What is Online Reputation Management 2024

Online reputation management involves a combination of marketing, public relations, legal and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to promote, protect and defend your online image or business reputation.

Online reputation refers to the overall perception others have of you or your company or your products or services based on information they can search and find on the Internet. It includes search results, images, videos, social media mentions and more.

What factors influence your online reputation?

Your online reputation is impacted by what you post online and what others say about you or your business online.  The total amount and visibility of positive, negative, and neutral content when people search online for your name, company, brand, products or services determine your online reputation. 

We are living in an era of radical transparency and the first impression for an individual or business is frequently online.  The idea of privacy — our own and others’– is changing in very dramatic ways.  It is scary navigating this brave new world. What we see online is not a mirror of reality but a distortion of reality.

We help our clients regain control over how their name or brand is seen online and restore what may have been lost along the way.

Reputation on Internet

Reputation on the Internet refers to how others may perceive you or your company based on information they search and find online. 62% of consumers surveyed said they would change their mind after reading 1-3 negative reviews about a product or service and 81% of consumers and senior executives said online search results highly influence their perception about a company. Here is where corporate Online Reputation Management enters the picture as well. 

Based on the reviews they read online, people all across the internet get an idea of you, which further influences their choice of whether to work with you or not.

How does online reputation management work?

Online reputation management involves a combination of marketing, public relations, legal and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to promote, protect and defend your online image or business reputation.

Google relies on a complex algorithm to determine which search results appear on what page.  High authority content is likely to rank among the first results for any search term, while low authority content may not rank at all. Reputation management companies seek to influence search results by improving the authority and search visibility of positive content to promote a company, product or individual.

While every reputation management campaign is unique, the best online reputation management agency will typically use some of the following tactics:

• Monitoring online mentions of an individual or brand and coordinating a thoughtful, rapid response
• Publishing professionally written content on trusted web sites with high search engine authority and maximum visibility
• Interlinking high impact positive web content
• Optimizing existing websites and social media profiles to rank higher in the search results for select keywords
• Contacting the source to edit or remove negative content
• Filing a formal complaint with the search engine or webmaster
• Promote Positive Customer Feedback
• Article and Content Marketing to Blogs, News Sites and Web 2.0 Sites
• Business Profile Development
• Social Media Profile Optimization
• Press Release Distribution
• Sponsor Contests and Giveaways
• Online Reputation Monitoring

Everyone. Doctors, attorneys, small business owners, accountants, consultants, freelancers and contractors need a positive online image. If you are looking for a job, applying to school, dating online or seeking new clients or customers, your first impression will be online. Every business knows that customers and clients are researching products and services online before deciding to buy. Brand management is more important than ever before and a positive reputation is your most valuable asset.

Why do you need reputation management?

According to a recent study, 78% of the respondents said they believe it is very important to look up information about people and/or businesses online before deciding to interact or do business with them and 74% would most likely refuse to interact or do business with a person or company if they found negative information about them online.  Bad reviews, misleading news and blog articles, negative comments in forums and online defamation by angry customers, former employees or competitors can destroy your business and your reputation.

The online world has enabled people to be crueler and more hurtful than they would ever be offline.

Doctors, attorneys, small business owners, accountants, consultants, freelancers and contractors need a positive online image. If you are looking for a job, applying to school, dating online or seeking new clients or customers, your first impression will be online. Every business knows that customers and clients are researching products and services online before deciding to buy.

Reputation management online is more important than ever before and a positive reputation is your most valuable asset.

What is business reputation management?

Business listings management involves strategic marketing, public relations, legal and search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to promote your business and its key products and services, and protect and defend your company from reputational risks.

The internet does not forgive. It does not forget. And its influence continues to grow. Negative online content has destroyed relationships, devastated careers and ruined businesses.

A positive online reputation is your most valuable asset in today’s digital world.

From the Pope to your local pub, no one is immune from attacks online and reputation risk is a reality for every person and every business.  Large companies help manage risk by hiring an expensive PR firm, but the efforts of a small, local business is typically no match for the influence of TripAdvisor, Yelp or Google My Business.

For individuals, your online image can impact every stage of employment, from recruitment to career advancement. 

Harris Interactive published a report on behalf of job site CareerBuilder that provides evidence of this potential impact.  The survey of 2,000 U.S. hiring managers found that 52% of employers use social network sites to conduct research on job candidates – up significantly from 39% in 2013. 

21% of the managers say that they are looking for reasons not to hire a candidate; 48% say that they have found information that caused them not to hire someone.  

Another Harris Interactive study found that 18% of hiring managers have fired an employee for something they posted on social media, up from 12% in 2014.

Another arena in which reputation can have a profound impact is with social and personal relations.  More and more people are vetting potential relationship partners through a review of their social media profiles.  For example, a 2013 Pew survey revealed that among social networking site users with recent dating experience, 30% used social media to find out more information about someone they were interested in dating.   The presence of objectionable material such as inappropriate photos or offensive comments could easily cost someone a relationship.

Business owners and professionals also need to be concerned about online reputation.  We work regularly with clients the following verticals:

• Lawyers and Law Firms
• Accountants
• Brokers and Investment Advisers
• Insurance Agents
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Car Dealers
• Chiropractors
• Psychologists / Therapists
• Dentists
• Doctors / Physicians
• Hair Salons / Beauty Professionals
• Home Repair (Plumbers, Electricians, Locksmiths)
• Real Estate Agents

According to a recent survey, 81% of consumers say online search results influence their perception of a company.  If there are negative reviews, damaging news articles, defamatory forum postings or embarrassing content on the Internet, you may never get a chance to make a first impression.

To learn more about business reputation management, visit https://www.reputationrhino.com/reputation-builder/

Studies have consistently shown that online reviews strongly influence customer decision making.  According to a study by Dimensional Research, 90 percent of respondents who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions. 86 percent said buying decisions were influenced by negative online reviews. 

In other words, online reviews are not just feedback about your business, but can be an advertisement for your business – or a warning to stay far, far away. 

A business that takes proactive steps to attract positive reviews will discover that review sites drive traffic, leads and sales.

An online reputation management company can provide review monitoring and review management solutions for the following popular review and customer complaint sites: BBB Reviews; Citysearch; Consumer Affairs; Customer Lobby; Facebook Reviews; Foursquare; Google My Business / Google Maps; Indeed.com; Insider Pages; MerchantCircle; PissedConsumer; SuperPages; Trustpilot; Yahoo! Local; Yellow Pages, Yelp and many more.

Can Reputation Rhino remove negative content online?

Sometimes. We have assisted in the takedown and removal of hundreds of pages of content from websites for copyright violations, trademark infringement and the preparation of cease and desist letters.  On behalf of our clients, we have also successfully contacted webmasters which have published offensive content and requested a negative post or article be removed.

We have successfully and permanently removed offensive, defamatory content from Websites such as:

• ComplaintsBoard.com
• Scam.com
• Thedirty.com
• Revenge porn websites
• Cheater websites
• Blogspot.com
• WordPress.com
• Much more

If a website is publishing confidential personal information, (e.g., your social security number, credit card or bank account details) you can request the content removed from the web and any search results.

If the negative information violates copyright law or infringes on a registered trademark, and you are either the content owner or an authorized representative, you can request the removal of the content under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

You can also request the administrator or web master of the site to delete offensive content and any cached copies. However, it is important to realize that blogs, forums, review sites and other content providers enjoy broad protections from liability under the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996.  “The Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 provides broad immunity to websites that host user generated content and make it very difficult and prohibitively expensive for businesses to force the removal of fake reviews or pursue a claim of online defamation.”

Be social and create an optimized profile on high quality social media and Web 2.0 sites, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Medium.  Post a well written personal bio, upload high quality photos and link to your other online profiles. 

Think creatively about new ways to more effectively use these social channels in a way that makes sense for your business.  Success is about more than fans and followers. 

Engagement and reach are key, often ignored, metrics. 

Content Marketing.  If you have the time, contributing guest posts or maintaining a blog is a great way to establish a strong presence online.  WordPress, Blogger and Medium provide easy ways to get started.  There are hundreds of Websites that allow contributors to publish high quality written content along with a byline, bio and photo.  Content marketing is a powerful tool to build a stronger presence online, demonstrate subject matter expertise and establish thought leadership. Plus, you can share this valuable content across your social and professional network.

Be the master of your domain.  Purchase variations of your first name and last name and business name (.com, .net, .org, etc.).  Register your name across social media. 

Brandjacking and cybersquatting is a serious problem and companies need to be proactive.

Monitor conversations mentioning your name.  Monitor conversations mentioning your name, brand or company.  You should try and better understand where the conversations are taking place, what people are saying, and who are the key influencers dominating the conversation about you or your company.  Measure sentiment and follow trends. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for a positive review.  People are much more inclined to share a negative experience than a positive one.  This is human nature.  People also like to help small businesses succeed.  This is also human nature. 

Let your customers and clients know how important reviews are to your business and to share their positive experience with others. You will be amazed at the results! 

Niche Review sites (like Healthgrades and RateMDs for doctors or Avvo.com or Lawyers.com for attorneys) are also especially important.

Respond to feedback online when appropriate.  Know when to respond immediately and when to remain silent.  What you say can and will be used against you and your company online.

Hire an online reputation management company to help promote positive information about you and minimize or eliminate the impact of damaging online content.

At Reputation Rhino, we help individuals and companies:

• Optimize positive online content
• Promote positive customer reviews
• Outrank complaint and review sites
• Fight libel and online defamation
  

Unlike other reputation management companies, we do not view online defamation as just a technology (or Google) problem.  We are an online public relations firm and we deliver high quality content development and advanced PR and brand management solutions for individuals and businesses.  We think outside the box, with solutions unavailable with other traditional SEO/reputation management firms which are focused solely on “pushing down” negative content.

Reputation Rhino is one of the most awarded online reputation management firms in the world, we have worked with Hollywood celebrities, well-known political figures, C-Suite executives, Fortune 500 companies, and more.  We will do everything possible, to achieve our goals for our clients.

Reputation Rhino will promote and highlight positive online results to appear on the top pages of Google for your keywords, using their online reputation management strategy.  We will seek to remove, suppress and reduce the visibility of negative search results from Page 1 and beyond using the latest SEO techniques and proven online public relations strategies. 

Research
We start any reputation management online project by analyzing the top 50+ search results for our target search term(s), identifying content gaps and existing positive and neutral content that that we can use as part of our campaign to own and control Page 1. 

Content Optimization
We create and use professionally edited personal and/or business profiles on customized microsites and leading, highly visible social media, blog, news and other Web sites and pair content creation with high authority link building and other SEO strategies to dominate Page 1 and remove negative search results.

Reputation Rhino’s talented in-house writing team will create and promote high authority positive content, including news articles, press releases, business profiles, executive interviews, blog posts, etc. via link building. The newly-created positive content is written to push down and/or replace negative content.

Over the past nine years, we have carefully created content publishing relationships with thousands of blogs and news sites, and we maintain an industry leading Private Blog Network (PBN) we use for high impact link building.

We regularly publish and promote executive interviews, videos, press releases, business profiles, microsites, individual profiles, etc. that have Page 1 ranking potential.  Online reputation management is about more than damage control – it is about building a powerful, positive presence online.

Online Reputation Monitoring
We track and monitor new mentions for all our clients, escalating reputation issues that require immediate attention with thoughtful analysis and actionable recommendations. 

Monthly Reporting and Metrics
We provide a monthly report with detailed reputation management performance metrics so you can evaluate the progress of your campaign.

85% of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals say that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions at least to some extent. Nearly half say that a strong online reputation influences their decisions to a great extent*

70% of recruiters and HR professionals have rejected candidates based on information they found online.*

85% of recruiters and HR professionals say that a positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions.*

41% of Americans have been personally subjected to at least one type of online harassment defined as offensive name-calling online (27% of Americans say this has happened to them), intentional efforts to embarrass someone (22%), physical threats (10%), stalking (7%), harassment over a sustained period of time (7%) or sexual harassment (6%).**

89% of Americans say the ability to post anonymously online enables people to be cruel to or harass one another.**

31% of employed internet users have searched online for information about co-workers, professional colleagues or business competitors.**

34% of those who use online dating services go online to check up on their dates.**

46% of internet users search online to find information about people from their past.**

62% of consumers surveyed said they would change their mind after reading 1-3 negative reviews about a product or service.***

81% of consumers and senior executives said online search results highly influence their perception about a company.****

83% of consumers and senior executives said online reviews highly influence in their perception about a company.****

90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.*****

74% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more.*****

84% of people trust online reviews of a business as much as a personal recommendation.*****

73% of consumers think that reviews older than 3 months are no longer relevant.*****

87% of the executives surveyed rate reputation risk as more important or much more important than other strategic risks their companies are facing.

88% say their companies are explicitly focusing on managing reputation risk.******

41% of companies that experienced a negative reputation event reported loss of brand value and revenue.******

Sometimes. If a website is publishing confidential personal information, (e.g., your social security number, credit card or bank account details) you can request the page(s) be removed from the web and any search results.

If the negative information violates copyright law or is an infringement on a registered trademark, and you are either the content owner or an authorized representative, you can request the removal of the content under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

You can also request the administrator or web master of the site to delete offensive content and any cached copies. However, it is important to realize that blogs, forums, review sites and other content providers enjoy broad protections from liability for publishing or republishing content created by others.

What can I do to improve my online reputation?

While you may not be able to control what others say about you or your business online, you can create positive online content to diminish the impact and visibility of the negative posts. Here are a few simple suggestions to improve your online reputation:

• Create a complete online profile on popular social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube
• Track what is being said about you online
• Respond directly on the site where the negative content appears
• Create your own website or blog
• Participate actively in online communities
• Publish positive reviews from satisfied clients or customers
• Hire an online reputation management firm