In case you missed the big event, Google’s Sidewiki is here and it allows anyone with the Google toolbar installed to visit your webpage and leave a comment. This lack of control has some site owners concerned, so here are some best practice tips to monitor your reputation and ensure you get the most out of the tool.

Leave an Owners Comment
Website owners can leave an owners comment on their Sidewiki which will appear with a green background at the top of all other listings.

Leave some general information about your business, links to your most popular products, contact details and anything else that will help customers learn more about your brand. To leave an owners comment, verify your site in Google Webmaster tools and then click the ‘write as page owner’ checkbox in Sidewiki.

Monitor and Maintain
Check your Sidewiki entries regularly to ensure it hasn’t been abused by flamers or spam. If someone has posted a questionable entry, use the “Report Abuse” link to let Google moderators know about the problem. You don’t want a poorly maintained Sidewiki page tarnishing your company image.

No Abuse!
It may be tempting to jump onto your competitors Sidewiki page and post a comment, but it’s only going to reflect negatively on your brand.

Respond to Critics
If there are some legitimate complaints about your website, make sure you address them. You might not want every discussion to happen in public, so at least post a comment letting the person know you’ve emailed them or contacted them directly. Your comments on social networks like Sidewiki will show potential customers that you’re easy to get in touch with should they have any problems.

If you want to learn more about Sidewiki, you can visit the official Sidewiki page or read more about using Sidewiki for maximum SEM benefit from search engine land.