SEO for PR: 8 ways to deal with negative listings in search results
Does a Google search turn up nasty results for your company or client? Consider adopting these tips; it will help the good stuff rise to the top.
In many cases, negative results are in the form of news surrounding lawsuits, major news events tied to PR disasters, bad reviews, product issues, negative blog posts, and other user-generated content resulting from these issues.
Take, for example, this Google search page for BP:
Many of these events can happen suddenly, so brands should make it a high priority to closely monitor search results and incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) strategies in reputation management plans.
Here are a few tips for PR pros looking to stay out in front of these issues:
1. Monitor your brand’s search trends as often as possible.
The ongoing use of Google Trends and Google Alerts is an easy and effective way to identify trending topics around your brand. Additionally, search for your brand as any normal Internet user might, just to be sure you’re getting the accurate picture of how each result ranks or if particular sites or content are changing within the top 10 to 20 spots. High-risk brands should monitor results weekly at a minimum.
2. Take advantage of secondary brand sites.
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