Online Reputation Management FAQs

FAQs About ORM

Contents

• How long does reputation repair take?
• Removal of negative articles or blog posts
• Removal of negative or inaccurate online reviews
• Removal of videos
• Reputation repair (push good up / bad down)
• How much does reputation repair cost?
• Why does reputation repair cost what it does?
• Difference between cheap and “real” ORM
• Techniques used
• The strategy phase
• Solutions

How long does reputation repair take?

Below are estimated times, each campaign is different.

Removal of negative articles or blog posts

Duration: 1-8 weeks

If the problem you are having is with negative content, and that content can be removed at the source, it can take as little as one week, or as long as a few months to remove a web page. Factors affecting duration include whether we have a relationship with the site, can contact the publisher, and if the publisher agrees to removal.

Removal of negative or inaccurate online reviews

Duration: 1-2 weeks

Reviews that violate the Terms of Service (TOS) of the review platform can often be removed in a few days or weeks depending on the responsiveness of the platform.

Reviews that do not violate the TOS can usually only be removed by the individual that posted the review. Sometimes that individual can be convinced to update or remove a negative review.

Removal of videos

Duration: 1-2 weeks

There are a few methods to remove videos from YouTube or Google. Note: Google owns YouTube.com. If a video is in violation of the Terms of Service of the platform, or contains a copyright violation such as a DMCA issue, the video can usually be removed within a couple of weeks.

Reputation repair (push good up / bad down)

Duration: Early results: 8 weeks. Completion: 6-10 months.

Reputation repair (excluding removals) that involves pushing negative content down and positive content up takes about two months to begin working in most cases.

The average reputation repair campaign takes six to ten months for satisfactory results. There is usually no long-term commitment (maintenance agreement) needed.

How much does reputation repair cost?

Cost: Average $5,000 per month

Reputation repair cost ranges from $3,000 per month to $15,000 per month for a limited number of months. Plans and pricing information for reputation management can be found here.

Why does reputation repair cost what it does?

A true reputation improvement campaign requires the following minimum resources:

• Brand Reputation Strategist
• Project Manager
• SEO expert
• A Content Manager / Writer
• Researcher and an Outreach person
• Web Developer
• Various software platforms

Human resources are usually based in the US, Canada, or UK with international resources as needed for culture-specific content or translation when needed.

Cheap vs. “real” reputation management

There are software-based reputation companies and human-based companies. Most inexpensive reputation firms are either DIY (do it yourself) or really just reputation monitoring and advice software. They don’t actually solve problems. But they are inexpensive because there are very few people, if any, involved.

A full-service reputation management agency uses software, but relies on people to do things like:

• Research influencers and reach out to them
• Create content like articles, blog posts, social media, video and more
• Negotiate with publishers
• Adapt reputation strategies to evolve with search engines
• Have online content removed

Software can’t do that.

Techniques used in reputation management

There are many different techniques used to improve reputation. The mix used will depend on your strategy. They include:

• Removal of negative content
• Review improvement
• Wikipedia page development
• Content design and development
• Influencer publications
• Web development
• Knowledge panel development
• Pay per click (temporarily)
• Profile development
• Search engine optimization
• … and more

What happens during the strategy phase?

We’ll research your brand and the information environment in which it lives online.

We’ll also look at similar entities to understand what behind-the-scenes attributes are working, as well as why both people and search engines respond well. The most beneficial findings are emulated in the project.

Then, with a full understanding, we will create a custom strategy, share it, and discuss it with you before execution.

The importance of a good narrative

A good story improves the online narrative. Sometimes it exists and needs polish. Other times it needs to be created.

A compelling story will generate third-party interest that naturally improves the visibility of certain content. Part of our technique is to promote that content to improve what people see.

Why does a good narrative work?

It works because search engines watch what people do and adjust content visibility (good & bad) based on how people interact with search results. When people find the content interesting, they send signals to search engines about what content should get priority.

How we structure the new story

One of our objectives is to create compelling content people want to consume. That’s the reason we developed the Reverse Wikipedia Strategy of online reputation management.

Reputation management solutions

Removing content from the internet

Removal is considered on a case-by-case basis. Some sites allow removal of content, while others, such as government sites and news sites, do not.

When possible, we attempt to remove content at the source. We only do this with your permission.

Negotiation

A tactic sometimes used by reputation management consultants is negotiation. Publishers or third-party content creators are contacted, asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement, then negotiations begin for the removal of certain content.

Content creation

Google’s mission reads ‘to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.’

Reputation X works with Google and other online information environments, not against them. That means we will create accessible and useful content as part of your campaign.

Branded vs. non-branded content

The content we create for your campaign will be either “branded” or “non-branded” content.

Branded content

Branded content is usually clearly about a brand, appearing to either represent it or making it the subject of the content. In reputation management, it is often more visible and typically contains clear, reputation-enhancing information about your brand.

Non-branded content

Non-branded content, on the other hand, is not about the brand but still supports the industry or other areas of interest relative to the brand. This type of content is often used for supporting branded content and to pass “authority” from one site to another.

Influencers steer the conversation

When possible, we use brand placements in well-known online publications and by well-known people. This is easiest when a compelling story is available to pitch. These types of publications can substantially alter the perception of a brand online.

Promotion of positive online content

Content doesn’t just rise. It needs some assistance from Search Engine Optimization.

Part of our program is SEO. SEO is about one-half content and one-half links from other sites.

As part of your campaign Daten Technologies. will build inbound links to certain positive web pages to help them rise and become more visible.

Web development for reputation management

When Daten Technologies designs a campaign we often suggest certain technical changes to sites you already control.

Changes are usually not noticeable by visitors, but can change the way your brand is shown online. These changes can help the main website, and also third-party content that represents the brand in a positive way.

Examples of web development include:

• HTML improvements
• Schema (structured data)
• Content
• Information architecture

Build Google Knowledge Panel

As part of your campaign, we will work to develop the brand-related data sources that inform the Google Knowledge Panel for your brand.

The Google Knowledge Panel is important for a number of reasons. It appears “above the fold” for many branded searches, is trusted, combines information from many sources, and can be controlled to a greater or lesser extent by you.

The panel’s contents are informed by other data sources – many of which we develop as part of your reputation management campaign.

By improving the data and information architecture of underlying sources, we can improve how your brand appears in search results.