Basic online reputation management toolbox

There is no such thing as the perfect tool when it comes to caring for and monitoring online reputation. Each client, company, and case are different. However, it is very useful to be aware of the main tools for this purpose, because the mixture of some of them is often the factor that guarantees success in this field. After all, it is not advisable to depend on a single tool of online reputation management: the frequent outdatedness due to the permanent changes of Google’s algorithm, for example, is one of the main reasons.
In this post, you will find a basic ‘toolbox’ to manage your online reputation.

IceRocket

 

This free tool is widely recommended. Its emphasis is monitoring what they are saying about your brand (especially) in blogs, although it is not restricted to them since its functions extend to the social media. Moreover, the search can be carried out in several languages. Icerocket allows you to monitor who is mentioning your brand or keyword in a simple way, indeed, and you don’t need to open an account. Just type the search term, like in any engine and select the channel that you need. The difference between this one and other tools is that IceRocket gives you statistical data.

Boardreader

 

This tool focuses particularly on monitoring web forums. The main objective pursued by Boardreader is that users can find answers to their questions through the opinions of others who share similar interests, ie, discussions taking place on the Internet with person-to-person feedback. Boardreader generates a cached copy, as well as the date and number of responses. Each search includes a graphic that reflects the evolution of the brand – among other data, really useful for the metrics of your website – and also stores social media information, articles, images, videos or blogs in which your brand has been mentioned.

It is important to locate high traffic forums, as they are one of the most powerful means for companies to make themselves known, and, in this way, you can promote your products or services through the recommendations made by the forums members.

Google Alerts

 

Most of the time, people find negative comments about their brand through Google. The most common use of this tool is related to the generic alerts about your brand or the keyword of your preference. The fastest option for those who just want to monitor the online reputation of their website is to set an alert that reaches their email inbox: in the field of search terms, in all types of results, at the time they are indexed and with a maximum of fifty results. Another highly recommended practice is the monitoring of possible spam or hacking on your website, and this can also be achieved through this tool for free.

You can be sure about something: this tool will always be one of the best options (always updated,) at least as long as Google keeps ruling the Internet in the way it does.

Image courtesy of Kristian Niemi at Flickr.com

Hootsuite

 

Even though this tool has been operating for years, it has not stopped being current. Thanks to Hootsuite, you can effectively monitor your online reputation on the most popular social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, etc.). Using this tool is tremendously easy, really. You just need to open an account (which is also free.) The interface is practical and you can customize it the way you need. Every time you login, you will find a menu on the left side, where you can add your social network accounts, and there you can find the comments and mentions about your brand or your keywords that you need to manage your online reputation.
Hootsuite not only allows you to be aware of what is said about your business: if you need so, you can communicate directly with the users who write the comments that call your attention. The best part of it is that all processes are automated, so you’ll save a lot of time on your regular online reputation review.

SERPWoo

 

This little known but powerful tool allows you to monitor entire niches, control your keywords, your online reputation and the activity of your competition. Among its many functions, with SERPWoo you can check the results pages in real time, as well as understand what is happening in your niche and, above all, why. The information provided by this tool is useful to understand what your competition is doing (the good and / or the bad things) and what you can do to overcome them. Let’s put it this way: analyzing entire niches before attacking them, to see if you really have a chance to position yourself, and what might be the best strategy, is already a satisfactory function to boost your marketing strategies, but this tool is useful, especially to monitor your Online Reputation.

Never forget that using these tools, or some of them, is never enough. Monitoring your online reputation is just one of the activities that you should include in your online routines.