How do you choose an e-reputation agency?

No fewer than 96% of internet users are influenced by a brand’s e-reputation when they buy. 88% of people check consumer reviews, forums, or blogs before buying online, and negative reviews are enough to put off 85% of consumers. Controlling e-reputation is a challenge every company now has to face. This article is meant to cut through the offers and help you choose an e-reputation agency.

More than 150 e-reputation agencies have appeared in recent years, but very different players share this market:

• Agencies specialized in e-reputation,

• Specialized e-reputation agencies that also have their own technology,

• Communications agencies that offer e-reputation solutions,

• Software vendors whose monitoring tools let you watch e-reputation.

Faced with all of that, you are probably wondering which criteria should decide your e-reputation agency. Here are 10 points to check before you pick a partner.

The agency’s technical command

Search-engine algorithms decide how information about you is displayed. Your vendor’s technical command is what lets you choose which results show up on Google. Very few players have technology that actually moves Google, and it is still the first thing to check.

• Is the vendor a SERM specialist (Search Engine Reputation Management, meaning e-reputation work on search engines) or a generalist?

• Does the vendor have a research and development team? How many people are on that R&D team? What are their profiles?

• Does the vendor run a technical diagnosis? Can they explain the technical nature of the problem?

• Does the vendor have its own technology? Will they commit not to subcontract the technical work? Subcontracting can open serious holes in the confidentiality of your problem.

The agency’s methodology

To support your questions and your project, the e-reputation agency should offer a clear method that fits your need, with a schedule attached.

• Does the e-reputation agency offer a technical audit?

• Is the scope of the work defined from the start?

• What is the schedule for the work?

• What reporting do you get, and how often?

Durability and scalability of the agency’s solution

Never forget that algorithms keep changing. Depending on your problem, you may need short-term help or a longer engagement.

Also note that your problem can change, so it can be worth choosing an e-reputation agency that can prepare an adaptive solution.

• Does the e-reputation agency offer a one-shot project, or ongoing support?

• Can it scale the work if a “bad buzz” hits?

The agency’s resources

Project definition, design, development, follow-up: the client should have the right contacts for each need.

• Who is the main contact, the person who links the e-reputation agency and the client?

• How senior are the teams?

• Does the team bring different, complementary profiles? (R&D engineers, project managers, SEO specialists…)

The agency’s commitments

Before you choose an e-reputation vendor, look closely at the commitments they offer, so you know what you can expect.

• Is the vendor set up to respond to algorithm changes?

• What level of commitment do they take on measurable results?

• What tool measures those results?

Quality and flexibility of the content the agency produces

To order results in its search engine, Google put in place:

• the Panda algorithm, which fights low-quality sites flooding its results,

• the Penguin algorithm, which fights low-quality links,

• the Hummingbird algorithm, which favors rich content and, in particular, the use of semantic fields.

Those are enough reasons to pick specialists who will give you quality content, optimized for Google’s requirements.

• Does the e-reputation agency offer to write web-optimized content?

• Is the content written by writers who specialize in your industry?

• Is the content unique?

• Can the content be edited or deleted later?

The agency’s SEO and Google knowledge

To work on your e-reputation, knowledge of Google’s algorithm and of search is, in most cases, a real advantage.

• Does the e-reputation agency employ SEO specialists? (SEO, growth hacker, data scientist…)

• Will those people be involved in your file?

Trust and transparency

• Does the vendor guarantee confidentiality?

• Is the vendor transparent? (measurement tools, sharing statistics on the work done)

• Will they say no to prospects for ethical or technical reasons?

You may want your e-reputation vendor to keep your requests confidential. In parallel, it can be useful to know that your e-reputation agency will not manipulate certain information, for ethical reasons for example.

Reliability of the e-reputation agency

You will likely want to check that your vendor is reliable. For that, the following points are worth considering.

• Is the e-reputation vendor financially solid?

• Can they put you in touch with client references?

• Do they work with partners: lawyers or communications agencies?

Price of the e-reputation engagement

Price is hard to pin down in the e-reputation agency market, because the work itself differs a lot from one vendor to the next.

• Does the vendor adapt to Google algorithm changes at no extra cost?

• Is the price of the content your e-reputation needs stated from the start?