Online Reputation Management Glossary

The process of adding features and functionality to your website to make it usable by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities. Accessibility improvements can also benefit SEO and overall user experience.

A platform from Apple for securing business listings on Apple Maps and other apps in the Apple ecosystem, allowing businesses to claim and manage their presence on Apple's platforms.

An intangible concept or set of concepts that help others identify a particular individual, product, or company. A brand can include recognizable logos, trade dress, digital properties, and identities — and represents one of the most valuable assets in your possession.

The process of establishing, growing, and protecting a personal or business brand. The purpose of branding is to increase awareness within a target audience, adding value to a person's or company's digital footprint.

Combines reputation management with online promotion strategies to both improve brand awareness and protect the brand from emerging reputational threats. By managing your brand, you expand your digital footprint.

Used by SEO and content development professionals, content gap analysis identifies missing content pieces in your web properties. By filling these holes, search algorithms are better able to understand and categorize your content in relevant search results.

The strategy of creating and distributing relevant, informative, and engaging web content to target audiences using a variety of promotional channels, including earned, paid, and owned promotions.

The practice of removing negative content, negative news articles, and negative reviews from search results. Strategies include legal takedown requests, Terms of Service violations, copyright violation notices, and more.

When content removal is not possible, content suppression takes over. This strategy floods the web with fresh content so search engines categorize the new content above the negative. The goal is to push negative items off the first page of search results.

As a form of private business self-regulation, corporate responsibility is the set of practices or standards that support ethical, philanthropic, and environmental goals.

The set of practices that support and enhance ethical business goals. CSR may include philanthropic and volunteer initiatives, social justice campaigns, environmental stewardship, and corporate governance.

Strategic messaging deployed during a reputation emergency to control the narrative, minimize damage, and communicate with affected stakeholders.

When an incident occurs, crisis management steps in to identify current and potential threats, manage communication during and after the crisis, and streamline recovery efforts.

Developed to help organizations respond to current and future crises, the crisis management plan prepares for risks, assigns key management roles, and facilitates communication between stakeholders.

Any entity that collects publicly-available information, then shares or sells that data on a third-party website. Data brokers include some for legitimate purposes as well as for entertainment, shock value, or embarrassment of others.

Removing a web page from Google's search index so it no longer appears in search results, typically requested through Google's removal tools or the Right to be Forgotten framework.

A false statement of fact presented as true that damages someone's reputation. Defamatory online content may be removable through legal channels including cease and desist letters or court orders.

Signed into U.S. law in 1998, the DMCA strengthens copyright laws on the internet. It criminalizes the production and sharing of products, services, and technologies designed to circumvent copyright protections such as Digital Rights Management (DRM).

Proposed by the European Union (EU), the Digital Services Act targets the dissemination of illegal information over the internet, regulating illegal content sharing, improving transparency in advertising, and reducing the spread of disinformation.

A metric (1–100) developed by Moz estimating how likely a website is to rank in search engines. Higher DA = more ranking power, meaning content on high-DA sites tends to outrank content on low-DA sites.

The practice of leaking or sharing private information, usually via the web. Doxing is often used to blackmail, shame, or extort someone. Private personal information obtained in doxing schemes can negatively affect the victim's online reputation and may put their personal safety at risk.

A form of content promotion where platforms like social media are used to share web content. When used correctly, earned promotion improves engagement and generates organic feedback in the form of likes, comments, and shares on social channels.

Like traditional SEO, entity SEO helps users find information by optimizing web pages for search discovery. Entity goes beyond simple keywords and phrases, instead focusing on context clues and search intent to improve relevance in search results.

An extension of corporate social responsibility, ESG is based on ethical business practices that many socially-conscious investors use to screen potential companies to fund. Low environmental impact, socially responsible hiring practices, and transparency are the hallmarks of ESG.

The court-ordered process whereby a person's arrest report, criminal records, or mugshot images are removed from public records. In essence, expungement is a form of setting aside a criminal conviction.

The practice of identifying holes in your web content. With the information collected in gap analysis, content developers and writers can plug those holes, giving site visitors the information they need to make smart purchasing decisions.

The new name for Google My Business — a free business listing service that allows business owners to claim listings and appear in locally-oriented online searches and on Google Maps.

Google's business listing service, first launched in 2004 and evolved into Google Business Profile. It allows business owners to claim listings, add business details, and stand out in locally-oriented Google searches.

The act of writing web content for another person's or company's website to promote specific topics, individuals, or keywords on high-authority websites. Also called guest blogging; may involve the exchange of fees for the service.

The practice of organizing, structuring, and labeling web content in an effective manner. By creating a sustainable and effective content architecture, search engines are better able to accurately categorize and index web pages.

Any online mention of a business name, address, and phone number (NAP). Even a partial mention of this information qualifies as a local citation. Citations may also include operating hours, descriptions of products and services, and industry segment.

Leverages traditional SEO practices but focuses on improving visibility in searches with local intent, such as 'business near me'. This strategy also helps get businesses on Google Maps.

Sometimes referred to as public relations, media relations is the set of strategies used to put your story in front of targeted audiences. These strategies may include earned and paid media promotion, press release distribution, and media appearances.

Websites that publish arrest records and booking photos, often appearing prominently in search results for individuals with past arrests. These sites republish publicly available records and can seriously damage online reputations.

A black-hat tactic where a competitor attempts to damage your search rankings by building spammy links or creating negative content targeting your name or domain.

A comprehensive strategy to build brand awareness by presenting and directing traffic to your website and related web properties. OPM can include digital marketing, content and web property development, branding, and online reputation management.

The consensus public opinion about an individual, business, or organization. A positive online reputation can help you achieve your personal and professional goals, while a negative online reputation can hinder your opportunities for growth.

The set of strategies designed to establish, build, preserve, and repair your online reputation. ORM professionals provide a wide range of services to help put your best foot forward in the digital environment.

Reviews on Google or on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, YellowPages, and TripAdvisor have a profound influence on a business's online reputation. Most consumers read online reviews before making purchasing decisions.

A form of content promotion that leverages tools like SEO and email lists to share web content on properties owned or controlled by you.

A content promotion strategy using techniques like guest blog posts, paid discovery tools, and sponsored content to share your content on relevant, high-ranking web properties.

Third-party platforms populated by records derived from public government resources. Such sites help individuals find out information — including sensitive or private information — about others with just a few clicks.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way of bringing new customers to your website. With PPC management, marketing professionals analyze customer trends, develop custom strategies, and provide reporting tools to maximize your ROI.

Allows companies to create engagement with target audiences. PR campaigns may include media briefings, press release publication and distribution, community outreach events, and media strategies using paid and earned media promotion.

The foundation of any ORM campaign, reputation analysis explores your existing digital footprint to identify top keywords, positive and negative search results, and existing or potential reputational threats.

An analytic process where automated tools scour the web in search of your name or company name as well as negative news articles or unfavorable reviews. This process helps to identify emerging reputational threats before they can cause damage.

The practice of identifying negative search results, then using a range of strategies to suppress these unwanted results to restore and protect your critical online reputation. Strategies may include content removal, reverse SEO, and legal takedown methods.

The practice of optimizing other websites or web pages for a specific target keyword in order to push down search rankings for unwanted or unflattering web pages appearing in Google searches.

The practice of displaying only positive customer feedback on review profiles by cherry-picking feedback or selectively soliciting positive reviews. All forms of review gating are considered review fraud by Google and the FTC.

The set of strategies used to collect consumer feedback on Google and third-party review sites. By encouraging customers to leave reviews, a business owner can improve brand awareness and market penetration.

The practice of monitoring your online review profile, responding to reviews posted to Google and third-party sites, and removing negative reviews to protect your online reputation.

A form of digital marketing where websites are promoted to improve visibility in search results using paid advertising and other paid promotion strategies.

The set of principles and practices that optimize pages for maximum visibility in online searches. These can include on-page factors as well as off-page strategies to help a web property stand out in search.

The process of pushing negative search results to lower positions in Google by creating and optimizing positive content that outranks them. Effective for content that cannot be removed outright.

The process of optimizing websites and web content to build more meaning and topical depth. By using semantic SEO, search algorithms gain a better understanding of your content, allowing it to be indexed and categorized more accurately.

The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, showing organic results, paid ads, and featured snippets. SERPs may include URLs, images, video links, Google Business Profiles, and 'People Also Ask' entries.

Refers to the structure of a website based on the arrangement and navigation of the functional and visual components of the site. Sites can be structured in sequences, webs, or hierarchies — each contributing to a positive user experience.

A service that helps individuals and businesses get the most from their social media profiles. Managing social media may include post development and promotion, responses to comments, performance analytics, and social media ad campaigns.

Monitoring your social media for activity is a core component of social media management. By monitoring likes, comments, and mentions of your brand, you gain valuable insights into follower preferences and can reveal emerging reputational threats.

Evidence that others have trusted or endorsed a brand or person — including reviews, testimonials, press mentions, and follower counts. Social proof is a powerful driver of consumer confidence and purchasing decisions.

The phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to suppress negative information through hiding, removal, or censorship backfires, often increasing the awareness of that information in the digital environment.

'Ungoogle' refers to the practice of removing negative information about yourself from Google search results through content removal, suppression, or de-indexing strategies.

A measure of how a person interacts with a website, brand, or service and the impression they get from that interaction. A positive user experience encourages favorable impressions of your digital presence.

Refers to the organizational and navigational structures of your web presence and how they are interacted with by a site visitor. The user interface is directly related to user experience.

Refers to the creation and launch of websites, blogs, video profiles, business directory listings, social media profiles, and Wikipedia pages to expand an individual's or business's digital footprint.