In most cases executive reputation is viewed through the online lens. That lens is most often curated by companies like Google in the form of search or social results. When someone researches an executive or company the search results tell that persons story. In order to control one's online reputation there are certain relevant topic-specific sites that tend to rank better than others for executives.
There are several kinds of content that define an executive reputation online, including:
- Public relations
- Build a website
- Create online profiles
- A Wikipedia page (only if you qualify—read all about this here)
- Author blogs
- Answer interviews
- A book
- Establish a social media presence
- Speak publicly
This article will focus on websites that can be leveraged to improve executive reputation. These websites can be edited by you (meaning you have control over what is said about you online), and they perform well in search results.
Sections
- The importance of executive reputation management
- 12 Websites your name should be on
- Websites for financial services
- Websites for entrepreneurs
- Websites for medical professionals
- Websites to improve executive reputation FAQs
The importance of executive reputation management
Your executive reputation is the heart of your personal brand and often your company’s brand as well. Everything an executive does or says reflects on the company brand and in turn, determines the image of the company.
Reputation management is important for the success of most individuals. Whether you’re starting from scratch or working to improve search results, the more owned media you have, the better. Owned media is content that you can control.
Owned media includes activities such as:
- Blogging
- Maintaining your professionally managed social media accounts
- Creating original content on your various company websites
- Submitting press releases
- Hosting webinars
A strong online presence of owned media will create a solid foundation to improve your search results and reputation. The more owned media that shows up on page one of Google, the better control you have.
Let’s take a look at Sheryl Sandberg’s search results:
Her first page of search results is a dream for executive reputation management. It is rich with owned media, including her Forbes profile, social media accounts, and her personal website. Her top-ranking search result is Wikipedia. While Wikipedia is a bit of a wild card in reputation management, there are steps you can take to manage your Wikipedia page.
Getting your name on as many high-ranking profile or interview sites as possible is a vital step to achieving the search results you want and establishing your executive reputation. This article will cover the essential websites you should be on, as well as niche-specific websites for financial services, entrepreneurs, and medical professionals.
The websites covered in this article tend to rank highly in search results. In fact, 5 of the top 20 Alexa Rank websites support user-generated content. The stronger your content is on these sites, the greater chance you have to rank well on Google.
12 Websites your name should be on
Let’s start with the basics. We’ve rounded up our list of websites to help build your executive reputation online. Hopefully, you already have profiles on most of these sites. If not, it’s time to start claiming your profiles.
Is your name on these sites?
- Wikipedia (notability required)
- Crunchbase
- Youtube
- Inc. verified
- Medium
- Quora
- About.me
- AllBusiness
Wikipedia
Wikipedia dominates search results. It is on the first page of at least half of all Google search results and ranks for virtually all search queries. It also appears in Google's featured snippets 10 times more than any other website.
Seems like a no-brainer place to be if you’re building your online reputation, right? But that doesn’t mean you should rush to create your own Wikipedia page. Doing so could actually backfire and cause damage to your reputation.
The truth is, if you are notable enough for a Wikipedia page, someone else will most likely create one of you (though you may not like what they write). If you already have a Wikipedia page but it needs some work, check out one of our blog posts on Wikipedia editing.
Crunchbase
Crunchbase is an online business directory used by more than 55 million professionals, including entrepreneurs, investors, market researchers, and salespeople. It is one of the most trusted and comprehensive sources of business information and can help build your brand, increase visibility online, and connect with other professionals.
Social profiles
Carefully managing your social profiles will not only improve your executive reputation but also your search results. Social media profiles tend to rank high in search results, so building out a strong social media presence is a great strategy for SEO. The content of your profile can have a direct impact on the reputation of the business you work for, how potential clients see your company, and even the brand's perception.
Primary social media networks
Maintain branding consistency across the major social networks:
- Youtube
Secondary social media networks
Consider establishing yourself on more niche social networks if it makes sense for your industry, such as:
- TikTok
- Behance
- BlogHer
- Meetup
- Houzz
Inc. verified profile
An Inc. verified profile is a valuable asset to build your executive reputation. It is a way to establish credibility while standing out as an entrepreneur or business executive. Since Inc. is such a reliable, well-established platform, it usually ranks well in search results. Creating an Inc. verified profile can increase your online exposure, leading to more prospects, more customers, and better search results.
Medium
Contributing articles on Medium is another great way to increase your exposure online and become a thought-leader in your space. Medium has over 170 million readers. This is a huge potential audience and well worth the time invested in writing articles for the site. Each author’s profile is set up similar to a personal blog, complete with a list of your recent articles and a short bio.
Quora
Quora is a question and answer site in which members answer other member’s questions. This presents a huge opportunity for executives to show their expertise as well as to promote things like blog posts, YouTube videos, or interesting articles that support the content. You can follow topics related to your industry and build a community to strengthen your executive reputation.
About.me
Over 1 million professionals use About.me to promote themselves. Your About.me page is a place to showcase who you are and what you do on a professional platform. The free version enables you to promote your portfolio, blog, photos, or other content you’d like to direct people to. There is also a paid professional plan that unlocks additional features like connecting a domain, integrating a Google account, adding page features like testimonials, portfolio, video, and more.
AllBusiness
AllBusiness.com provides business information and resources for small businesses. You can submit a company profile on AllBusiness and/or contribute content.
Websites for financial services executives
Seeking Alpha
Did you know that you can contribute articles to the popular investing community Seeking Alpha? Over 16,000 people have already contributed to the site, and with that have gained a high-ranking URL to their writing. This can help you establish yourself as a thought leader while increasing exposure. And you can receive compensation based on traffic, content topics and quality. It’s a win-win.
Websites for entrepreneurs
AngelList
AngelList is a startup community with tools to invest in startups and research fast-growing companies. Building out an AngelList profile not only helps to establish your executive reputation, but you can also post jobs and take applications all within the platform.
Young Upstarts
Young Upstarts is an online business resource for startup entrepreneurs, small business owners, idea people, and intrapreneurs seeking change within their organization. The site regularly conducts interviews with both established and up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Inspirery
Inspirery is actively seeking new interviews from entrepreneurs and executives. The site offers two types of interview formats – video and no-video. Video interviews are a great way to interject your personality into the process and truly connect with viewers. There are two types of interviews:
- Entrepreneur or Business Owner
- Executive, Employee, or Non-Business Owner
Future Sharks
Future Sharks is a community of entrepreneurs from all over the world. The site conducts interviews with people who are working on social projects, developing innovative technologies, and changing the world for the better. The site is read by more than 80k entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals every month.
Websites for medical executives
In order for medical professionals to establish themselves online, they must employ an active review management strategy as well as creating profiles on the most popular physician review sites. Here is our list of sites that every medical professional should be on:
- Yelp
- Vitals
- Google My Business
- Healthgrades
- ZocDoc
- RateMDs
- Doctor.com
- Wellness.com
- CareDash
- RealPatientRatings
Final thoughts
As an executive with a growing business, you are responsible for not only your company’s reputation but your personal one as well. Executives and entrepreneurs looking to build their online presence can use owned media to get their name out there, such as by creating online profiles and interviews. However, if you’re concerned about the accuracy of the information on Wikipedia or other public platforms, or if you just need help getting started, Reputation X offers its own editorial team to ensure only the most relevant or flattering content is published. Contact us today for more information.
Websites to improve executive reputation FAQs
What types of websites can be used to improve executive reputation?
In order to improve your executive reputation, look for profile and interview sites that can be edited by you (meaning you have control over what is said about you online), and they perform well in search results.
What websites can I use to build my executive reputation?
The following is a list of websites that can improve your online reputation: Wikipedia, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Inc. verified, Medium, Quora, About.me, and AllBusiness.
How can I establish myself online?
There are several ways to define an executive online, including public relations, build a website, create online profiles, create a Wikipedia page (only if you qualify), author blogs, answer interviews, write a book, establish a social media presence, and speak publically.
