you of daily results or even as soon as each result appears so you can track your progress and make certain your online presence remains blemish free and optimised for success.


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