12 min read
By Kent Campbell on
1/5/19 5:27 PM
If you're here, you probably know exactly why reputation's such a big deal today. You want your personal or your company reputation to have access to the best opportunities, and a bad reputation can prevent that. A great reputation will open doors to fantastic opportunities and (if you're a business) unhindered access to your ideal client base.
Your reputation is the single-most important aspect of your business. It affects everything from the number of followers on social media to your overall business revenue. Here are just a few other benefits of a good reputation:
- More business opportunities
- A better selection of prospective employees
- Higher company value
- Lower marketing costs
TOPICS:
Reputation PR
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Protection
5 min read
By Kent Campbell on
12/23/18 11:53 AM
Why does it take six months for a website to rank? We get asked this quite a bit. For the most part, it's because there is a lag time of between 10 and 20 weeks before listings start to improve in search results. The exception to the rule is viral content—if users signal content is of superior value, and they do so quickly, search listings can improve in hours. Unfortunately, not every piece of content is going to go viral. Spammy, low-quality SEO can have a quick effect, but it tends to rapidly off again and will more often than not make things worse.
TOPICS:
SEO Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
7 min read
By Reputation X on
12/17/18 4:06 PM
An online reputation management (ORM) firm isn't a public relations firm. PR firms tend to be more relationship-based, whereas ORM firms tend to be more technical and content-oriented. The best online reputation agencies use PR firms as a go-between with publishers while they work their magic behind the scenes. ORM firms also tend to operate in stealth mode, often quietly supporting PR campaigns in the background.
Reputation management and public relations (PR) are often confused. Although the two share similarities and may be used in conjunction with one another, PR is more forward facing and visible to members of the public. Online reputation management (ORM) services often occur behind the scenes and are not as obvious to casual observers. Think of reputation agencies as the "man behind the curtain."
TOPICS:
Reputation PR
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Management Companies
9 min read
By Kent Campbell on
10/5/18 4:22 PM
Want to remove images from Google? Sometimes negative search results take the form of images. Most often negative images cannot be removed from the internet. When they can be removed it is usually from the blog post, mugshot site, or article on which they reside and they must be removed by the publisher. Google will remove some images from search results under certain circumstances, but it is rare. Here's what to do when an image cannot be removed from the source or from search results.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
14 min read
By Daniel Threlfall on
10/4/18 10:56 AM
Reputation management strategy is part of brand building, and it's so much more than making sure your company has great reviews. This guide will help you navigate the world of reputation strategy in the online environment. Online reputation — that intangible asset, that electronic chimera — is hard to assess let alone fix. And when it comes right down to the exact techniques to repair a reputation, many CMOs, publicists, or executives are downright nonplussed.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Management Companies
5 min read
By Kent Campbell on
9/22/18 6:19 PM
Up to 90% of business leads research a brand online prior to a buying decision.
Research indicates that salespeople lose about 22% of prospective customers when only one negative article is seen when researching whether to buy a product or service. When there are two negatives in search results, the losses can double. When three negative things are seen in search results the losses can mount to almost 60%.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
11 min read
By Reputation X on
8/28/18 10:57 AM
President Trump thinks Google is rigged against him. It's probably not, but that doesn't stop the scrutiny. Google's portrayal of Trump is a reflection of people's desires - all the people, not a group or an individual. A pandemic, economic disaster, and Black Lives Matter marches don't help.
While Donald Trump has mastered the art of publicity, it's a genie let out of its a bottle. Once escaped it can have unforeseen consequences like those we are seeing today.
For example, at one time President Trump wrote that "Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED..."
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
27 min read
By Reputation X on
7/5/18 9:05 AM
Reputation is the subjective qualitative belief a person has regarding a brand, person, company, product, or service. Reputation is a belief that is socially transferred from one person or system to another.
Reputation is best defined as a third-party perception of your, or your brands, character and attributes. Reputation evolves over time, but it can be engineered. Every time you see an advertisement or press release about a company it's an attempt to somehow change how you think of the company's brand.
Reputation is perception, put another way - it is subjective. Reputation is a malleable thing. Malleable by others, or to some extent by the subject. Reputation perception in a small social circle is less changeable than it is in a large network because it is perceived on a one-to-one basis with no intermediary in-between. How you (person A) feel about the way your friend (person B) treated you is between you and your friend. No person or entity stands between so your friends' reputation is through direct knowledge you have of them.
Most reputation perception is through indirect knowledge. An example of this might be how you (person A) feel about your friends' (B) friend (C) whom you've never met. Everything you know about the person you have yet to meet (person C) has been communicated by the friend you do know (person B). If you friend (B) says bad things about the other person (C) you will probably come to the conclusion that the person you don't know is not a great human being - whether it's true or not. That person in the middle (B) is the intermediary.
The intermediary controls how you perceive the reputation of person C. In the case of a large network like the internet, where you have no direct knowledge, Google is person B.
Reputation perception within a large network (such as the internet) is often easier to change than in a smaller network (a group of friends) because today people depend on search engines like Google, or Amazon, to make decisions for them about the reputation of people, products, services, or companies.
These companies are in effect, person B, and they color the way you feel about things for which you have no direct knowledge. Every time you look at an Amazon rating you are experiencing the opinion of an intermediary. And in most cases you probably trust it. The same is true of Wikipedia articles, Instagram, or Google search results, most people trust them even though they can be manipulated.
In a large network reputation can be improved or damaged by manipulating the intermediary. Reputation intermediaries can be a search engine like YouTube, Bing, Google, Amazon, or Duck Duck Go. Reputation can be improved, or destroyed, using intermediaries because there is no direct knowledge of the facts.
Whether you're selling bottled water or running for President, your online reputation precedes you. By changing how Google portrays a brand you can change one of the main ways people perceive reputation.
In today’s digital environment, reputation is more important, more pervasive, more unforgettable, and more meaningful than ever. It's difficult to build, enhance, sustain, and protect a reputation that'll last (even for a reputation management agency). It’s also easy to neglect, abuse, reject, or shred a reputation in a short amount of time.
A disaster can happen in minutes, circle the globe within hours, and live on to haunt your search results. That's why it's so important to maintain an active reputation management strategy.
Let's unpack what reputation really is.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Protection
Reputation Marketing
14 min read
By Kent Campbell on
7/4/18 4:03 PM
A person or company’s reputation is based on information (of some kind or another). And every reputation is perceived by people (of some kind or another). Put information and perception together, and you have reputation.
TOPICS:
Reputation PR
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
7 min read
By Kent Campbell on
1/19/18 1:09 PM
Less-than compelling content won't generate user signals to improve branded search results. Higher engagement reduces marketing costs.
A great brand story improves click-rates, increases dwell time, reduces bounce rate, helps branded content rank better in search results, and lowers the cost of promoting online content because it gets people to do much of the work.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Protection
Reputation Management Cost
8 min read
By Reputation X on
1/2/18 1:02 PM
Every year take time to take stock of your online reputation and make adjustments to your reputation management campaign. We've wrapped up these top tips for improving the way Google shows your brand online.
TOPICS:
How to Do Reputation Management
Reputation PR
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Defamation
Reputation Marketing
7 min read
By Reputation X on
9/4/17 8:34 AM
Have you ever bought anything online without looking for customer reviews first? If you’re like most adults in the U.S, your answer should be a straight “No!”.
Studies suggest that 72% of online consumers read between two and 10 customer reviews and testimonials before actually making a purchase.Having no online reviews about your company is not a choice either.
Because, according to research, even if you get one negative review from a dissatisfied client (or a shrewd competitor who hires fake reviewers to defame you), you’ll need about 12 positive reviews to counter its effects.
TOPICS:
Online Review Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Defamation
9 min read
By Reputation X on
8/18/17 11:29 AM
One of the first questions we get from most of our reputation management clients is, “How long will reputation management take?” (The next question is of course "How much does ORM cost?")
Their anxiety is understandable considering that more than 80% of consumers now search Google before doing business with a company. What Google’s first page says about your business practically determines how potential clients and partners see you. And this is why determining just how long it will take to conquer that first page and secure your brands online reputation is not as simple as you might think.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Reputation Protection
15 min read
By Kent Campbell on
8/7/17 1:02 PM
How do you get something removed from Google search? Well, there are five ways to remove content from Google search - or to effectively remove it. Content removal can be a tricky thing, but this guide should help.
Five methods to remove online content:
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Online Reputation Repair
Reputation management services
6 min read
By Kent Campbell on
6/19/17 7:32 AM
Why did the organic for your branded search traffic just drop off? Was it a Google search algorithm change or was it the content of your results that changed? It's a nightmare situation when suddenly you find that you're ranking for negative search phrases appended to your brand name, like "fraud" or "scam." Prospects are fleeing. The sales staff are freaking out.
TOPICS:
How to Do Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
7 min read
By Kent Campbell on
6/8/17 3:01 PM
Websites that are "authoritative" in their space rank much better. Google pays more attention to authoritative sites and pages. But how does a website become "authoritative"? Leverage different kinds of media to accomplish your goals.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
8 min read
By Reputation X on
6/7/17 5:37 PM
Which search phrases are killing your business? Is it [brand name] reviews? How about [brand name] complaints? Or, maybe it's just [brand name]. Check it now. We'll wait.
Imagine your customer gets your business’s address from a friend, comes to your storefront, and every negative review from the last ten years is taped to the front window. At the same time, someone on the sidewalk yells through a megaphone, “don’t shop here even if it’s the last store on earth!” while a video showcases old footage of an employee stealing from a customer. Ouch.
You wouldn’t let it happen in real life, so why would you let it happen online?
TOPICS:
How to Do Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
4 min read
By Reputation X on
5/15/17 9:20 AM
What's the difference between branded and non-branded content? Branded content is clearly about you or your company. Non-branded content is not necessarily about you or your company at all, but it contains references to either.
Both types of content include your branded search phrase and assist in your online reputation strategy, but are structured differently. Both types of content require freshness updates.
TOPICS:
SEO Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
8 min read
By Kent Campbell on
5/1/17 7:25 AM
A search result audit is part of any reputation management plan, and can make your business better by revealing the strengths and weaknesses of your online brand as seen by your prospective customers. Warning: sometimes it can be a little scary. Search results can be an excellent tool for marketing, research, and development. But their utility goes far beyond into the realm of human intent, understanding, decisions and actions. Every page of search results tells you a story about your customer and what they’re really looking for. The trick is in seeing the intent behind the search results.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
7 min read
By Amanda Marie on
3/7/17 5:26 AM
If you’re musing about improving your online reputation, it might help to have an idea of the direction you’re going in. This brief guide can help you formulate a plan and take action.
TOPICS:
Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Business Reputation Management
