SMEs lead in online reputation management

SMALL business owners in the North are more likely to manage their reputation online than counterparts running multi-million pound enterprises, according to new research.

Almost half of the business people surveyed by YouGov admitted doing nothing to take control of the information about them online.

However the research, conducted for Yorkshire-based Profiled.com, found that more than half of SME owners or entrepreneurs just starting their own business were managed their online reputation compared to just 37 per cent of people running companies turning over more than £3m.

Profiled.com launched last year and helps people manage their reputation by offering internet users searching for individuals a guaranteed source of accurate information. It recently changed its business model to make basic use of the site free.

Chief executive Steve Wainwright said: “Almost half of internet users have researched someone whose services or advice they have sought in a professional capacity, so monitoring what the internet is saying about you is absolutely vital in getting that next deal. You simply can’t afford to leave it to chance.

“When I search for Steve Wainwright all kinds of results come up such as an astronomer and a professor of biomedicine. It’s important to create a professional profile and use it in your everyday business life to remove the possibility of your identity being confused with others.

“It’s even more important to automate the monitoring of what people are saying about you on the internet as most people don’t have the time to do it properly.”