Think about your reputation. How would you define it? What words would you use to describe it? Do you have a good reputation or a negative reputation? 

When it comes to discussions around online reputation, many of those conversations tend to be negative. It makes sense - people tend not to think about their reputation until there is an issue; however, there are many benefits of a good reputation that may be overlooked when focusing on the harm that can come from a negative reputation.

In this article, I’ll attempt to define a good reputation, outline the benefits of a positive reputation, and give you some advice about how to put your best foot forward online.

What is a good reputation? 

A good (or bad) reputation can be one of those things that is difficult to define but easy to identify when you see it. Generally, a good reputation is one that:

1. Aligns with your own ideal perception of yourself or your business,
2. Elicits a positive reaction from your audience,
3. And is an asset to you or your business.

Some traits are considered more universally characteristic of a good reputation, such as integrity, reliability, professionalism, etc. That said, what is valued in your particular field or industry can influence what defines a good reputation for you specifically. For some products, affordability may improve your reputation, while affordability can actually discredit other kinds of products. Professionalism can vary, as professionalism in the entertainment industry may look different than professionalism in the legal field. 

Your online reputation is made up of what exists about you online. A good reputation is one that, based on your search results, social media presence, etc., will improve engagement with your target audience, while a bad reputation will deter engagement. 

Assessing Your Online Reputation

While you do want a comprehensive understanding of how you come up online, which involves auditing your full digital presence, assessing your online reputation should be more focused on the overarching narratives, which are usually influenced by the most prominent results. 

To evaluate your online reputation:

1. Ensure that you are searching in an incognito window with your cache cleared to get the most accurate results.
2. Search the branded term(s) that should bring up results about your business.
3. Take note of what you see (not only in search results, but in suggested and related search, Google reviews, the news tab, etc.).
4. If the results are relevant to you, assess if they are positive, negative, or neutral. If they are not relevant to you, you will need to work on your SEO.
5. Identify the prominent narratives about your business, and determine if these are in line or at odds with your ideal reputation.

To learn more about assessing your online reputation, you can read our guide here.

The Benefits of a Good Reputation

In 2024, a positive online reputation is not only beneficial, but essential. Most people will find out about you or your business (or find out more) based on your digital presence, and this online impression is often lasting, underscoring the critical need for a positive online reputation.

1. Reputation Matters: It may seem obvious, but people care about your reputation. If you have a good reputation, this can lead to many opportunities. For businesses, a positive online reputation can be the deciding factor for prospective customers considering your business, as consumers rank reputation as the #1 most important factor when determining which businesses to frequent. For individuals, a positive online reputation can impact your employability and your personal life. 
2. Trust, Credibility, and Authority: Trustworthiness is at the core of a good reputation. If you are considered trustworthy, it means that your output aligns with your promises, whether in the context of products and services, company values, individual professionalism, etc. When individuals or businesses consistently demonstrate trustworthiness (a staggering 95% of consumers report trusting a business with a positive reputation), it reinforces their credibility and authority among prospective customers, potential employees and employers, and stakeholders, which can further improve your reputation through positive feedback and reviews, citations and references, being seen as a thought leader, etc. 
3. Visibility and Growth: Particularly online, visibility is extremely tied to growth. It takes roughly 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember a brand, highlighting the importance of visibility to your online reputation, so where you appear in non-branded search results (results for keywords that are relevant to you or your business but do not contain words specific to your business) can have a huge impact on your growth. Businesses with better reputations are more likely to be engaged with, shared, and talked about positively online, all of which can improve your visibility and organically grow your audience. 
4. Loyalty: A positive online reputation doesn’t only help you grow your audience, but retain your audience. When you have a good online reputation, people are more likely to consider your perspective or give you the benefit of the doubt in situations where you may be misunderstood, misrepresented, or have made a mistake.‍
5. Advantage Over Competitors: A positive online reputation can help differentiate you in your industry and establish you above your competitors, both literally in search results and in the perception of your target audience. Though it may seem harsh, when it comes to your digital presence, if you’re not first, you’re last. While this isn’t strictly true, standing out from the crowd (i.e. your competitors) is key to growing your business or gaining recognition as an individual. 
6. ‍Increased Bandwidth: A good reputation works for you. If you maintain a positive online reputation, the energy put into real-time monitoring, responding to negative feedback, suppressing negative press, and generally improving your reputation can be spent elsewhere. Proactive reputation management is much easier than reactive reputation management. While businesses and individuals that are well-represented online should still have an ORM strategy in place, the daily time and energy commitment is generally decreased.‍
7. Resilience in Crisis: While you may not experience a full-on reputation crisis, you will likely experience some kind of negative feedback or commentary online at some point. If you have a strong digital presence and a positive online reputation, it is much easier to weather these waves. A good reputation can be a buffer in the wake of negative comments or press coverage by diluting the potency of criticism while reinforcing the positive image of you or your business. 

Starting Off on the Right Foot 

Building and maintaining a good reputation is an iterative process that requires ongoing effort. Online reputation encompasses standard reputation considerations, as well as a focused, active approach to your digital presence. Regardless of your current reputation status, you have to establish an online reputation management strategy to ensure that you are presenting yourself in the best possible way and safeguarding your reputation against potential risks.

1. Define Your Values

A significant aspect of your reputation is defined by your values and whether or not you adhere to those values. For businesses, these values can encompass your approach to customers, the quality or affordability of products, the social responsibility your business exhibits, how you treat employees, or the standards you set in your industry. For individuals, these values can encompass your professionalism, your approach to your peers and colleagues, your integrity in your work, and how you want to shape your field. 

The importance of accountability is constantly growing. For businesses and individuals dedicated to adhering to their values and maintaining a positive reputation, this can bring a lot of opportunity. Beyond operating with integrity, it can help you connect with your audience. 

2. Maintain Your Online Presence

Your online reputation is defined by what there is about you online, and your owned assets (your website, blog, social media profiles, etc.) provide you an opportunity to establish and define how you want to be seen. If you aren’t utilizing these channels, or aren’t keeping up with them, you may be doing more harm than good, as outdated or inactive online assets could deter people who are trying to find out more information about you or your business.

To ensure that you will keep up a regular cadence of posting and maintaining your owned assets, determine your bandwidth and establish a plan prior to taking the assets live (as you’ll likely want to claim your desired domain and usernames as quickly as you can!). Relevant information should always be updated, free of inaccuracies, and representative of you and your business.

3. Keep Up with Reviews

For businesses, online reviews are a key factor in your overall online reputation and a strategy for soliciting, monitoring, and responding to reviews is imperative. Over 90% of people report that positive reviews increase the likelihood that they will frequent that business. 

An effective review strategy includes both a customer service side and an ORM side. Of course, getting a good rating (between 4.0 and 4.7 stars) starts with how you treat the customer; 80% of consumers report that they are likely to leave a positive review if the business went above and beyond, and almost 80% of consumers report that they are likely to leave a positive online review if the business had turned an initially negative experience into a positive one.

When it comes to ORM, the most important aspects of reviews are: 1) monitoring them so you are up to date, and 2) responding in a prompt, professional, and helpful manner. Nearly 90% of consumers report that they are more likely to frequent a business if the business responds to all reviews, whether they are positive or negative.

If you’d like an in-depth guide to review management, you can read more here.

4. Don’t Overlook Social Media

Over 4.95 billion people worldwide use social media and this number is growing. How you present yourself or your business on social media can have a significant impact. For individuals, social media should be professional or private, as roughly 90% of employers look at the social media presence of prospective employees. 

For businesses, social media can be an incredible asset. If you have a consistent brand presence across all platforms, you can increase revenue by nearly 25%. What’s more, if you aren’t leveraging social media, you may be losing out to competitors, as 77% of businesses report using social media to interact with their customers. 

A good online reputation can help you on social media as well. Over 80% of social media users report that social media increases accountability for businesses; while this statistic can be intimidating, accountability can provide opportunities for businesses, helping you connect more with your audience and highlighting your accountability and commitment to your values. 

5. Take Feedback Seriously

It isn’t always easy to hear feedback about you or your business; however, feedback can be an extremely valuable tool when it comes to building a positive online reputation. With so many avenues for feedback - social media, online reviews, customer complaints, etc. - it can be overwhelming, but finding the feedback that is relevant and actionable can help you refine yourself, your business, and your online image.

When receiving feedback (positive or negative), consider:

• Is this relevant? 
• Is this indicative of a pattern, or specific to this person? 
• Can this change, and on what scale does it need to change? 

For established professionals and businesses, change may be difficult, but positive, authentic attempts to change can improve your trustworthiness and relationship with your audience. 

What if I need to improve my online reputation? 

There are many ways your online reputation can be harmed, and you may not know the best way forward. In these cases, a timely response is vital and missteps can aggravate the situation. If you feel mending your reputation is beyond your expertise or bandwidth, Status Labs can help you.

By scheduling a free consultation, you can take the first step toward a good online reputation. Our experts will hear you out and create a customized approach to improving your online reputation with lasting results. 

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