Michael Fleischner, President of Upward SEO, presents to DeVry University undergraduate and graduate students on the topic of local marketing and reputation management. During this presentation, Michael explains the basics of reputation management and three effective strategies for dealing with reputation that may have been compromised - either for individuals or businesses. Mr. Fleischner focused on the power of authority websites, social media, and citations, or bolstering website authority and improving online reputation. Learn more about effective reputation management strategies by following Michael on Twitter @fleischnerm or by visiting UpwardSEO.com.

1. “Online Reputation – The
Future of Branding"

2. TODAY’S SPEAKER
Michael Fleischner
Author, SEO Made Simple (3rd Edition)
mfleischner@upwardSEO.com
• Author and speaker on
reputation management and
SEO
• Has appeared on TODAY
Show, ABC World News,
and Bloomberg Radio
• President and Founder of
Upward SEO
• SCOOP Marketing Forum
“SEO Made Simple (3rd
Edition)”

3. What is Online Reputation
 Online Reputation Management (ORM) means
getting your content and message online to
establish a favorable perception of your company
or brand
 Studies show that 83 percent* of all consumers
use the Internet to research products or services
before making a purchase
 Prospects develop an impression of your brand
based on search results. Consider page 1 of
Google as your business card (search results,
autocomplete, third party websites, social media
sites)
• Websites
• Images
• videos
3
*www.internetretailer.com/.../most-shoppers-go-online-research-products‎

4. Why you must manage your online reputation
 If you are not proactively managing
your own reputation, then others will.
 Consider the implications of even one
negative review about a business,
especially if that is all people find
when searching for you.
 Companies with a poor online
reputation have reported:
 low conversion rates
 increased marketing costs
 lower profit margins
4

5. Types of Reputation Management
 Personal
 Professional (including athletes,
executives, and actors)
 Company Brand
 Remediation
 Enhancement
 Crisis Management
 Review suppression
 Identity Protection (anonymity)
5

6.  Simply search the web for your
business name and see what
results you get. Also, search your
name, the names of your high-
profile employees, brand, or
product/service)
 You don’t need to look past the
first page of search engine results,
as 99 percent of your customers
will never get past that page
An Ounce of Prevention
6

7. What it Should Look Like

8.  Many sites allow individuals to share
experiences via online reviews.
 Citation sites like Foursquare, Yelp,
Local.com, and 411 among others;
even Google Places.
 Comments on industry forums,
threads on social media sites,
online articles, blog posts, public
record documents, and more.
How your reputation is formed
8

9.  83% of consumers research products
and services online before making a
purchase*
 See how often people are searching
your brand with the Google Adwords
Keyword Planner
 Would you buy from a company that
has:
• Negative online reviews?
• Negative news or press?
• Limited information available?
• Negative videos or other types of
information?
The Cost of a Bad Reputation or No Reputation?
9
*Internetretailer.com

10. How to manage your online reputation …
 Successful online reputation
management begins with prevention!
• Build your online presence before the
storm (Reputation Marketing)
• Focus on your "Centers of Influence“
socially and locally (more on this
later)
• Be congruent with your branding and
messaging
• Give stakeholders a place to vent and
receive help before they ‘take it to
the streets’
• Crowd out negative voices
10

11. Reputation Management Roadmap
 Follow this path for Rep Management
Success:
1. Assess the full scope of online
reputation concerns
2. Review existing results and determine
best course of action (respond to
reviews, etc.)
3. Review existing digital assets and
optimize
4. Focus on improving ranking of neutral
or positive results, push down
negatives
5. Monitor and Protect against future
attacks
11

12. “Get Authority. Get
Social. Get Local.
Improving page one
search results…"

13. Three Great Places to Start
 Authority Websites
• Wikipedia
• Crunchbase
• About.me
• PR Web
 Social Media
• Have accounts? Optimize them…
• Need accounts? Get them…
-Facebook -Google +
-Twitter - Pinterest
-LinkedIn -Slideshare
 Citations
• Networks of leading websites (Bing
local, 411, Local.com, Foursquare)
13

14. Great Places to Start
Place #1 – Authority Websites
 Wikipedia
• Authoritative site that operates in a
unique way
• Only appropriate for
established/referenced businesses or
individuals
• Google relies heavily on authority listings
 Press Releases
• PR Web
• Google news
 Industry Specific
• Association websites
• Foundations
14

15. Great Places to Start
Place #2 - Social
 Social Media
• Have accounts? Optimize them…
• Need accounts? Get them…
-Facebook -Google +
-Twitter - Pinterest
-LinkedIn -Slideshare
• Maintain accounts using semi-automated
tools and resources (Hootsuite)
15

16. Individuals…

17. Businesses…

18. Great Places to Start
Place #3 - Citations
 Focus on Local Optimization
• Accurate Citations
• Focus on most popular networks
• Google Places
• Ask for reviews
• Listen. Really Listen - monitoring
• Respond Quickly - engagement
18

19. Protect Your Business w/Local Optimization
Local citations impact Google Places listing as well as natural
search results. Citations are considered one of the top 3
determinants of rank.

20. THE POWER OF CITATIONS

21. Great Places to Finish
 Authority Websites
• Wikipedia
• Press Releases
• Industry Specific
 Social Media
• Have accounts? Optimize them…
• Need accounts? Get them…
-Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+,
Pinterest
 Focus on Local Optimization
• Get Covered on Local Business
Sites/Citations
• Listen, Respond, Engage
21

22. “Random Things to Think
About & Random Case
Studies…"

23. 23
GOOGLE SUGGEST

24. CASE STUDY 1 - PROFESSIONAL

25. 25
CASE STUDY 1 - PROFESSIONAL

26. 26
CASE STUDY 1 - PROFESSIONAL

27. 27
CASE STUDY 2 – COMPANY REVIEWS

28. CASE STUDY 2 – COMPANY REVIEWS

29. CASE STUDY 2 – COMPANY REVIEWS

30. For Help With Online Reputation
Management or Local Search
Michael Fleischner
mfleischner@upwardseo.com
Office: 800-975-7324 x700