Success or failure of a company's online presence depends on Google's opinion of it. This may sound like one more conspiracy theory about Google ruling the world, but the statement is harsh reality. Google doesn't form an life opinion based on human decisions. Google's computer calculates a mathematical opinion called algorithm. Likes and dislikes based on human readers' subjective impressions are replaced by human programmers' likes and dislikes that are equally subjective.
If Google search finds and therefore lists only positive entries in the top listed pages, then a company's online reputation is safe and people will trust it. If on the other hand Google search finds blogs with criticism and complaints instead, then it will have a negative impact on the reputation and business of the company. A majority of negative search results damage a company's online reputation and endanger its business success.
The web unites the world. Amateur writers use the web to market themselves. Multinational companies with their scores of professionals do the same. They make use of its possibilities to promote their writing, their products, or their services. The aim is to attract attention to the brand and to increase customer and reader awareness. As a consequence, their online presence should have a favorable impact on sales and views.
If a brand isn't well known, then Google search results are the way to gain customers and build a brand. The method is fast and inexpensive but requires know-how. It relies on the correct manipulation of keywords to influence search results. Google constantly changes the algorithm to optimize its own income from ad revenue. Any 'absolutely best' method for keyword manipulation goes out of fashion within a couple of months.
People see Google search results based on entered keywords; search results are presented in form of a list. The places near the top of that list are the most sought after because they are strikingly and have a higher success rate in gaining hits and views. The results in the top spaces are being devalued depending on how many ads Google squeezes in at the top of the page.
But still, everybody is vying for these top spots which are reached by keyword management and meaningful content. As a result, these top spots give maximum publicity (not counting the expensive ads) and imply authoritative content. Information found in this way serves in decision making. The information contained in the top search results influence consumers and readers in their decision for or against a brand.
Any information found about a company influences the decisions of many different groups of people. If former employees publish negative comments, then these will be seen by people looking for employment. The more such comments can be found, the harder it becomes for a company to find qualified personnel. Negative comments will also be seen by future and present investors and influence their decisions. Suppliers use Google to assess a company when taking first contact. Any comments found about the company will influence business relations and have a direct impact on payment modalities. The most crucial influence of negative comments can be felt in consumer reaction. The impact is a direct threat to turn-over figures and in consequence to company gains and finally survival.
Companies do everything to be on good terms with search engine results, i.e. only positive results should show up in the first two pages at least. Big companies employ a host of specialists and fixers to compose search engine optimized texts to claim the top spots on Google. They are proactive in generating pages and articles to ban any negative comments to low ranking spots and keep them out of public scrutiny.
There is a reverse side for writers doing research. They have to do more than look at the first couple of pages of results that are presented to them. A thorough research requires the reading and evaluating of pages and pages of search engine result lists to make sure crucial information suppressed by a company is not missed. And this is best done in several search engines to get out of the Google bubble.
Further reading:
Reputation Management
Company Blogging
Own Brand Promotion
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