There's a popular saying that goes "First impressions, last."
In this digital age, a more fitting variation would be "First page Google searches, last." This is a truth that we just can't escape nowadays.
Your whole life and professional career has become hinged on what people can search and read about you online. Imagine a future employer doing a background check and seeing your drunken college pics on Facebook. Or your questionable tweets from years back. Or a cringe-inducing fan video that your teenaged self made that somehow made its way to Youtube.
Those mentioned above are not pretty scenarios. For businesses and professionals, it can be much worse.
Don't Put Your Crazy Online
Take for example the case of the infamous Amy's Baking Company restaurant, which was featured on celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey's show, Kitchen Nightmares.
From the start of the show, it was obvious that the couple running the restaurant didn't have it together. They were serving horrible food, shouting at customers, treating their servers badly- all of which made Ramsey so angry that he basically gave up on the restaurant.
But what sealed the deal was how the owners reacted AFTER the whole situation.
They literally went crazy on social media and online review sites, threatening with fire and brimstone every one who dared to speak out against their awfulness. It's literally a prime textbook example of how NOT to do online reputation management; the fallout of which resulted into the restaurant finally closing down (and the owner-couple becoming the butt of jokes and crackpot conspiracy theories up to this very day).
Tips on Managing Your Online Reputation
Amy's Baking Company is unsalvageable at this point, but it's just an extreme example. Unsavory stuff that you don't want the public to see online can be scrubbed off the internet or pushed down Google searches low enough that people won't bother to go looking for them. The opposite is also true: stuff that you WANT the public to see can be created or pushed to the top of Google search results.
While you can hire reputation management companies to do these things for you, this can come at a pretty price. But with a little bit of internet-savvy and understanding of how Google works, you can easily do online reputation management on your own. Here are a few tips:
Get Your Own Website
And not just a lame Blogspot or a free pre-made Wordpress one either. Get a site done by a professional especially if you have no experience in web development whatsoever. Get your own domain, preferably one that is based on your own name and/or brand (e.g. JohnDoe.net, DrJaneSmith.com).
Sanitize Your Social Media
Delete stuff from your social media and other public accounts that you don't want the public to see. If you're not too keen on deleting years-old content that you are sentimentally-attached to, you can change your privacy settings so that only you and/or people you approved can see them.
Create Your Own Content
Write well-thought-out blog posts on your website. Create video content for your business. If your writing skills is up to par, you can consider submitting a few pieces to large websites with a contributor platform like Medium or Huffington Post.
Try To Be On As Many Sites as Possible
You can't do reputation management with just a private Facebook account alone. You need to be everywhere. Consider signing up and creating accounts at sites like LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Medium, and Academia.edu (if you're connected to the academe) and populate it with relevant activity and content.
Use Different Names
Consider using different variations of your name, especially if you have past negative content that is associated with you on the internet. If you're named John Joseph Doe and you've previously used John Doe before, then try using Joseph Doe and start over.
Be Aware
Think before you type. The number one cause of most online blunders is caused by people not thinking over what they're going to type out. Whenever you post something, always bear in mind that people will be able to see it and judge you accordingly for it.
Address Negativity Head On
Clarify yourself. If you have bad reviews online, explain your side in the most diplomatic way possible. Be cool and calm when handling your critics.