{"id":102790,"date":"2020-10-21T14:58:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T11:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/"},"modified":"2020-10-21T14:58:03","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T11:58:03","slug":"5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/","title":{"rendered":"#5 Steps to Protect Your Brand Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a276a6115dc8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a276a6115dc8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#Why_Protecting_Your_Brand_Is_Vital\" >Why Protecting Your Brand Is Vital\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#1_Get_Serious_About_Account_Security\" >1. Get Serious About Account Security\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#2_Keep_A_Digital_Eye_Out\" >2. Keep A (Digital) Eye Out\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#3_Trademark_Your_Brand\" >3. Trademark Your Brand\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#4_Get_Serious_About_Rankings\" >4. Get Serious About Rankings\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#5_Be_Proactive_and_Responsive_to_Threats\" >5. Be Proactive and Responsive to Threats\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-steps-to-protect-your-brand-online\/#Protecting_Your_Brand_in_The_Digital_World\" >Protecting Your Brand in The Digital World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#5 Steps to Protect Your Brand Online<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-inner\">\n<p class=\"opener\">Few things have been so beneficial and transformative for small businesses as the internet. Within a click, you can connect to global audiences, do product research, find new employees, and much more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the internet isn\u2019t all great. While it may take years to build up a good reputation in the digital world, it only takes seconds for it to come crashing down. Bad reviews, hacks, and website hacking are just a few of the things that can go wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put together this guide of the five essential steps you need to follow to protect your brand. Read on to learn everything you need to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Protecting_Your_Brand_Is_Vital\"><\/span>Why Protecting Your Brand Is Vital\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to think too long about all the things that can go wrong. As business people, we all know it\u2019s just a matter of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s important to stress just how sensitive businesses are to these things. Let\u2019s take one of the most damaging events that could h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en\u2014a cyber-attack. Did know that <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2019\/10\/13\/cyberattacks-cost-small-companies-200k-putting-many-out-of-business.html\">60% of businesses<\/a> fail within six months of a cyber-attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are many reasons for this. First and foremost is the reputational damage that occurs. If you\u2019re lucky, the cybercriminals didn\u2019t directly do anything to damage your brand name like a post inappropriate. But you still have to deal with the huge blow to your customer trust.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not fair the businesses should be blamed for being victims, but, at the same time, everybody knows the risks of the digital world. That\u2019s why even huge names like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2019\/03\/07\/senators-slam-equifax-marriott-executives-massive-data-breaches\/\">Marriot and Equifax<\/a> are still having a difficult time recovering from the damage. They are the lucky ones, however. They have billions at their disposal and built-in customer bases, so they\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, small businesses are the ones who struggle in the aftermath of one of these attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even though you know it\u2019s important to protect your brand, don\u2019t delay any longer. There\u2019s too much to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Get_Serious_About_Account_Security\"><\/span>1. Get Serious About Account Security\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Admit it. You recycle some of your account passwords. Everybody does it. In a personal setting, this is already dangerous. You\u2019re putting your email, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>, and other accounts at risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But in the business world, it gets even more damaging. Hackers are clever. It doesn\u2019t take much for them to figure out ways to break into your network or devices. It\u2019s easy enough for them to guess that if you have a password in one place, you might use it or a variation of it elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With brute force techniques, they can guess thousands of password combinations in seconds and crack into account. The worst part is, you don\u2019t know when your original password might become exposed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hackers <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly aren\u2019t lurking behind you watching what you type. Although that is possible, they generally obtain login credentials by hacking insecure websites and databases.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why you need a unique, lengthy, and secure password for each of your online accounts. It cannot be anything somebody would guess like \u201cI Like Pizza.\u201d Instead, it should be a unique combination of numbers, letters, special characters, and upper and lower case like \u201cFpTsB@44xEHF.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, you might be thinking, \u201chow on earth would I ever remember that?\u201d This is where a password manager comes in. Password managers help you create, manage, and store passwords in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nordpass.com\/password-manager\/\">highly secure digital vault<\/a>. Best of all, however, you can use them to make logging into your accounts even easier. It\u2019s a total win-win.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With a password manager combined with biometrics and 2FA, you can rest assured your accounts are much safer. While you\u2019re at it, invest in other cybersecurity tools like VPNs, antimalware, firewalls, and everything else you need to stay safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Keep_A_Digital_Eye_Out\"><\/span>2. Keep A (Digital) Eye Out\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The average business might be listed on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, and so many other places. This is all-important for increasing your visibility. But you also need to pay attention to these platforms since they\u2019re among the first things people see when searching for your company.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is why you need Brand Monitoring software. There are tons of great options out there. They all share an overlapping ability to monitor the web and social media for any mention of your company so you can react accordingly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This might be responding to a negative review, answering feedback, or even finding a new backlinking opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Quickness is key, so be ready to respond at a moment\u2019s notice. As a bonus, you can also use these tools to keep an eye out on your competitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Trademark_Your_Brand\"><\/span>3. Trademark Your Brand\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Trademarking seems like something only the biggest companies would do. You don\u2019t want a hacker or competitor to get a hold of your brand. And here\u2019s the thing\u2014trademarking isn\u2019t very expensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can get the whole process done for a few hundred dollars. That\u2019s not much to pay for protection. You don\u2019t want to be like Google, which couldn\u2019t even use \u201cGmail \u201d for its name in the UK since somebody already owned it. Ouch!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The same also goes for web presence. You\u2019ve got to secure it .com, .net, and other variants of your domain. If your business is really starting to scale, you should also consider the naming variants. One example where Google got it right was purchasing domain names like \u201cGooogle.com and \u201cGogle.com.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Get_Serious_About_Rankings\"><\/span>4. Get Serious About Rankings\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As a business, you probably know a thing or two about SEO. While you definitely want your site to be optimized and want you to rank for your keywords, don\u2019t forget about your business itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many people will interact with your site through direct URL input but via Google search. If you\u2019re not on the top listing or worse on the front page of results, then it not only will be difficult to find you but will also look suspicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You also need to pay attention to your competitor\u2019s PPC strategies. It\u2019s extremely common to bid for other company\u2019s names so their ads will show up above your organic listings. Imagine somebody wants to go to your page only to get swept away by one of your rivals. <\/p>\n<p>Work hard to include your brand name throughout your site and keep an eye on PPC ads. It may be worth it to spend a few bucks to keep your brand intact.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Be_Proactive_and_Responsive_to_Threats\"><\/span>5. Be Proactive and Responsive to Threats\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The worst thing you can do is nothing. If somebody is threatening your brand, it is unlikely they will go away. Naturally, prevention is the best medicine. If you\u2019ve followed the first four steps, then you should already be in pretty good shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But there are also cracks in the armor that fraudsters know how to exploit. You\u2019ll have to assess risks on an individual basis. But you do need to respond to all of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The biggest question is whether you pay to have something stop. Reporting these bad actors to the authorities likely won\u2019t too much. You\u2019re on your own.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In general, it\u2019s not a good idea to pay. Once you do, you\u2019ve opened yourself up to even more attacks and may even become complicit indirectly in illicit activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The best bet is to work through the channels available. It will take time to undo the damage, but it can be done. But be transparent with your customers and partners. They should find quickly so they can take steps to protect themselves. In fact, if you do fail to disclose this information, you may eventually be liable for any damages that occur.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Protecting_Your_Brand_in_The_Digital_World\"><\/span>Protecting Your Brand in The Digital World<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re not here to scare you, but the threat is real. SMEs are the most common target for cybercriminals often because they have so much to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why you need to get serious about brand management. Own your digital channels, invest in security, be proactive. This is how you ensure the safety of your brand now and in the future.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"><em>Photo by <\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@jemjoyrussia?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"><em>Maxim Zhgulev<\/em><\/a><em> on <\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/lock?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"><em>Unsplash<\/em><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-inner\">\n<p class=\"bio-name\">Jyoti Ray<\/p>\n<div class=\"bio-desc\">\nJyoti Ray is the founder of WPMyWeb.com. He writes about Blogging, WordPress tutorials, Hosting, Affiliate marketing, etc.<\/div>\n<p><!-- social-link --><\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General <\/a><\/span>category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.noupe.com\/business-online\/steps-to-protect-your-brand-online.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#5 Steps to Protect Your Brand Online&#8221; Few things have been so beneficial and transformative for small businesses as the internet. Within a click, you can connect to global audiences, do product research, find new employees, and much more.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the internet isn\u2019t all great. While it may take years to build up a good&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.noupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maxim-zhgulev-5tmItJfHkIc-unsplash.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[78110,72287],"class_list":["post-102790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-protect","tag-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}