With the ever-increasing number of individuals using the Internet on such a regular basis, companies are facing the realization that online bad press is becoming more important to address. Review sites, blogs, forums and even whole websites are targeting consumers who want to express their complaints or displeasure of companies, products or services. Now Google has “thrown in” with their own addition to this expanding market with the introduction of their new tool Sidewiki. While Sidewiki was introduced as a way for “surfers” to post “helpful and useful” information directly on websites, we all know what road is paved with good intentions.

Sidewiki was released as a way for users to read comments on websites they visit without the need to research the website or company to find specific information, good or bad. Sidewiki is a new avenue for those individuals who are either ex-employees with a grudge, a dissatisfied customer, a slighted consumer or an individual with an axe to grind with the “establishment”. Visitors to a website are not constrained to post comments on just the homepage with Sidewiki, but are able to utilize it for commenting on About Us pages, Services pages, Product pages and even Board of Director pages. In fact, not only is every page of a website “fair game”, but users are also able to highlight specific content on a page and comment specifically on it.

Your own website used to be a safe haven, something which you had full control of and how it represents your company, product or services. Those days seem to be quickly disappearing in the rear view. While in house webmasters are able to control the look, feel and content of your website, Sidewiki comments are out of their control. It is now necessary to consistently and vigilantly monitor the whole of a website to dispel and manage Sidewiki comments. While it is still in its infancy stages, Search Toppers and our professional Reputation Management Team can perform an offensive Sidewiki campaign. Search Toppers is on the cutting edge of this new “technology” and have analyzed and isolated the ideal ways to become proactive within the Sidewiki environment. Along with managing a proactive campaign, Search Topper is able to continually monitor Sidewiki comments and create specific procedures to “control” those comments.

Most companies now look back at the beginning of the “Internet Age” and wish they had taken a more proactive role in their online reputation management. Now is the time to look forward and take control of your online presence. Now is the time to partner with Search Toppers and take the steps needed to promote your business instead of having to defend you business.