Irrespective of the business sector you are involved in, you will always find some people who like to spoil the goodwill of their competitors to steal customers. If you have a website, then get prepared for negative SEO. Some digital marketers apply unethical tactics, known as negative SEO, to spread rumors about your business so that both Google and potential customers lose interest in your business. There are many ways to create a negative image of a business, but I believe in 2018 we will witness a surge in fake negative reviews and illegitimate social signals.
Suppose you have an e-commerce business, Google will count a negative review of your products or services on your website or third-party websites or social media websites as a testament to your brand value. In simpler terms, if lots of people are saying bad things about you (even though their comments are fake) in review websites and social media platforms, you can forget about good ranks on SERP.
How Can You Combat Fake Reviews and Fake Social Signals
- The first and foremost thing you should do is to ask your genuine and loyal customers to write reviews on your site and other third-party websites including Google My Business reviews. Remember some of the customers may say a few negative things about your brand, but at least you will get genuine feedback and certainly, the positive reviews will help you earn the trust of the online audience.
- You must monitor all the reviews posted about your brand on your own website as well as third-party websites. If you suspect that someone has posted a fake review on a third-party website, contact the website admin and explain to him why the review is not authentic. Even if the website admin doesn’t remove it, he will allow you to write a response in his website to defend your brand image.
- It is important to respond to the reviews you get in personal and third-party websites, including social media. When a negative review is counter-attacked by a positive response, Google counts that as a ranking factor. Also, fake or not, when other customers will see that you are trying to rectify your mistakes and offering a better customer experience, it will enhance your brand image.
- You should create a profile on every major social media platform to interact with your fans. You must have noticed that there are plenty of fake profiles in the name of big brands across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fortunately, social media networks award a verified symbol to genuine brand pages. So, when you have a verified corporate page in all the prominent social media websites, the search engines will scan the content shared on those pages and since the content of the social media is controlled by you, it is easier to maintain a positive image.
Conclusion
One last advice, don’t ever buy fake reviews to influence local SEO. Eventually, Google and customers will realize that you are trying to create a baseless positive image of your business and penalize you for malpractice. Offer great services and immediate response to your customers so if someone tries to mar your brand image, the loyal customers will speak in your defense. To know more visit- https://www.tayloright.com/
This is a guest post by Maria Jones. She is a blogger and content writer who write many articles on career, business, lifestyle and technology. She enjoys reading new things on the internet. She spends lot of time on social media.