online reputation management case study
THE BRIEF:
Digital Trails was tasked by a client (who will remain anonymous) to help
them clean their branded search profile from negative results damaging their
reputation and revenue potential significantly.
OBJECTIVES:
Push two negative results ranking 4th & 5th in Google for the client’s two main brand
keywords to the second page of search results, in order to dramatically reduce the views these received (estimated at 157/m).
CHALLENGES
The negative search results we were tackling were quite established (were old and ticked all the boxes to rank well on the first page of Google and received significant user interaction, which the search engine was perceiving as a positive ranking factor. As is the case with most types of
negative content regarding a brand, be it in search results or social media, these are
likely to attract the public’s attention. This is why it’s recommended for brands to act
quickly and in a transparent way whenever their reputation is under attack.
TACTICS:
To overcome the challenges we were facing, we decided to employ a
multifaceted approach, which would not only help push the negative content
down in search, but will also ensure the first page is populated with our
client’s website properties and factual information from third party editorial
content, which would help users access transparent and unbiased information when
searching for branded terms related to our client.
For this purpose we used a mix of digital tactics:
1. Optimised some of the client’s own website properties to rank for the target
keywords.
2. Created new landing pages and optimised them to climb up on the first page
of Google Search results.
3. Used PPC to push down organic results by two positions for the duration of
the campaign.
4. Cleverly interlinked the client’s own properties with neutral, third party
editorial content.
5. Secured PR placements in industry specialist media outlets and encouraged
comments to virality (and rankings).
6. Used a clever mix of AI enabled and manual link-building to positive assets
we felt deserved to have higher visibility up in the searches.
ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT OUTCOME
The campaign lasted for 12 months and achieved the objectives we set with the client in the
beginning. The two negative results we were tackling were pushed down to the
second page of Google search results, and even stopped ranking for lengthy periods
of time throughout the final months of activity. The positive impact was clear, with
SERPs being populated by positive and neutral content upon performing a branded
search.
As a result, visibility for the negative articles dropped by 80%. The first page of
search results in Google was populated with various of the client’s website properties
and third party neutral editorial, such as industry specific round-ups or listings as well
as social media assets.
Are you or your company dealing with negativity in the press or other online
platforms? The sooner you act, the lesser the damage to your reputation. Get in
touch for a fully confidential free assessment.
