In our contemporary digital realm, nothing is temporary, and everything is permanent. The things you post online, whether they’re on a blog, on a social media profile, or on a review site, all stick around forever, and they all add to your online presence and, ultimately, your online reputation. Just as telling, though, are the things you don’t post, like if you set up a social media profile and then never use it, or start a blog and update it just once a year.

How is your own personal online reputation? More and more, people are realizing that an online reputation, just like a real world reputation, is something that needs to be carefully cultivated and managed. If you’ve never considered the impression that others get from your digital presence, now i the time to start! Here are five helpful steps to successfully managing your online reputation and make it great.

1. Do everything you can to make sure the first page of Google results are positive.

When people search for your name or for your company, what are the first results they get? You may have to perform this search for yourself to find out, but the results should be owned or largely controlled by you. These include your own personal or company website, a blog that you write, your social media profiles, and any press releases that you’ve put out. What’s more, all of these things should be up to date and updated regularly to rank high.

2. Be active on social media.

In general, the more active you are on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other social networks, the higher you show up in Google search rankings. Plus, your social media profiles are a perfect place to show off your strengths, your personality, and your positivity because they’re something over which you have total control. When you update your social media pages, make sure they reflect the best part of your personality, and think twice about posting negative comments or anything that might be interpreted as inflammatory or offensive. That way, when others look at your profiles, they get a positive impression, and you get a positive reputation.

3. If you’re a business owner, encourage positive reviews.

Reviews are so crucial in cultivating a positive online reputation. If you’re a business owner, or if you provide a product or service, encourage your clients and customers to leave positive feedback on review sites like Yelp, Google, Angie’s List, and social media. Adding to this, if you should happen to get a negative review, take the high road and manage it well: if you’re able to respond, do so with dignity and respect. This way, when potential customers look you up, they’ll get a positive impression.

4. Provide online content that offers value.

Whether it’s a blog post or a social media update, make sure the information you’re putting out there is current, insightful, and most of all, valuable. Additionally, blogs and profiles should be updated frequently, as regular posting makes you look engaged and thoughtful.

5. Take advantage of online reputation management tools.

If you want to monitor any changes to your online reputation (which is a good idea), there are a number of tools available to help you do just that. For starters, you can set up a Google Alert for your name or your company name to see what new content is being written about you. Beyond that, you might look into sites like Naymz, Yext, and Reputology for advanced data on your online presence.

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