You can ask questions or add your comments at the ‘Insights to Search for Business’ Blog.

How Do Consumers Perceive Your Online Brand?

Consumers use the web to make buying decisions. A vast majority buys offline, but goes online to research, read reviews and get opinions from other consumers about products they are looking to buy.

With the growth of consumer-generated media (CGM) such as blogs, forums, and message boards, information can be quickly generated and indexed by search engines. For business leaders, it is vitally important to actively listen to what is being said online, even if messages are negative. Listening creates the opportunity to take action and resolve internal problems or deal with malicious information, both of which can negatively influence your brand image and your corporate reputation.

Before the development of the web, news was slow moving and organizations could take their time to develop structured responses to problems. Currently, rapid developments in consumer generated media sites mean that the general public can quickly air their views. These views can make or break a brand. Consumers trust these published opinions and base their buying decisions on them. For example, eBay’s success has been based on their system of feedback ratings, which provides consumer opinions of sellers. Any information available to your potential clients affects your reputation and their buying decisions.

Similarly, ex-employees, and brand activists can easily get their personal viewpoints out there. Competitors who can also spread malicious rumors and lies about your company and brand in the hopes of stealing your market share.

These types of unsubstantiated reporting can affect your corporate image and your brand's reputation. Sites containing these kinds of information are being indexed by search engines and appearing in search results for your brand names. The information can spread to the traditional media, compounding the damage.

People from all walks of life use search engines to research, and gather information so that they can make informative decisions. If the information they come across during a search relating to your brand is adverse, it can affect the decisions they make. Negative information can ultimately lead to problems in many areas including sales, investor relations, recruitment, financials, image, and reputation. In other words - damage to your brand.

That is why it is essential that your website that all positive associated web sites and corporate communications related to your brand are fully optimized and published on the web. The result of doing this is an increase in your overall positive web presence, which will help you own the top spots of the search engine rankings for your brand. This enables you to protect and manage your brand reputation by becoming actively involved in the outcome of search engine results through a three-step process.

About the author:

Fionn Downhill and James Peggie of Elixir Systems, search engine optimization consultants located in Scottsdale, Arizona. www.elixirsystems.com

You can comment on this article at the Elixir Systems Search Blog.

This is the newsletter from Elixir Systems. Elixir Systems is a Phoenix, Arizona based search engine optimization and search engine marketing services company. If you received a copy of this newsletter and would like to subscribe go to http://www.elixirsystems.com/newsletter.

You are currently subscribed as %BASIC:EMAIL%
To unsubscribe go to http://www.elixirsystems.com/newsletter/unsubscribe.php or email newsletter@elixirsystems.com with unsubscribe in the subject line.

© Elixir Systems, All rights reserved. You are f~ree to use this article in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link and email link.

Please also notify us where the material will appear using the address