Companies can use a number of search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to counteract negative press about products or services, one expert has pointed out.

In a recent blog for Search Engine Watch blog, William Leake states that businesses can suffer significantly from negative media coverage but that this can easily be redressed by the creation of positive web content.

"SEO has a pivotal role in reputation management, as it can remove negatives and enhance positives on the first page of results, which is usually the only page that matters," he said.

He added that creating a positive article that is keyword rich can be used in conjunction with search ranking campaigns and link building exercises adding this can be done quickly and effectively in most cases.

The Marketplace website suggests that one firm dealing with an "avalanche" of bad press this week is the French bank Societe Generale, which has lost billions in cash recently thanks to the illegal operations of a rogue trader.

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