Have you Googled your business name recently? If not, it`s a good idea to go do that now. Today, we`re going to look at how to use Google Alerts to manage your online reputation. It`s important that you always know what people are saying about you and there are several ways to do this, but one of the best methods I`ve found is Google Alerts.

If you go to Google Alerts, you`ll see a form on the right that will let you fill in the terms you wish to search for. These would be your business name or even your own name. Use the “Comprehensive” setting to receive everything that is published online and then choose your frequency preference. From personal experience, I`ll tell you NOT to choose the as-it-happens option . . . it will fill up your inbox too quickly. Instead, the once a week option will give you the highlights of the week without being too overwhelming. Add your email address and click “Create Alert”. You can create as many alerts as you like.

In your email, set up a filter to catch all Google Alerts and have them skip your inbox and go directly to a folder that you name appropriately. This allows you to just check on the alerts whenever you wish and not have to deal with them clogging up your inbox.

Now you`re ready to keep an eye on what the world is saying about your business! This is the first step toward reputation management.

It doesn`t matter if you don`t have a web presence for your business, you need to stay on top of your online reputation. Just try Googling your company name. Is it up there? Chances are, if you`ve had any clients at all, your name has popped up someone on the internet.

People review businesses, products and services all the time and it`s something that is becoming ever more popular. If someone is unhappy with your service, it`s quite possible that you won`t hear anything from them, but the complaint will pop up on Google!

Whether you like it or not, you have an online reputation that needs to be managed. The best way to ensure that people find what you want them to find first is to get yourself on the first page of Google. This is part of the reason it`s so important to have a business website. Linkbuilding and setting up other small websites will also help you with your reputation management.

Online reputation is a big deal and most people don`t make the most of it. You can stay on top of it and make sure that you are in control of what people find about you online.

Google Rudy Pinton’s (fictional) name and you’ll find, right at the top of the listings, a news story telling of his breaking and entering a former employer’s business and stealing some cash from the overnight safe. After serving his time in jail for that offense, Pinton returned to society having paid his debt. But now he needs a job.

On his job application, Pinton was honest and noted that he had been convicted of a felony. That shows good character and the potential employer, a restaurant chain executive, made a point to ask about that felony conviction in his interview with Pinton. All of Pinton’s other qualifications seemed to be quite in order and were, in fact, above the pool of candidates being interviewed.

After the interview, which Pinton did very well in and was marked as one of the top three candidates for the position, the executive decided to begin performing his usual background checks to see who would stand up next to scrutiny. Since Pinton had answered all of the executive’s questions concerning his felony conviction to satisfaction, the incident was a minor blip on Pinton’s experience. He would have to be watched closely and not given access to anything that might tempt him. But upon Googling Pinton’s name, the executive found the story on Pinton’s crime right at the top of the search engines. That fast, Pinton’s name was out of the pile of “considers” and into the “no ways.” What happened?

Since Pinton would be wearing a name tag and interacting with customers, the potential employer reasoned that if he could find that information so easily then so could his customers. It could potentially lead to some disastrous public relations for his company. Therefore, Pinton was not proper material for the position.

Is this scenario realistic? You bet it is. In fact, one in five potential employers use social networks in making hiring decisions. While Google isn’t a social network, you can bet those same employers are likely to Google the names of potential employees as well. Even if they don’t find a story on you in Google or Yahoo!, what you put into your Facebook profile could mean the difference between you getting the job and your less qualified competition. It’s time for some reputation management.

Reputation management is not just necessary for businesses. It’s necessary for everyone. And it begins before you need to wash away any negative information about you. It begins today.

As more and more businesses go online to market themselves, reputation management is becoming even more important. ABC News recently had a news segment about reputation management and had guest Andy Beal, a recognized expert on the subject, on to speak on the topic. I like Andy’s approach to reputation management and agree with his three points for combating negative information about yourself:

• Ask it to be removed
• Use your real name
• Customize social media profiles
• Register your name as a domain name
• Start a blog

These are all great suggestions. I definitely agree with using your own name instead of a nickname. Anyone trying to destroy your reputation will use your real name or company name so make sure you use those names often in your content. The best way to combat reputation destroying content is to pre-emptively fight it would quality positive content about yourself.

Watch the segment on ABC News with Andy Beal talking about reputation management.

Most companies don’t. That’s according to a new survey.

I predict that online reputation management will be one of the fastest growing online businesses in the next 3-5 years. As more and more companies go online to do business (and who isn’t?) then it will be become more and more necessary to engage in online reputation management. This is especially true if you are an existing company looking at increasing your stature in the marketplace. Internet marketing will be the leverage necessary for many small companies to make their dreams come true.

But it is a double-edge sword. There are dangers in doing business online. People will talk about you. The same platforms that you use to promote your business online will be used against you by your competition, disgruntled former employees, and angry customers. At some point, most companies will face a negative thorn in the side that will seem like it just won’t go away. Like frivolous lawsuits in the past 20 years, an attack on your company’s reputation will be a serious threat.

But that’s no reason to shy away from doing business online. You have to know how you are going to handle it when it happens and to have a plan. I strongly encourage you to develop your online reputation plan today.

Kudos to Search Marketing Standard for a great article on using video to influence online reputation management. Grant Crowell goes into great detail about how video has been used online to influence search rankings in politics and celebrity publicity. This information can be used by anyone, and particularly small businesses, to manage reputations online.

Of course, online video can be a two-edge sword. That video of you dancing drunkenly in the parking lot of the church at your sister’s wedding could appear in the search results as well, so you do have to be careful. But by uploading videos of your business meetings, customer interaction moments, and other events you’d like to highlight, could be good for your business and help you to manage your online reputation.

Let’s say a potential customer wants to research your CEOs name to learn more about what you are up to in order to make a decision about doing business with your company. The customer Google’s your CEOs name and in the top 10 results are your company’s website, your CEOs personal blog, the company blog, a third-party review at a local search directory, and three videos uploaded by your marketing department. Video No. 1 could be of your CEO receiving an important industry award and his acceptance speech. Video No. 2 could be your CEO speaking to your company employees at the annual picnic. Video No. 3 could be your CEO leading a group of customers on a company plant tour.

These are all opportunities for you to present yourself in a positive light and provide positive public relations for your company. And the best part is video marketing online is a lot less expensive than TV advertising.