Latest news with #digitalHygiene
Entrepreneur
08-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Your Business Is One Google Search Away From a Crisis — Here's How to Fight Back
One Google search can shape a customer's decision — or drive them away. Here's how to take control of your brand image with six practical steps. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When it comes to online reputation in a digital world, it's make or break. Up to 94% of consumers say a single negative review showing up on the first page of Google can be a red flag to avoid a company. This data only pinpoints the importance of digital hygiene, and in this article, I'll break down what Search Engine Reputation Management is and what it can bring to the table through six practical steps to strengthen your online standing. What makes SERM Special? SERM, or Search Engine Reputation Management, is the process of maintaining how your brand appears in search engine results. Its primary goal is to make positive content more visible, push down outdated information, and ensure that your online presence reflects your current values and products. SERM matters at all stages of growth — from launch (shaping first impressions and building trust) to times of crisis (guarding against misinformation or malicious content). The other benefit it offers lies in correcting outdated or misleading information about your business that might still linger online. Still, SERM requires quite a lot of resources and attention as it is an ongoing process, involving continuous content creation, media relations, customer review management and data analysis — all to ensure your reputation grows alongside your business. Here are the five core strategies of online reputation management: 1. Promote positive content Companies that succeed with actively maintaining their online presence see up to a 93% increase in satisfaction rates. A proactive content strategy helps push down irrelevant or negative search results by offering search engines more accurate and engaging alternatives. This can be blog posts, brand interviews, customer feedback and media features. Your goal is to identify the key brand touchpoints that influence perception and focus your efforts there. Real reviews and opinions of your customers also play a big role here — real experiences are the most powerful validators. Facing a dip in reputation, Nordstrom launched a campaign to generate positive content. They introduced new digital features like "Style Boards" in their app, published behind-the-scenes interviews about innovation and customer care, and asked their audience to share stories via social media. By 2025, Nordstrom had reclaimed a top-10 spot in the Axios Harris Poll of most respected U.S. brands. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success. 2. Manage customer reviews People mostly prefer to trust real reviews rather than traditional marketing; moreover, 54% of consumers would prefer comments rather than feedback from their family, friends or even influencers. The other thing to keep in mind is the fact that customer reviews are highly visible in search rankings. Use platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp and Trustpilot to monitor and respond to feedback. For industries vulnerable to fake reviews or targeted attacks, services like Bazaarvoice, BirdEye and can help detect and manage suspicious activity. Another key to success is empathy and open dialogue. Make your customers feel cherished — respond to negative feedback with respect and offer solutions, actively ask happy customers for reviews, and run campaigns or contests that reward honest, thoughtful feedback. UnitedHealthcare, one of America's largest insurers, faced a corporate crisis that garnered quite a lot of negative feedback on social media. To manage their reputation, the company turned to Google Business Profile and specialised reputation management services to monitor and sort out across key platforms. Related: How to Build a Side Hustle That Stands on Its Own — Without Burning Out 3. Optimise for SEO Brand's reputation is directly tied to visibility. With 95% of search traffic going to the first page of results and 63% of users trusting Google's findings over other sources, it's clear why your positive content must be SEO-optimised. This includes using relevant keywords, structuring articles clearly, improving metadata and sharing through reputable platforms. Sharing your brand's professional opinions on business issues in authoritative media can not only highlight our expertise but also boost search presence. Uber coped with their 2022-23 crisis with an open acknowledgment of errors and a CEO change, and a cornerstone of their recovery was the SEO optimisation of positive content. The company promoted optimised articles, media interviews and case studies focused on their recent changes. This, combined with transparent PR and continuous monitoring, significantly improved their image by late 2025 4. Monitor mentions Swift responses are your secret weapon in conquering consumers' hearts. Data says 70% of clients expect a brand to respond to feedback within 24 hours. Those companies that meet these expectations see 35% more positive sentiment overall. Real-time monitoring tools such as Mention, Brandwatch, or Talkwalker analyse tone, frequency and reach of your brand's online mentions, helping to act before small issues escalate. Starbucks faced backlash over rising prices and service issues. With real-time monitoring and prepared response templates, they addressed complaints quickly, offered rewards to dissatisfied customers, and adjusted their content strategy to make positive content more visible. As a result, they saw a 15% increase in positive mentions and a 20% reduction in negative ones within six months. Related: How to Better Manage Your Brand's Reputation in the Digital Age 5. Be ready for crisis 70% of companies face at least one major reputation crisis every year. That's when speed and transparency become paramount. If a public issue arises, respond swiftly with clear, factual messaging. Use official channels and trusted media to provide updates, and show empathy by offering real solutions, not just apologies. When Ticketmaster's site crashed during Taylor Swift's tour ticket release, fans were left frustrated, and the company's slow response with no concrete tips only fuelled the backlash. Six steps to strengthen your reputation Here's a practical framework to improve your online reputation: Audit Current Search Results: Step into your clients' shoes – Google your brand and see what users see. Identify outdated or negative content. Choose a Strategy: Based on your analysis, focus on content creation, review management or SEO, depending on the nature of the issue. If you've seen too many negative reviews, address these whilst encouraging positive feedback. If there's scarce information about your business online, then creating and promoting fresh content should be your starting point. The choice of strategy hinges on your specific reputational challenges and the company's objectives. Publish Positive Content: Share useful, customer-centric stories and case studies that address real questions and concerns. Optimise for Search: Ensure your site and articles are SEO-friendly. Did you find the right keywords, optimised headings and descriptions, and improved page structure? Monitor Continuously: Regularly keep track of mentions of your company using dedicated monitoring tools. Evaluate Progress: Track search result changes, sentiment analysis, and customer feedback over time. See customer trust growing. It takes time to build your brand and grow trust, but your reputation can be lost in just a day. By investing in SERM, you're not just protecting your brand; you're actively shaping how the world sees your business.
ABC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
How often should you turn off your phone and devices?
When was the last time you powered down your phone or laptop? If you're like me, the work laptop is switched off at the end of most workdays, unless I'm rushing out the door. When it comes to the phone … not so often. We asked two technology experts how often we should be turning off our phones and devices, and the risks to battery life and our data if we don't. Dr Erica Mealy explains we can think of device shutdowns like cleaning a messy car — relatable. "It's a bit like, you have your kids in the car, and they eat in the car, and crumbs start getting everywhere," says Dr Mealy, who is from the Sunshine Coast /Kabi Kabi land. "That turn-off is like a reset, getting the vacuum [cleaner] in there, and it's just getting all the crumbs out of the way. "When we reset and turn off and turn on, generally, all of that gets cleared out." Switching devices off and on can also improv your battery life, according to Dr Mealy. "[Your device can be] running lots of things all the time, and it switches in between all of those," she says. "You might notice your computer, or your phone gets more sluggish, and that's just because it's trying to keep doing all of these things. "If we can shut that down, and some of the extra bits and pieces get shut down with it, then the computer can go, 'Oh, I've got less going on'." She says turning off phones and devices at least weekly is recommended to maintain good digital hygiene. "So [digital hygiene] is this idea that you don't store information you don't want to have accidentally leaked," she says. Dr Suelette Dreyfus, from Melbourne/Wurundjeri lands, says restarting your devices at least once a week can prompt important software updates such as "patches". Patches are small bits of software that stop malware from getting into your iPhone or Android or desktop. For Windows machines, these are generally released on the second Tuesday of each month (known as "Patch Tuesday"). "Some software checks for updates [patches] and downloads them when the device is powered off and on," Dr Dreyfus says. "Particularly when you've enabled auto-updates." She says sometimes patches are released in response to an identified threat. If you want to check your device is up-to-date, Dr Dreyfus says to go to your system control panel and look for updates from your device maker — and run them. Our experts say closing apps and browsers before turning off a phone or device may also be helpful for security. This also applies to private or incognito browsing, which doesn't guarantee that your data can't be found. "Your machine can keep this information temporarily in memory while your browser window is active, even if your device is 'asleep',' Dr Dreyfus says. "Fully powering off a device should remove this material by wiping that volatile memory. "If you just put your machine to sleep ... and then you never close the incognito browsing window, then third-party tracking may be alive and well." Dr Mealy says this is when you can be susceptible to hackers and data breaches. "If you've got multiple tabs open and your browser's set to reopen them when you come in [or turn it back on], sometimes it might not completely clear everything out," she says. We should be changing our passwords as often as we're changing our toothbrushes, every three months or once a season, Dr Mealy says. "It's annoying, and it's the kind of thing you have to set a reminder for but it can really help in making sure that passwords [which] have been leaked aren't being reused," she says. Ms Dreyfus also recommends changing your device settings to auto-install manufacturers' patches/updates as soon as they are released. "That simple tweak can save you weeks of heartache from having to clean up device infection," she says. And it is also recommended to set up multi-factor authentication (a security measure that requires users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource, such as an online account or application). "You need to dip into the settings for all your valuable online accounts and turn it on," she says. "Yeah, it's going to take you 15 minutes to set up but then … smooth sailing."
