According to the reputation defense professionals who work at Reputation Changer, the landscape of online reputation management is ever-changing. This should hardly come as any great surprise, as ORM is still fairly new. As more and more individuals and brands discover their need for it—and as online reputation management firms refine their strategies—the business shifts. The same observation holds true for search engine optimization, for digital marketing, and beyond.

What may prove surprising about the changing ORM landscape is just how many of those changes stem from changes made to the search engines themselves. Google, Yahoo, and Bing are hardly static entities, after all. All three of them change regularly, with Google’s own algorithmic updates coming as frequently as three times per day, on average!

The Facts About Algorithmic Updates

What is it that makes these search engine upheavals so frequent? In a word, the search engines are constantly seeking to refine the user experience. They have a very real desire to offer their customers—search engine users—better and more useful information. This means changing their own internal mechanisms and search structures, and doing so quite often.

This requires that those who work in search, including SEO and ORM pros, are tasked with keeping abreast of these constant algorithmic updates. It also means that the very landscape of online reputation management is ever in-flux. In particular, Reputation Changer notes that the glory days of do-it-yourself reputation management have largely evaporated.

DIY ORM

Certainly, this was not always the case. Once upon a time, it was the easiest thing in the world for businesses, brands, and individuals to work to improve their online portrayals. The strategies needed were simple and quick, and they cost little—making DIY reputation management an enticing option.

There are a few particular ways in which this DIY reputation management was once done. Though none of these strategies are viable in today’s world, they used to prove easy avenues for small-scale ORM:

• One of the biggest strategies for reputation defense, back in the “glory days” of DIY ORM, was via article marketing. Companies or even individuals could write short, quick, low-quality articles. These articles came stuffed with keywords and crammed with links. They were “spun” and duplicated time and time again, and posted to low-quality article databases.
• More generally speaking, short-form content—brief pages and blog entries that offered little content to users—was common.
• Non-newsworthy press releases, lacking in substance and in relevance, were also used to garner links.

Not only did all of these methodologies at one time prove effective, but they were also fairly cheap and easy. As such, it was never too difficult for individuals or for brands to seize control of their own online reputation, without a need for the professional services of Reputation Changer. Things have changed, though—and Google is largely responsible.

Introducing Penguin and Panda

In 2012, Google unveiled two algorithmic updates that turned search on its head—to say nothing of online reputation management. Both algorithmic updates were given animal-themed code names, i.e., Panda and Penguin. Since the unveiling of these two updates, there have also arisen some smaller updates and data refreshes, like Panda 2.0.

What was the point of these algorithmic updates? Again, the point was always to provide a cleaner and more absorbing user experience. That is, these algorithmic updates were meant to promote online content that added something of value and relevance. And, they sought to penalize content that did not offer anything valuable or substantive!

As these algorithmic updates began resulting in sharp penalties for low-quality or shoddily-assembled content, you can imagine what happened to all of those tried-and-true ORM strategies. They ceased to prove effective. In fact, most of those article databases have fallen by the wayside altogether, and cut corners and short-form content no longer produce search engine rankings.

What this means is that, suddenly, companies and individuals lost all of their best tools for DIY reputation management. Thus, many were forced to look beyond themselves for professional help. This explains why online reputation management has surged in demand, just over the last few months.

Reputation Changer and the New ORM Landscape

Indeed, in today’s post-Panda and post-Penguin world, the vast resources offered by Reputation Changer are more necessary—and in-more demand—than ever before. Here are some examples of what online reputation management looks like now:

• The only content that ranks well on Google is content that offers value to users—and thus, offers value to the search engine. Those looking to build positive brands must therefore focus on quality and substance, as opposed to taking shortcuts or cutting corners.
• Specifically, short-form content no longer achieves rankings. Only long-form content, with real substance, works.
• Keyword stuffing does not work any longer, either. The only keywords that produce results are the ones that are used naturally and organically.
• Perhaps most crucially, cheap article databases no longer work, either. Now, the best way to build buzz and protect an online brand is to distribute content through respectable news syndicates.

The Solution

As you might imagine, none of this is particularly easy, at least not for those looking to conduct reputation management on a self-directed basis. That is why so many businesses, brands, public figures, political campaigns, and even private citizens are reaching out for professional services. Reputation Changer can offer services on a massive scale.

What’s more, the company works in full compliance with the stated guidelines and regulations of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Thus, full accordance with Penguin and Panda is implied in Reputation Changer’s services. Search engine penalties are not issues; everything the company does on behalf of its clients adds value and delivers results.

Reputation Changer has the resources that are necessary for effective online reputation repair. This includes access to reputable, international news syndicates, but it also includes much more than that. For example, the company has a team of domestic journalists and content creators whose focus is on quality—always.

Moreover, Reputation Changer employs search engine strategists whose role is to stay on top of search engine shifts. Thus, as new algorithmic updates are unveiled, the company’s strategies are shifted to reflect them. It is little wonder that more and more people and companies are seeking professional-grade ORM services. Likewise, it is no wonder that Reputation Changer has risen to become a foremost company on the ORM landscape.

Reviews

Information about you online can make or break your job hunt, notes the team at ReputationChanger.com. According to an article in "Forbes" magazine, 90 percent of recruiters turn to the web to learn more about potential candidates. More alarmingly, 70 percent of employers who have used LinkedIn decided not to hire a person based on the information about him or her online. While your online reputation can directly impact your job chances, plenty of people are still not taking action.

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Negativity affects everyone at some point or another, notes the team at Reputation Changer. No one wants to find out that someone else thinks their hard work isn't enough or that the food they serve tastes like cardboard. In some cases, the negative opinions of one person or a group of people can have a significant impact on your business's bottom line. While you can't prevent negative reviews, you can take steps to minimize their impact on your business. Keep Calm It's very easy to fire off a hasty retort to a negative review. But doing so usually does more harm in the end. A hastily written email might be full of spelling errors, insults or defensive statements that don't really reflect you or your company. If you find a negative review, take a minute or two and try to remain calm. Take deep breaths until you feel your pulse return to normal. Give yourself plenty of time to cool down before you begin to think of the next step to take. Learn to Take Criticism While some negative reviews simply come from people with an axe to grind or people who won't be happy no matter what, some reviews raise legitimate concerns. If you run a restaurant and people constantly point out that your servers are rude, take the time to examine the way your wait ...

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