● The short answer
Online reputation management is the ongoing work of monitoring and improving what people find when they look up your business: reviews, search results, social posts, news coverage and, increasingly, what AI assistants say about you. Good ORM combines operations fixes, steady review generation, timely responses, accurate listings and earned coverage. It does not mean hiding legitimate criticism.
Key takeaways
- ORM covers reviews, brand search results, AI answers, mentions and listings.
- Fix operational root causes first; replies cannot fix a recurring problem.
- Fake reviews and suppression tactics are banned and backfire.
What reputation management covers in 2026
A decade ago, reputation management mostly meant pushing a bad article off page one of Google. Today the surface is wider. A prospective customer might check your Google rating, skim Yelp, ask ChatGPT whether you are any good, and read an AI-generated summary of your reviews, all before calling. BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses and 82% read AI-generated review summaries.
ORM in practice covers five areas:
| Area | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Reviews | Generating steady, honest reviews, responding to all of them, reporting policy violations. |
| Search results | What shows up for your brand name: your site, profiles, news, complaints, competitor ads. |
| AI answers | How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and AI Overviews describe and recommend you. |
| Mentions | News, blogs, forums, Reddit and social posts naming your business. |
| Listings | Accurate name, address, hours and categories everywhere you appear. |
The how is where we come in.
What we walk through with you, for your business:
- A basic ORM routine
- What ORM is not
- Our take
Every business is different, so the plan is too. Tell us where you want to show up and we will show you what it takes.
Talk to usMore questions
How much does reputation management cost?
It ranges widely. Software-only review tools can be modest monthly subscriptions, while managed services that handle responses, review generation, monitoring and AI visibility cost more depending on locations and volume. Be wary of anyone priced on removals or guarantees. Pay for process and reporting, not promises.
Can reputation management remove negative news articles?
Rarely. Publishers seldom remove accurate stories, and search engines generally do not delist them. You can request corrections of factual errors, publish your own updates, and earn newer, positive coverage that ranks for your name. Legal removal is only realistic for defamatory or unlawful content, which needs an attorney.
Sources
- BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- FTC: Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials
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