SEO: Google Sidewiki… Why should you care?
A couple of months ago, Google created a new feature for it’s toolbar called “Sidewiki.” This allows your site users, who may or may not be customers, to create helpful information or insights in connection with individual search results. It also allows people to share these comments on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, and your Google profile pages.
It’s kind of a cool feature that’s obviously designed to get people participating in a social way with Google’s search function, and also to get people to download and install the Google toolbar. I don’t have it, don’t want it, and rely on other cool Firefox add-ons to give me more information than the toolbar ever did without it clouding my reading pane. But…
What makes it a little scary is that Sidewiki can be a tool that people can use against you, if you’re in business. Imagine your unhappy customers writing their discontent into the wiki, which lasts forever. Imagine furthermore that same unhappy customer creating such a stir that everyone piles on. Makes me think of that Bugs Bunny cartoon refrain, “All pile on the dog pile.” When someone starts a feeding frenzy, it’s not pretty.
The obvious way to stay out of the bad light in the wiki is to treat your customers well and with respect, to create cool products that have real value, and never to piss people off. Even if you’re the most ethical, most caring marketer out there, there will always be a customer with a complaint, one willing it take it to the next level.
That’s never going to happen.
In fact, I have a guy who’s really mad at me because I wouldn’t give him a refund. It was past the refund period stated in the sales letter, and here’s the thing people don’t realize: If you give anyone a refund past the stated time, you’re in trouble with the FTC. You didn’t tell all of your other customers that you extended the deadline. They may have wanted a refund on the 61st day of a 60-day guarantee, but didn’t know they could ask, so it’s YOUR butt. Never go past the deadline.
Even when you explain why you can’t honor a past-deadline guarantee, you’re still wrong. Even if you give them something cool to make up for it, you’re still wrong and horrible and a scammer and well… People write things even when you’re in the right! And you don’t want this stuff getting out of control on Google’s Sidewiki.
But, you can do something about this right now. In a great post by Darren Slatten over at SEOmofo.com, he gives you a great way to subscribe to the feed for comments that arise in conjunction with your site listing in the Sidewiki in his article: How to Monitor Google Sidewiki Comments
This is cool because when you see something nasty come in on your feed reader, you can answer the complaint and show how you fixed the problem and everyone will love you because you respond so quickly to a customer complaint. Get the person’s email address, send them something cool, and voila! You’ve turned a problem into a plus.
Technorati Tags: Sidewiki, internet marketing, search engine results
