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Reputation Management and Monitoring: 3 Steps to a Stronger Online Presence


Online reputation monitoring is key to managing your reputation effectively.

This article about reputation management and monitoring offers 3 easy ways to improve your online presence.

Big businesses and brands have been monitoring their online reputations for years. But widespread online reputation monitoring services for smaller companies and individuals are a fairly new trend.

Businesses and individual brands of all types are now seeking ways to build a positive reputation online. And to cater to this growing market, a vast array of reputation management tools has cropped up across the industry.

The explosion of online reputation monitoring tools now available testifies to a growing need in the small business community. Unfortunately, many of these tools are expensive, and some are sharply focused on just a few key areas or functions. As such, multiple products may be needed to achieve complete peace of mind, sometimes leading to hundreds of dollars in subscription costs each month.

Fortunately, there are numerous online reputation monitoring options that won’t break your budget. In this article, we’ll go over the three most powerful ways to take care of your digital presence without blowing your budget.

NetReputation provides information and services to help you protect your brand’s online presence. Call us at 844-461-3632 to learn more, or fill out the contact form below for a free consultation.

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Three Steps To Achieve a Better Online Reputation (For Free)

Building a strong digital reputation doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With a handful of free tools at your disposal, combined with consistent effort, you can do the following:

  • Monitor the online perception of your brand
  • Respond to mentions and customer feedback
  • Proactively protect your business’s reputation

The following three suggestions will guide you through the process of achieving a better presence online.

Step 1: Get To Know What’s Already Out There

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First, utilize free reputation monitoring options to understand what people think about your brand or business. Not every monitoring tool requires a costly license or subscription fee. In fact, one of the best tools is completely free and available through Google.

Google Alerts has a variety of uses, particularly when it comes to brand reputation management. Google Alerts allows individuals and businesses to monitor any number of names or keywords at their convenience.

After entering your name, Google Alerts goes to work, monitoring the web for new mentions. If someone mentions your brand, business or keyword,  you receive an email update instantly. Once received, you can respond or take action quickly, doing what’s needed to protect your online image.

Our Reputation Score Calculator is another cost-free way to quickly gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your brand’s online reputation. This tool allows you to type in a few pieces of basic information before running a reputation analysis for you.

Comparison of reputation score charts before and after ORM.

It’s also a good idea to take a look at your direct competitors. What are they doing to build or maintain their professional brands? Researching the competition can help you differentiate yourself or your company. It can also point to potential weak areas that you can exploit as you build your own brand.

Step 2. Actively Improve Your Reputation

With online visibility tools like Google Alerts and the Reputation Score Calculator, you now have a good sense of how you look on the web. And whether your brand sentiment is negative, positive, or neutral, taking steps to boost your brand reputation is critical. That’s because business reputation management and monitoring are meaningless unless you use them to your advantage.

By boosting your brand’s online reputation, you’re also working to protect it. The stronger your reputation, the harder it is to damage it, making it essential to stay on top of your online image. For individuals, this can mean anything from requesting LinkedIn recommendations to blogging about subjects you know well. For brands and businesses, this might mean drumming up positive customer reviews and improving your online ratings.

You can also promote yourself on social media platforms, partner with influencers and charm the press to build a better online reputation.

Step 3. Keep on Top of Your Brand’s Reputation

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With your reputation improved, it’s important to keep things going in a positive direction:

  • Continue monitoring the web and your business’s reputation with tools like Google Alerts and the Reputation Score Calculator.
  • Set aside time each week to take action to improve your reputation. Review what you’re doing periodically to get the most from your efforts.
  • Respond to customer feedback and thank customers for reviews, whether they left a positive or negative review.
  • Connect with influencers who target the same audience as you do to reach potential customers.

Most importantly, don’t become complacent or leave anything up to chance. It’s crucial to be proactive and never let up. Remember, business reputation management and monitoring don’t have to be expensive. In many cases, tracking your brand and your reputation can be done for free.

By contrast, a subscription to a brand reputation management tool may cost anywhere from $25 to over $400+ a month. Plus, while many tools may provide great insight into your digital presence, they also require a significant investment of time, not to mention the expertise to use them effectively.

That means that not only will you spend hundreds or thousands every year, but you’ll also invest countless hours of your precious time. Luckily, there’s another high-quality option if you’re interested in spending a bit on business reputation management: professional ORM services.

What Are Professional Services for Managing Your Brand’s Reputation?

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Many ORM providers deliver the support and expertise you need to focus on what’s important and achieve the peace of mind you deserve. With expert business reputation management services in place, reputation risks are identified quickly. Once new threats are targeted, ORM experts can deliver the fast response needed to stop a PR crisis in its tracks.

Business reputation management involves a host of services, including:

Provided by industry experts, these services provide people and businesses with a preventative and proactive way to fight against a negative reputation. Furthermore, these services help prevent further damage during an online reputation crisis.

At NetReputation, we specialize in online removal, suppression, repair, and monitoring services that deliver results fast. We’ve helped thousands of clients monitor their online brands and achieve the digital success they’ve been searching for.

We provide cutting-edge online monitoring services that identify threats and position your brand for a better tomorrow. Contact us today at 844-461-3632 to learn more or fill out the contact form below.

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Business Reputation Management FAQ

What is ORM?

Online reputation management (ORM) services provide brands with tools to build, protect and repair their online image. Strategies like digital monitoring provide ORM experts with the watchful eye needed to track new mentions and tackle new threats quickly.

How can I monitor my digital reputation?

There are many ways to monitor your online image. These include:

  • Using tools like Google Alerts and our Reputation Score Calculator, which provide no-cost options for tracking your presence and dealing with threats quickly.
  • Paying for digital reputation monitoring subscriptions that often require significant investments of time and money.
  • Hiring ORM experts through a trusted reputation management provider.

What does ORM include?

Depending on your unique situation, your online reputation management strategy may include anything from monitoring and online content removal to SEO, search engine suppression, and more. Whatever your needs, a quality ORM provider will work to customize a solution to maximize your brand’s online potential.

How do I clean up my online reputation?

Individuals and businesses may use reputation monitoring to identify threats and clean up their online reputation. Tools like suppression, deindexing and removal measures may also be used to repair any online damage. While it may be possible to tackle suppression, deindexing, and removal measures by yourself, it’s best to call in the experts.

How does social media improve your reputation?

Social media offers a great way to establish a solid reputation online. However, social networks can quickly become a breeding ground for negativity. Being proactive on the leading social platforms can help head off this negativity while promoting positive sentiments across the web.

What’s more, platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram may all be used to help improve the reputations of individuals, businesses, and brands across the board. In the digital age, social media activity can propel you to new levels of brand awareness and recognition in the online environment.

NetReputation can help you build a robust social media presence, unlocking new opportunities for you. Learn more about our professional reputation solutions by calling 844-461-3632 today. 

Updated 11/2025

NetReputation was founded in 2014 by Adam Petrilli, a results-driven leader dedicated to empowering individual and business success on the web. Our award-winning process and team of online reputation management specialists allow us to remove, suppress, repair, and monitor your online presence. Within our first two years, we were recognized by some of the world’s leading business publications for our company growth. Today, NetReputation operates offices in Sarasota, Florida; and Kansas City.

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