- Oct 27, 2005
- 84,805
- 22,520
Welcome to the first thread in the new online reputation management section at BlackHatWorld! This has been a long time coming but it's finally here. Let's jump right in so we can outline what can and should be in this new reputation management section.
What is ORM?
Online reputation management (ORM) is the process by which activities such as SEO and online marketing are manifested to the benefit of a brand (Business or Individual) when reviewed in the SERPS. The end game is to create, manage and maintain a positive online presence of the brand as perceived by the public whilst being generally consistent with the identity of the brand in question. (or making your shit look good - ed)
Practically this typically means using an agency, but this can be run yourself. In the new ORM section discuss what you have found works for you. Such as helping business suppress negative listings in the search engines, soliciting positive reviews from the clients to improve online ratings or remove content (usually related to a legal proceeding (judgment against the offending content) or the "Right to be forgotten" in the EU).
With the rise of social media, and its pitfalls, it's more important than ever to monitor the visibility of your brand and how it is viewed. Combatting brandjacking, negative reviews, and blogs railing against your company is vital. Ignoring it is no longer an option, and often simply deleting negative feedback is equally inadequate.
Why is ORM important?
-Individuals
ORM is important for individuals for the primary reason that they don't want the general public to see or know about something. This could be a civil or criminal matter.
Whether you're working independently or as part of a larger company, personal reputation can make a huge impact on public perception. Trust is key to any client relationship. If the top results in SERPs link your name to scams or poor business, that trust is instantly hampered.
Example: An individual selling a legitimate video course finds that someone has posted a question on a forum asking if his service is a scam. He might worry that people will see this question and assume the worst.
-Businesses
Businesses of just about any size will end up with an unhappy customer at some point. Even small businesses will deal with negative publicity or comments online eventually. ORM can help businesses focus on their business rather than what one unhappy customer said about them. Typically about half of these types of comments are posted by competitors or former employees. Without any online accountability, the business suffers and has no retribution. Their only choice is reputation management.
Example: An anonymous message is posted on a website, such as the RipOffReport, with negative content about a particular business. Without knowledge, and proof, of the individual posting, the business may have to resort to reputation management.
Proactive or Reactive?
Most businesses will only consider reputation management when the need arises. The task is then removing or suppressing negative content and images. This is reactive reputation management, the traditional approach.
Proactive reputation management is something relatively new. The goal is to insulate an individual or business from any negative content that may be online in the future.
Why a new section?
Reputation management has grown exponentially over the last 10 years to approximately a $500 million industry in the US and at least double that throughout the rest of the world.
Every business owner knows he needs someone to work on his website to get it ranking so people will buy his product or service. This is SEO. Most people only know about reputation management when they have a need. They begin searching for, "How to remove bad content", "How to delete a post on Rip Off Report", "How to fix bad yelp reviews", "How to delete a hateful website", "remove online libel" or related searches. Through this searching they learn the phrase "reputation management" and begin searching for a reputation management expert to help with their needs.
Previously this would have been encompassed under SEO. Now in an permanently contented world it's more important than ever to ensure your ORM is considered alongside other ranking factors. Once the customer finds your service through all your hard worked SEO you don't want them to be put off by a single bad review.
Visit the ORM Sub-forum and start managing your Rep today.
What is ORM?
Online reputation management (ORM) is the process by which activities such as SEO and online marketing are manifested to the benefit of a brand (Business or Individual) when reviewed in the SERPS. The end game is to create, manage and maintain a positive online presence of the brand as perceived by the public whilst being generally consistent with the identity of the brand in question. (or making your shit look good - ed)
Practically this typically means using an agency, but this can be run yourself. In the new ORM section discuss what you have found works for you. Such as helping business suppress negative listings in the search engines, soliciting positive reviews from the clients to improve online ratings or remove content (usually related to a legal proceeding (judgment against the offending content) or the "Right to be forgotten" in the EU).
With the rise of social media, and its pitfalls, it's more important than ever to monitor the visibility of your brand and how it is viewed. Combatting brandjacking, negative reviews, and blogs railing against your company is vital. Ignoring it is no longer an option, and often simply deleting negative feedback is equally inadequate.
Why is ORM important?
-Individuals
ORM is important for individuals for the primary reason that they don't want the general public to see or know about something. This could be a civil or criminal matter.
Whether you're working independently or as part of a larger company, personal reputation can make a huge impact on public perception. Trust is key to any client relationship. If the top results in SERPs link your name to scams or poor business, that trust is instantly hampered.
Example: An individual selling a legitimate video course finds that someone has posted a question on a forum asking if his service is a scam. He might worry that people will see this question and assume the worst.
-Businesses
Businesses of just about any size will end up with an unhappy customer at some point. Even small businesses will deal with negative publicity or comments online eventually. ORM can help businesses focus on their business rather than what one unhappy customer said about them. Typically about half of these types of comments are posted by competitors or former employees. Without any online accountability, the business suffers and has no retribution. Their only choice is reputation management.
Example: An anonymous message is posted on a website, such as the RipOffReport, with negative content about a particular business. Without knowledge, and proof, of the individual posting, the business may have to resort to reputation management.
Proactive or Reactive?
Most businesses will only consider reputation management when the need arises. The task is then removing or suppressing negative content and images. This is reactive reputation management, the traditional approach.
Proactive reputation management is something relatively new. The goal is to insulate an individual or business from any negative content that may be online in the future.
Why a new section?
Reputation management has grown exponentially over the last 10 years to approximately a $500 million industry in the US and at least double that throughout the rest of the world.
Every business owner knows he needs someone to work on his website to get it ranking so people will buy his product or service. This is SEO. Most people only know about reputation management when they have a need. They begin searching for, "How to remove bad content", "How to delete a post on Rip Off Report", "How to fix bad yelp reviews", "How to delete a hateful website", "remove online libel" or related searches. Through this searching they learn the phrase "reputation management" and begin searching for a reputation management expert to help with their needs.
Previously this would have been encompassed under SEO. Now in an permanently contented world it's more important than ever to ensure your ORM is considered alongside other ranking factors. Once the customer finds your service through all your hard worked SEO you don't want them to be put off by a single bad review.
Visit the ORM Sub-forum and start managing your Rep today.
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