When someone out of sheer curiosity or purposely happens to search for your name or background online, the search engine results that surface, are a combination of information put up by different people – laypersons or experts , those  known to you as a professional or even anonymous. Their comments are largely based on their experiences of you and your product/ service offerings.  

On the Internet, your identity as a professional is determined and you image as an individual is shaped not only by what you yourself post, but also by how other users talk about your business in blogs, what they denote in a photo tag, or the way in which way they reply to a particular public status update – all this does matter. 

This, in turn, affects the brand you are associated with, so you cannot separate the two aspects.  To simplify the process, here are a few handy ideas to shore up your brand equity online:

1. First and foremost, you must remain vigilant about what users’ community is saying about you, your business, your products and services, on the Internet.  Conduct all possible domain specific keyword searches to analyze the search engines results regarding you and your company.
2. Sign up for ‘personal’ or customized alerts service offered by certain discussion forums, review sites asearch engines will automatically notify you of any new mention of your name or other personal information. Search for relevant additional information catalogued in search engines and reassess from time to time who accesses your pages. Carefully evaluate the material published and its implications for your online image.
3. Be quick in countering in any negative news or bad publicity by issuing a clarification. Do not let the negativity linger and build up for too long as it will create doubt in the minds of other people about the credibility your brand. Counter the allegations by offering a proper explanation that will satisfy disgruntled section of users on the Web. A person-to-person interaction in case of genuine criticism helps to clear the air.
4. Be gracious in accepting negative product reviews that brings to notice perceived practical flaws in your products. Take necessary follow-up action by conveying the feedback to your design team. Update such developments on your oersonal account or business website. Instead of engaging in a needless bravado or a verbal duel that disenchants your prospects, let your actions speak for themselves. This will only enhance the credibility of your business and protect you against any attempt to malign your brand image in the future.
5. Instead of trying to get such complex tasks executed in house, seek specialist’s intervention. Their proven reputation management and enhancement techniques ensure that your potential and existing customers will have a good impression of your brand.