What are the differences between Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM)?

Whenever I go for a talk or for pitching a new client, I have often been asked the question – what are the basic differences between Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Search Engine Reputation Management.

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the act of monitoring, addressing or mitigating SERPs (search engine result pages) or mentions in online media and Web sphere content. ORM primarily involves tracking what is written about a client on the Internet, then utilizing sophisticated online and offline techniques in promoting positive and neutral content, while at the same time pushing down those links the sponsor (in most cases business or individuals) may not want to show when their name is searched.

Rather than working to raise link results with a particular search term in order to (ostensibly) generate more commerce or page views, the goal of ORM is to push already highly-ranked negative posts off the results pages so that they are seen by fewer people, thus creating a more positive results environment for the sponsor of the effort. ORM is the specialization in prevention and repair of online reputation threats, and has less to do with directly promoting businesses.

The term arose from a recognition of the importance that influencing how someone or something is perceived based on an internet search has to a business. As the amount of user-generated content on the internet grew, it began to affect internet search results more meaningfully, and the desire to change those results naturally followed.

ORM is related to search engine optimization (SEO) and uses many of the same techniques. However, their goals differ greatly.  Common ORM techniques include online promotional activity through new content creation, involvement in the social web sphere (through forums, blogs, social networking), promotion of existing positive content and building social profiles. Traditional websites and consumer reviews are also monitored. The material monitored can include both professional journalism and user-created content such as blogs and blog comments. More difficult, but nonetheless relevant techniques can include formal "take-down" requests to try to convince site managers to remove negative content, and finally, litigation.

Proactive reputation-building techniques can include responding immediately to public criticism stemming from unannounced changes to a product's capabilities and features; offering free products to prominent reviewers; and writing positive comments and reviews in the guise of customers posting to online forums or review sites. However, most sites attempt to screen out such covert plugs, and rate their contributors based on how highly others value their contributions.

Search Engine Reputation Management (or SERM), on the other hand, is a strategic initiative often adopted by companies and corporate and even more by individuals who seek to proactively shield their brands or reputations from damaging content brought to light through search engine queries. Some use these same tactics reactively, in attempts to minimize damage inflicted by inflammatory (or "flame") websites (and weblogs) launched by consumers and, as some believe, competitors.

Given the increasing popularity and development of search engines, these tactics have become more important than ever. Consumer generated media (like blogs) has amplified the public's voice, making points of view - good or bad - easily expressed.

This is further explained in this front page article in published in the Washington Post, published on July 02, 2007 [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/01/AR2007070101355.html?hpid=artslot]

Search Engine Reputation Management strategies include Search engine optimization (SEO) and Online Content Management. Because search engines are dynamic and in constant states of change and revision, it is essential that results are constantly monitored. This is one of the big differences between SEO and online reputation management. SEO involves making technological and content changes to a website in order to make it more friendly for search engines. Online reputation management is about controlling what information users will see when they search for information about a company or person.

Social networking giant Facebook has been known to practice this form of reputation management. When they released their Polls service in Spring 2007, the popular blog TechCrunch found that it could not use competitors' names in Polls. Due largely to TechCrunch's authority in Google's algorithms, its post ranked for Facebook polls. A Facebook rep joined the comments, explained the situation and that the bugs in the old code had been updated so that it was now possible.

Also until social sites like Facebook allow Google to fully spider their site then they won't really have a massive effect on reputation management results in the search engine. The only way to take advantage of such site is to make sure you make your pages public.

It is suggested [who?] that if a company website has a negative result directly below it then up to 70% of surfers will click on the negative result first rather than the company website. It is important for a company to ensure that its website gets close to the top of search results for terms relevant to its business. In one study, a number one search result attracted 50,000 monthly visitors. The number 5 result only attracted 6,000 visitors in the same time period.

IDS Technologies (http://www.idstonline.com) provides Search Engine Reputation Management Services using various sophisticated tools and techniques. To provide the effective solutions for brands or Corporate, we first deploy our own Reputation Monitoring Tool (RMT) to gauge how much damage has already been made and the quantum of required management. After measuring, we then propose various methods to be applied to minimize the negative impact of the brand to the client. Once the proposal is accepted, we use various engagement methodologies either for journalists or for individuals sothat the negative influencers and stakeholders can atleast be brought into the state of “neutral”. Those who are already in the “neutral” zone are fed with various information to update their knowledge as well to educate them. The last but not the least is to manage those group which are already in the “Positive” zone for a particular brand. Generally, this group is loyal for the brand  or product or service. But the huge risk associated with this group is that any member can slip either to neutral or negative zone quickly, if not managed properly or engaged meaningfully.

For more details on how IDSTechnologies can help you to manage your brand, please feel free to contact us [info at idstonline dot com] [Input Source: Wikipedia]