Online Reputation Management

Control the story the internet tells about you and your brand.

Your reputation now lives in search results and AI answers — not in conversations. Online reputation management is how businesses, executives, and individuals monitor, protect, and reshape what people find when they look them up. We build a first page you’re proud of and keep it that way.

SKBy Scott Keever · Founder & CEO, Reputation Pros · 15+ years in ORM & SEO

is [your name] trustworthy?
AI OverviewLive

A well-regarded professional with consistent, positive coverage across trusted sources, verified profiles, and strong reviews — no significant negative results on the first page.

Owned siteNews & pressVerified profiles4.9★ reviews
The definition

What is online reputation management?

Online reputation management (ORM) is the ongoing practice of monitoring, influencing, and protecting how a person or business is perceived online — across search results, review sites, social platforms, news, and now AI-generated answers. The goal is simple: make sure what people find is accurate, current, and reflects the truth of who you are.

ORM sits at the intersection of SEO, public relations, and content strategy. Public relations shapes what’s said about you; SEO decides what ranks; ORM combines both to control the full first page of results. It’s part defense — suppressing or resolving damaging content — and part offense: building owned assets, earned coverage, and reviews strong enough that the good outranks the bad and holds its position over time.

Done well, reputation management is proactive. The best time to build a resilient first page is before a crisis, a bad review cluster, or a misleading article ever appears — so that when something does surface, you already own the narrative around it.

Why it matters

Your reputation is decided before anyone talks to you

People judge you on the search results page and in AI answers — often without ever clicking through. Here’s what the data says in 2026.

~91%
of global searches run through Google — making its first page your primary reputation surface.
68%
of U.S. searches now end without a click — your reputation is judged on the results page itself.
6% → 45%
jump in people using AI tools to find and vet businesses in a single year — a new reputation front line.
97%
of consumers read online reviews before choosing a business or professional.
31%
now use only businesses rated 4.5★ or higher — nearly double the year prior.
89%
expect a business to respond to reviews; 42% avoid those that never reply.
+5–9%
in revenue is tied to each additional star of rating, per Harvard Business School research.
$14B
projected ORM market by 2031 — roughly double 2025, as reputation becomes a core business function.

The shift that changes everything: search is no longer just links. Google’s AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT now summarize who you are in a sentence or two — pulling from the same sources that rank. If those sources are thin, outdated, or negative, that’s the summary millions of people (and every AI) will repeat. Managing your reputation today means managing what both search engines and AI conclude about you.

From our own research. In our study of executive reputation attacks, negative coverage reached page one within 3–5 days in 82% of cases, 63% of existing positive results were pushed off page one within a week, and executives with strong owned-asset portfolios recovered 40% faster. Read the full white paper →

Sources: StatCounter (2026); SparkToro (2026); BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey (2026); Harvard Business School (Luca, 2011); Mordor Intelligence (2025). Figures are industry estimates and vary by market and methodology.

What’s included

The six pillars of modern reputation management

A complete ORM program works on every surface where you’re found — not just one.

Monitoring & listening

Always-on tracking of search results, reviews, social mentions, news, and AI answers — so you hear about problems first, not last.

Reviews & ratings

Ethically earn more genuine 5-star reviews, respond the right way, and lift your rating above the 4.5★ threshold buyers now demand.

Suppression & removal

Outrank and push down damaging results with stronger content, and pursue rightful removal of defamatory or policy-violating material.

Owned media & SEO

Build and rank the assets you control — your site, bio, profiles, and authoritative content — to own the first page for your name.

Crisis response

A rapid, calm playbook for negative press, viral moments, or review attacks — contain the damage and rebuild trust fast.

AI & answer-engine visibility

Shape what ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other assistants say about you by strengthening the sources they cite most.

The process

How we manage and repair reputations

A proven, transparent framework refined across hundreds of businesses, executives, and individuals: Push Down → Promote → Protect — typically over a 12-month engagement.

0

Audit & baseline

Before the clock starts, we map exactly what shows up for your name and brand across Google, reviews, social, news, and AI answers — pinpointing every asset and threat, and setting the target first page you approve.

1

Push Down · Months 1–4

We suppress damaging results with advanced, white-hat SEO — building and strengthening assets that outrank negative content and push it off page one.

2

Promote · Months 3–8

We create and amplify authoritative, positive content — your site, profiles, and earned coverage — driving the engagement and signals that strengthen algorithmic favor and third-party credibility.

3

Protect · Months 6–12

We continuously monitor and reinforce positive sentiment, defend your gains, and respond the moment something new appears — so the first page stays yours.

See exactly what the internet says about you

Get a free, no-obligation reputation consultation. We’ll review your current search results and AI answers, flag the risks, and show you what a stronger first page would look like.

Who it’s for

Reputation management for every kind of name

Whether you’re protecting a company, a career, or a personal name, the principles are the same — the strategy is tailored.

Businesses & brands

Protect revenue by winning the reviews, ratings, and search results that decide whether a customer chooses you or a competitor. Manage brand reputation across every location and platform.

Executives & leaders

For founders, C-suite, and board members whose personal reputation is inseparable from the company’s. Build authority and a clean, credible first page before investors, journalists, or acquirers look.

Individuals & professionals

Doctors, attorneys, realtors, public figures, and private individuals dealing with an unfair article, old mistake, or misleading result. Personal reputation management that puts you back in control of your name.

Problems we solve

The reputation issues we fix most

If any of these are showing up when people search you, they’re costing you trust, customers, and opportunities right now.

The problemWhat it looks likeHow reputation management fixes it
Negative press & articlesA critical news story or blog post ranking on page one for your name.Build and rank stronger owned and earned content to outrank it; pursue removal where the content is false or defamatory.
Bad or fake reviewsA low star rating, a cluster of 1-star reviews, or fake reviews from competitors.Report and remove policy-violating reviews, respond professionally, and generate a steady flow of genuine positive reviews.
Damaging search suggestionsGoogle autocomplete pairing your name with a negative word or event.Reshape the signals that drive suggestions and dilute negative associations with stronger, positive search demand.
Outdated or wrong informationOld roles, wrong facts, or a stale profile that no longer reflects who you are.Refresh and rank accurate owned assets so the current, correct version of you is what ranks and what AI cites.
A thin or empty first pageLittle shows up for your name — leaving you vulnerable to whatever appears next.Proactively build a deep, credible first page of owned properties, profiles, and coverage that’s hard to displace.
Wrong AI answersChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview describes you inaccurately or negatively.Strengthen the authoritative sources these models rely on so the AI summary reflects the truth.
What it costs

How much does online reputation management cost?

Serious online reputation management typically runs $3,000 to $10,000+ per month, with most engagements starting around $3,000/month. Executive, enterprise, and crisis work runs higher. Pricing is set from an initial audit and depends on how competitive your name is, how much negative content exists, and how fast you need results.

Type of engagementTypical monthly rangeBest for
Reputation repair (individuals & professionals)From $3,000Cleaning up and rebuilding a first page for a personal name.
Business & brand ORM$3,000 – $7,500Multi-platform monitoring, content, reviews, and active repair.
Executive & enterprise$7,500 – $15,000+High-stakes names, authority building, and 24/7 defense.
Crisis response$5,000+ (accelerated)Fast containment of negative press or a viral incident.

Most meaningful ORM engagements run 6–12 months, because durable first-page change takes time to build and hold. You get a clear, fixed quote after an initial audit — no guesswork.

Choosing a partner

What to look for in a reputation management company

Reputation is too important to hand to the wrong team. Insist on these.

Ethical, white-hat methods. No fake reviews, no shady tactics that get you penalized or exposed.
Real SEO expertise. Suppression is SEO. If they can’t rank, they can’t move your results.
Transparent reporting. Clear timelines, honest expectations, and proof of progress you can see.
A track record. Named case studies, tenure, and recognized authority — not anonymous promises.
AI-era awareness. A partner who manages AI answers, not just the ten blue links.
Realistic promises. Anyone guaranteeing instant, total removal of everything is a red flag.
FAQ

Online reputation management questions, answered

What is online reputation management?

Online reputation management (ORM) is the practice of monitoring and shaping how you or your business appears online — in search results, reviews, social media, news, and AI answers. It combines SEO, PR, and content strategy to make sure what people find is accurate, positive, and reflects the truth of who you are.

How much does online reputation management cost?

Most reputation management programs start around $3,000 per month and range to $10,000+ for executive and enterprise work, with crisis campaigns higher. The exact cost is set from an initial audit and depends on how competitive your name is, how much negative content exists, and how quickly you need results.

How long does reputation management take?

You’ll often see early movement within the first 1–3 months, but durable first-page change usually takes 6–12 months. Suppressing an established negative result means building assets strong enough to outrank it and hold position — that compounds over time, which is why the best results come from sustained programs rather than one-off fixes.

Can you remove negative search results or articles?

Sometimes. Content that is defamatory, fake, or violates a platform’s policies can often be removed at the source. When removal isn’t possible — for legitimate news, for example — the proven approach is suppression: building and ranking stronger, positive content so the negative result drops off the first page where almost no one looks.

Is online reputation management legal?

Yes. Legitimate ORM — creating quality content, earning genuine reviews and press, optimizing owned profiles, and requesting removal of policy-violating material — is completely legal and ethical. What’s not acceptable is buying fake reviews or using deceptive tactics, which we never do because they backfire and can get you penalized.

What’s the difference between reputation management and PR?

Public relations focuses on shaping the story — media coverage, messaging, and relationships. Reputation management focuses on what actually ranks and appears when someone searches you, including reviews and AI answers. PR influences what’s said; ORM controls what’s found. The strongest results come from combining both.

Can I manage my reputation myself?

You can, and it’s worth doing the basics: claim your profiles, ask happy customers for reviews, and publish accurate content about yourself. But moving entrenched negative results, handling a crisis, or influencing AI answers takes real SEO skill, tools, and time. Most people bring in a professional when the stakes are high or DIY efforts stall.

Does reputation management work for individuals, not just businesses?

Absolutely. Personal reputation management helps professionals, executives, and private individuals deal with an unfair article, an old mistake, or a misleading result tied to their name. The strategy is tailored to a personal name, but the goal is the same: a first page you’re proud of.

Page one. All positive. All you.

Take back control of your search results

Every day the wrong result stays up, it’s costing you trust and business. Get a free reputation consultation and a clear plan to fix it.