Trust is one of the key factors in building a successful business. It is something an owner needs to build at both their physical store and their online presence. One way a business can gain the trust of the consumers is by providing a reliable and current content all the time. Accurate information is also the gateway to better online engagement, and is one of the elements of a successful SEO strategy, as Google won’t award rankings to websites with low audience engagement.

However, what should you do if you’ve already posted harmful content on your website? First of all, don’t panic. Next, follow these steps!

Address the Situation Quickly

As the owner, you are responsible for the flow of information both internally and externally. Let all of your staff know what’s going on and make sure they understand the problem at hand.

Externally, it’s better if you acknowledge the problem via your online platforms, such as your website and social media accounts. In it, apologize and explain what you are going to do to fix this error. Updating your customers about the progress of the situation is also a great way to gain their sympathy and understanding.

Options for the Content Error

There are three things you can do to the content itself: leave the content, leave the page, or delete it. Leaving the content as is but imbued with an editor’s note or an apology on top could be the perfect answer to a controversial article. If that’s not an option for your case, you can leave the title of the article but correct the content or fully replace it with an apology and explanation as to what happened. If none of those are viable, delete the content altogether.

Create a Game Plan

Have an editor on board if you don’t have one in the first place. He can provide the last line of defense when it comes to writing content. Additionally, you must also create a plan in case this type of situation happens again in the future. The bigger your business is, the higher the chances of being entangled with an erroneous content. One of the most important parts of this plan is to decide who in your company will own up to the mistake. Choose wisely.

Ideally, after all the crisis has passed, you need to review the condition of your company and make some adjustments. If you are unfamiliar with content marketing and are wondering whether your content is beneficial or harmful, work together with experienced internet marketing companies and gear your business toward success.

Sources:

Make No Mistake: Content Errors Harm Your Brand & SEO, Medium.com

11 Harmful Content Marketing Misconceptions and How to Fix Them, Business2Community.com