4 Ways to take control of your reputation online

A good reputation online is just as important as the reputation you establish and maintain offline when it comes to your business. You need to know what people are saying about you – if anything negative out you, true or untrue, gets out on the web it takes quite a bit of effort to correct it. Here are 4 ways to manage your online reputation:

Google yourself regularly

Enter your name in  Google, Bing or any other search engines to see what’s being said about you on the web. When you put your name in the search engine, be sure to enclose it with quotation marks (e.g. “Umm Yusuf”). Be sure to also Google your business name (if you have  DBA). You can share links hat have nothing but good things to say about you on your website for potential customers to see.

Set up Google Alerts

Set up Google Alerts under your name and the name of your business. Google will scan the Internet and let you know whenever the names you designate show up online.

Set up professional profiles on social media sites and manage them carefully

These days potential employers, clients, and anyone else who wants to find out more about you, will search out your profiles on popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. When you’re running a business, presenting a consistent, professional image is crucial.
Make sure that all of your profiles are professional and exclude any information that could be misconstrued as inappropriate. The web is a bit more laid back than real life, but first impressions are just as important. Make sure the information you provide (e.g. contact info) is consistent with your other profiles and website.
If you use a social media site strictly for keeping in touch with friends and family, and you know some of the communication updates and comments may be questionable, set the privacy settings so that only your contacts can access your account.

Ask to have negative content about you or your company removed

Sometimes despite all of your good efforts, someone has something “not so nice” to say about you or your business. Unfortunately when it’s posted on the Internet it’s there for virtually the whole world to see. You can try to reason with the website  or blog owner and simply ask them to remove any offending content. Like my mother always said, it never hurts to ask, and the worse thing they can do is refuse to take it down.

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with a financial alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools needed to operate a successful, home-based business.