Best Online Reputation Management Services of 2021

• Reputation management services employ a combination of strategies to build and maintain a positive reputation or repair a negative one.
• Common reputation management strategies include content creation, review acquisition and management, social media management, search engine optimization, crisis management, and online monitoring and reporting.
• Custom reputation management services can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.
• This article is for professionals and small business owners who want to learn about the best reputation management services available and how to choose an online reputation management service.

Knowing how important an online image is, many businesses and professionals turn to online reputation management companies to repair and/or maintain theirs. To help you choose an online reputation management service that's right for you, we researched and analyzed more than 40 services. To select the services we think are best, we looked at various factors, including cost and contract length, their specific services, and whether they use black-hat tactics. Read on to learn about the best reputation management companies for individuals and small businesses.

If you want more tips on how to choose a reputation management company for your brand, check out our buyer's guide.

While some companies have service plans with a set monthly cost, most online reputation management companies customize pricing, because not all businesses have the same reputation management needs. Most providers conduct a free initial analysis to see which strategies your business can benefit from the most. Based on that information, they build a campaign package for your specific needs.

The costs for reputation management services can be anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month. It all depends on the type of work you need done. Some of these services require a three-, six- or 12-month contract, while others work on a month-to-month basis that allows you to cancel at any time. 

Key takeaway: Reputation management services' prices are often customized and range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.

Reputation management is the strategic monitoring and implementation of tactics to promote positive online content and suppress negative online content. These tactics can include any combination of content creation, review acquisition and management, social media marketing, search engine optimization, crisis management, content removal, public relations, and online monitoring.

Consumers go online to read about new products, vent about unsatisfactory services, and interact with their favorite brands' social media accounts. To ensure that the information being spread about you is positive, it is important to facilitate reputation management tactics – or hire a service to do it for you.  

Key takeaway: Reputation management is a combination of strategies (e.g., content creation, review monitoring, social media management) to build and maintain a positive reputation or repair a negative one.

Online reputation management services employ multiple strategies to boost a brand's online image. These are the most common ones: 

Content Creation 

Creating positive content is one of the best ways to suppress negative search results and build an online reputation that you can control. Most reputation management agencies offer some form of content creation, including websites, articles, blog posts, wiki sites, press releases, business profiles and business listings.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  Reputation management companies can help you optimize your online content for search engines. They make sure your content has the right keywords, metadata, and headlines to give it the best chance of being seen when people search for your business or businesses in your industry.

Review Acquisition and Management 

Online reputation management services can help you acquire and manage reviews on various platforms like Google, Facebook and Yelp. They reach out to your previous customers to acquire new reviews, send auto-responses and promote positive reviews. If you receive a negative review, they can respond to it on your behalf or quickly notify you to remedy the situation. Some companies focus specifically on review acquisition and management strategies as their primary means of reputation management. They provide a platform where you can manage every review-related task in one place.

Social Media Management 

Online reputation management companies can create social media accounts on the sites that are most relevant to your business (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest) and then monitor and manage those accounts. This includes setting up profiles for you on all relevant social channels, deciding what and when to post on those networks, and monitoring them for negative reviews. Active social profiles are a good way to promote your brand as well as to manage negative social comments. 

Crisis Management

Not all reputation management companies offer crisis management services, but it can be helpful when you are the target of a reputation attack. Some strategies they may implement to quickly improve your reputation are content removal or suppression, press releases, and positive content creation.  

Online Monitoring and Reporting 

Online reputation management companies can monitor other websites, blogs, forums, and news sites to see if people mention your business. They look at review sites like Yelp and Glassdoor, as well as any other websites or blogs where your business is being discussed. This ensures you know when people are talking about your business online and what they are saying. The companies can also monitor your reputation results and report back on how the campaigns are faring. They report information such as how your search results have improved and what social media and review sites are most beneficial for your business.

Key takeaway: Reputation management companies can implement a variety of strategies to improve or maintain your brand image, like creating content for you, building and managing your social media profiles, acquiring and managing reviews of your company, and monitoring your results.

Reputation management companies provide a variety of services for businesses and individuals, including SEO, content development, social media creation and monitoring, review acquisition and management, and third-party website monitoring. However, your brand is unique, and your reputation management strategy should be too. 

When choosing an online reputation management service for your business or individual reputation, you need to factor in things like your budget, the features you want and the quality of the customer support. First, evaluate your current reputation in comparison to your ideal reputation. Are you repairing a negative online reputation, maintaining your current one or creating a completely new one? Which platforms would you like help managing? For example, maybe your website needs a revamp, your social media needs enhancement, or your company needs more reviews. 

You will also want to look for a company that can work within your anticipated timeframe and provides the level of customer support you need. Is this a two-month project, or will you need ongoing review maintenance? The level (and frequency) of the support you want should factor into your decision. 

Once you list everything you want an online reputation management company to accomplish for you, seek out trustworthy companies that specialize in those areas.

To learn more about how to choose an online reputation management service, check out our buying guide. 

Key takeaway: To choose a reputation management company, determine what you want the service to accomplish, set a monthly budget and anticipated timeframe, and list any additional features or strategies you want.

To better learn what small businesses and individuals look for in a reputation management service, we reached out to the community to get their opinions. We found that most people prioritize review management and plan flexibility. For example, Natik Ameen, CEO of Canz Marketing, said his company uses Podium to manage its online reputation, primarily because of Podium's great customer relationship management features, including review management.  

"We use Podium for reviews, feedback, web chat and video chat," Ameen told Business News Daily. "I like how it made it very easy for businesses to maintain relationships and connect with their customers."

Most businesses, and some individuals, can benefit from review management, so this is a service you might want to prioritize when comparing reputation management companies.

You will likely want to find a reputation management service that also offers flexibility – customization and short-term contracts (ideally month-to-month service) are key. Max Harland, CEO of Dentaly, said his healthcare business chose WebiMax to manage its online reputation mainly because of the company's extreme flexibility.

"Customers don't need to commit to a long-term contract but can opt to use the service one month at a time," he said. "The unique flexibility perk is beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have enormous funds at their disposal. It allows businesses to effectively manage their budget instead of dumping a large fraction of their budget to online reputation management alone."  

What are online reputation management services?

Online reputation management involves creating the best possible online image for your brand. These services work to ensure that positive news and reviews are the first things customers (and potential leads) see when they search for your business online. 

For businesses that have negative information about them online, these services deploy various strategies to push undesirable stories and reviews off the first few pages of search results. 

For businesses with a positive online image, online reputation management services monitor the web to ensure the reputation stays positive and that the business can respond immediately when anything negative pops up. Online reputation management can also manage your online reviews to ensure they are positive. Some companies conduct a crisis response to any major incidents that could hurt your brand image.   

Who needs reputation management services?

Whether your online reputation is good, bad, or nonexistent, chances are that you can benefit from hiring a reputation management service for your business or yourself. The difference lies in what strategies would benefit your company or personal reputation the most. 

For example, companies and professionals that already have positive online reputations can benefit from maintenance strategies like review management and website monitoring. Those with poor online reputations may require more advanced strategies to minimize bad search results and highlight positive achievements. They can benefit from review and social media management strategies, especially since reputation services can help companies respond to customer complaints.    

Building a brand-new reputation can be difficult; businesses and professionals that don't have an established online reputation can benefit greatly from hiring a reputation management service. These companies can help you establish your brand and claim authority through techniques such as creating content, building your social media profiles, boosting your SEO, and acquiring and managing customer reviews. 

Unless you have an experienced in-house team working on your social media presence and SEO, creating your content, gathering and managing customer reviews, and monitoring your website and overall online reputation, you should at least consider using a reputation management service.

Why do you need online reputation management services?

While some people may think that only businesses with poor reputations need this type of service, all businesses and professionals can benefit from some level of online reputation management.  

Anyone with a negative reputation can use these companies to help repair their image. These companies employ strategies to reduce or hide negative discourse about the brand. These strategies include creating new, positive content that pushes negative articles farther down in search results. Crisis management strategies can be employed if there's a serious incident that requires immediate attention. 

Anyone with a positive online reputation can use these services to ensure their image stays that way. It can be valuable to have these services monitor the web for mentions of your brand. Reputation management firms can promote positive news and reviews about you when they appear online, and if something negative pops up, they can quickly notify you so you can respond and rectify the situation as soon as possible.  

How can a negative online reputation hurt you?

More than ever, consumers rely on the internet to determine where they shop, what they buy, where they eat and where they spend their money in general. They conduct research online and read reviews from other consumers to determine the best businesses to use. Knowing the high premium today's shoppers place on what they see online, businesses must keep a positive online image. A few bad reviews or negative online articles can do some serious damage. 

Monitoring your online reputation, especially customer reviews, is more important than ever. According to recent surveys, 70% of consumers check multiple review sites when considering buying from a local business. (The average consumer reads 10 reviews before they feel they can trust a business.) Nearly half of consumers surveyed said they would not use a business that has less than four stars on review sites.

You want customers to judge your business for themselves. However, if they see some bad reviews online, there is a good chance they'll turn to a competitor that has a better online image. You may never get the opportunity to prove those bad reviews wrong, because shoppers won't give you a chance. As a small business owner, you must actively monitor your company's online reputation to ensure you are meeting the needs of your customers.

What causes a bad reputation?

Bad reputations can be due to things like over-promised and under-delivered services, low-quality products, and poor customer service. However, you can run a great company and still have a bad online reputation. It just takes a few upset customers to tarnish your brand if you don't properly manage your online image, especially if you don't have much of an online presence to begin with.

Businesses can earn a poor reputation by not responding to customers' negative online comments and reviews. Although it's tempting to ignore irate customers, responding to and resolving online complaints can improve your relationships and create loyal customers. Additionally, reading negative reviews can teach you where your products or services are lacking and where you can improve.

Almost as damaging as a bad reputation is no reputation at all. If your business doesn't have important online features like a website, social media accounts, up-to-date listings, reviews or online mentions, customers are less likely to trust your brand. If your business doesn't exist online, it doesn't exist to potential customers. 

How long does online reputation management take to work?

There is no set time for how long it takes to see results from online reputation management services; it depends on the state of your brand's image when you start and the strategies your hired service uses. Some businesses may see results within the first month or two, while others may not see substantial improvements for six months to a year. Remember that these services don't offer a quick fix; they employ strategies that take time to pay off. Patient businesses usually reap the rewards of online reputation management services.

What does an online reputation manager do?

An online reputation manager works with you to create a strategy that will best improve or maintain your brand image. They discuss your current reputation and goals with you, and then they create a custom plan that works within your budget and anticipated timeframe. Once you agree on the analysis and campaign plan, the reputation manager works closely with you to implement their strategies and enhance your reputation.

Your dedicated reputation manager that the company assigns to you should be a point of contact you have an ongoing relationship with. These managers often provide periodic reports and analytics on your reputation's and campaign's status, but you can also reach out to them with any questions about your reputation. 

What's the difference between reputation management and review management?

Reputation management is a combination of multiple strategies that can be used to maintain or improve your reputation, like content creation, social media management and online monitoring. Review management is one specific part of reputation management.

Customer reviews play a major role in a brand's online reputation, so some companies focus specifically on acquiring and managing reviews as their reputation management strategy. Other companies only use review management as one part of their overall reputation management strategy. Determine whether you simply want help managing reviews or want help with your entire online presence before choosing a provider.

Here is a full list of reputation management services and a summary of what each company claims to offer. This alphabetical list also includes our best picks.  

1SEO.com – 1SEO.com offers a comprehensive reputation management campaign that includes an analysis of your online reputation before your campaign begins and a full assessment once it's complete. Along with its reputation management services, 1SEO.com offers a wealth of online marketing and SEO services, including SEO consulting and copywriting, social media marketing, web design and development, and infographic services. https://1seo.com 

beMarketing – beMarketing serves a variety of industries to help improve online reputations. In addition to specialized reputation management campaigns, beMarketing offers several in-depth marketing solutions, like website design and development, email marketing, search engine optimization and social media marketing. https://bemarketing.com 

Big Blue Robot – Companies and individuals who want personalized one-on-one reputation management to improve their online presence can apply to work with Big Blue Robot. It creates positive content to improve Google results globally and can work with your PR agency or law firm as needed. Unlike many of its competitors, it can even show you before-and-after results from other projects. https://www.bigbluerobot.com/

BirdEye – BirdEye specializes in review acquisition for both small and large businesses. The company serves a variety of industries, including the healthcare, dental, real estate, retail, legal, automotive and hospitality sectors. This company can help businesses that want to generate and monitor reviews, improve their business listings, send out surveys and monitor their social media accounts. https://birdeye.com 

BrandYourself – BrandYourself gives you the tools to manage your individual online reputation on your own, with some guidance from the company's experts. It offers other subscriptions that give you varying degrees of control over the service. BrandYourself also provides reputation management for businesses. https://brandyourself.com 

Digital 86 – Digital 86 offers online reputation repair and building services. The company specializes in fixing damaged reputations and improving mediocre reputations. The company provides services to individuals, small businesses and large enterprises. http://www.digital86.com 

Digital Firefly Marketing – Digital Firefly's reputation management services include extensive analysis and evaluation of your online reputation, 24/7 news monitoring, negative review monitoring, SEO and removal of defaced content. The company also offers social media marketing, content marketing and web services (including design, development and hosting). https://digitalfireflymarketing.com 

*Gadook – Gadook is an inexpensive, effective reputation management service with a simple month-to-month commitment. Although it's a low-cost solution, Gadook offers quality service, including brand building, rebranding, brand protection and social media monitoring. With its high level of service and low costs, Gadook earns the title of our best reputation management service for individuals. https://gadook.com 

GBX Digital – GBX Digital offers several online marketing and reputation management services, including internet reputation management strategies and services, public relations, image removal, proactive monitoring and personal information removal. https://www.gbxdigital.com 

Go Fish Digital – Go Fish Digital can help repair, build and protect your brand online through a series of online reputation management tactics. The company focuses on Google search, Google autocomplete and online reviews, helping to clean up your online reputation and monitor progress. https://gofishdigital.com 

Grade.us – This reputation management company is good for professionals, agencies or partners and enterprises. It provides a single "command center" for all of your customer reviews, so you can manage them all in one place. You can automate multichannel review request campaigns, segment positive and negative feedback, and stream your favorite reviews to social media. https://www.grade.us/home 

Hibu – Hibu works to boost your online reputation by focusing on two things: your business information listings and your customer reviews and ratings. You have access to a user-friendly dashboard to monitor your listings and reviews, respond to customers and maintain your positive reputation. https://hibu.com 

Igniyte – Igniyte is a specialized reputation management company that helps high-net-worth individuals and brands with defamation and libel issues online, customer service through social media, management of online reviews, and removal of content from Google. With legal teams and extensive digital marketing experience, the firm uses PR and content marketing to help ensure that individuals and brands have a positive online presence. https://www.igniyte.co.uk 

Insignia SEO – Insignia SEO works to create a customized reputation management strategy for your business. The company analyzes your Google search results and assesses your social media reputation, and then plans management strategies. These strategies include de-emphasizing negative content, creating positive content and pushing positive content to the top of search results. https://insigniaseo.com 

Internetzone I – Internetzone I offers three online reputation management packages: Republock Lite, Extreme and Elite. The packages vary in features and pricing. The best option for your business depends on the size, needs and budget of your operation. https://www.internetzonei.com 

LocalEdge – LocalEdge, a division of Hearst Digital Marketing Services, performs a variety of marketing strategies for businesses. It offers reputation management strategies that focus on building online listings across directories and review sites, and monitoring and responding to online reviews. Some of LocalEdge's other services include web design, search engine optimization and email marketing. https://hearstdms.com/localedge 

Netmark.com – Netmark's reputation management services allow you to set up brand alerts, promote positive reviews and content to bury negative content, and more. You can get a free quote on the company's website. Netmark's other services include enterprise SEO, pay-per-click management, website development and social media marketing. https://www.netmark.com 

NetReputation – NetReputation offers standard online reputation management with features designed to encourage positive reviews from happy customers. The business also tries to push down negative or misleading reviews. https://www.netreputation.com 

Outspoken Media – Outspoken Media offers reputation management services that include strategy development and software recommendations so you can find the right tools to manage your online reputation. The company offers several other SEO and internet marketing services. https://outspokenmedia.com 

*Podium – Podium is a reputation management company that focuses on review generation and management. It compiles all of your reviews from various sites, like Facebook and Google, into one place. You can also use the platform to condense inboxes, implement web-chat features and more. Thanks to its comprehensive platform and ease of use, Podium has earned the title of our best reputation management service for review management. https://www.podium.com 

Repumatic – Repumatic offers full-scale, DIY reputation management software; free reputation monitoring; and transparent concierge services that cost less than $400 per month. The company provides a combination of reputation management and SEO services for brands, along with tips for do-it-yourselfers to regain their positive reputations online. https://www.repumatic.com 

Reputation911 – Reputation911 offers reputation management services for both individuals and businesses. It specializes in the suppression and (when possible) removal of negative content. Other features include online brand monitoring and reporting, and crisis management. https://reputation911.com 

Reputation Communications – Reputation Communications offers services for businesses and individuals. It has four strategies it can implement depending on your needs. The company uses its ReputationConsult service to guide you through crises and create strategies, ReputationThrive to boost a positive reputation, ReputationReboot to repair a damaged reputation, and ReputationSecure to mitigate potential threats. https://reputation-communications.com 

ReputationDefender – ReputationDefender helps individuals, job seekers, executives, small businesses, and large companies with reputation management needs like fixing search results, removing personal information and managing business reviews. It also provides extensive self-help resources like e-books, case studies, online guides, a resources center, privacy tips, people-search FAQs and a reputation report card. https://www.reputationdefender.com/

Reputation Management Consultants – This company's reputation management services focus on content creation to push down your negative search results. Services include the creation and promotion of social media and professional profiles, press releases and syndicated articles. https://www.reputationmanagementconsultants.com 

Reputation Management Kings – Reputation Management Kings' services include engaging on social networks, and creating communicative blogging sites, media-sharing sites, and business profiles and networks. The company focuses on SEO and positive content creation. http://www.reputationmanagementkings.com 

Reputation Management LLC – Reputation Management LLC's process includes analysis of your online reputation, strategic planning, social media management, creation of positive commentary to push down negative content, and web monitoring. https://www.reputationmanagementllc.com/en   

Reputation Resolutions – Reputation Resolutions is a reputation management agency for individuals and businesses. It focuses on negative-content removal, review management, reputation monitoring and crisis management. https://reputationresolutions.com 

Reputation Rhino – Reputation Rhino covers both businesses and individuals, specializing in SEO and social media marketing. Its online reputation management services include content development, profile optimization and review management. https://www.reputationrhino.com 

Reputation X – Reputation X offers comprehensive solutions for the removal and suppression of negative search results, as well as protection and monitoring of your online reputation. The company offers various levels of service and prices depending on your needs. https://www.reputationx.com  

Reputation.com – Reputation.com offers comprehensive reputation management services for both protecting your brand from attacks and dealing with a reputation crisis. Although it covers any type of business, it has tailored solutions for various business industries. https://www.reputation.com 

SEO Image – SEO Image offers reputation management services for businesses and individuals. Interested clients can get a free quote and analysis on the company's website. SEO Image also offers design services, pay-per-click management and social media services. https://seoimage.com 

SEO Inc. – SEO Inc. uses SEO techniques, social media plans and content development to improve and build your brand's online reputation. The company also offers web development, pay-per-click management, social media marketing, mobile optimization services and more. https://www.seoinc.com 

SEO Power Solutions – SEO Power Solutions is a digital marketing company that offers creative solutions to help manage your online reputation. The company can help you increase transparency, encourage online endorsements, create a positive reputation and earn your customers' trust. https://www.seopowersolutions.com 

SEOP – SEOP's reputation management techniques include microsite creation, social media assets, link building, press releases, syndicated articles and blogs. In addition to reputation management, the company offers digital marketing and web services, ranging from public relations to affiliate marketing. https://www.seop.com 

SEOValley – SEOValley's reputation management services cover both businesses and individuals, and they include proactively monitoring your online presence, reducing the presence of negative information and promoting positive content. SEOValley also offers website development, SEO and social media marketing. https://seovalley.com 

SubmitEdge SEO – SubmitEdge SEO offers reputation management services to push down negative results from the first page of Google results, using microsites, blogs, RSS feeds and more. The company also offers several other content-writing and SEO services. https://www.submitedgeseo.com 

VJG Interactive – VJG Interactive's reputation management services include crisis management and prevention, and brand promotion. The company's other services include web development, link building, local SEO and mobile app development. https://www.vjginteractive.com 

*WebiMax – WebiMax offers a full slate of reputation management services, including crisis response, brand preservation and strategic PR. The company's robust services are reasonably priced, making it our best pick for reputation management services for businesses. https://www.webimax.com