Issue link: https://learn.thebdx.com/i/715086
theBDX.com 11900 Ranch Road 620 N, Austin TX 78750-1345 © 2015 Builders Digital Experience, Inc. All rights reserved. W H I T E P A P E R | R E P U T A T I O N M A N A G E M E N T A Benchmark Audit The fi rst step to managing your reputation is to assess your current reputation. Start with a benchmark audit to determine your current online situation. 3-Steps in the Audit Process: 1. Gather and categorize reputation results through relevant lenses. We pull 3 pages of Google search results for keyword searches that are refelective of your reputation. Our main focus is on page 1, but on page 2 and 3 are your best opportunities to promote positive references. 2. Identify the results on pages 2 and 3 that you want to promote and develop a plan for making these results more relevant. You want to cause things you own/control or are highly positive to be considered more relevant in the search results. 3. Continue to monitor your reputation online. Update your audit sheet bi-weekly while actively seeking to drive changes in the results, but monitor at least monthly for changes. Set up monitoring of your brand mentions. Many tools are available for free or at moderate costs. Gather and Assess Your Reputation Through Google Search Results You need to view your reputation through three lenses: (1) a general brand view, (2) the view as someone looking for brand reviews, and (3) the view as a potential employee. We can assess your online brand reputation by using Google to search for: [Your Brand Term Only] [Your Brand Term Only] + reviews [Your Brand Term Only] + careers For each search above, we are looking for two key things : (1) Positive information on sites you own/control or infl uence, and (2) results that are harmful to your reputation on the fi rst two search results pages. Ideally, you will own/control most of page 1 and what you don't own is infl uenced by you or favorable to your brand. Further, we do not want negative reviews, particularly on the fi rst 2 pages of Google search results. Based on your own situation, you may choose to modify or add to these guidelines. Just be consistent. We care most about what shows up near the top of search results. Page 1 of Google is key since less than 6% of searchers will ever get to page 2 and less than 2% will get to page 3 (Source: Advanced Web Ranking's 2014 Google Organic CTR Study) Page 3