Managing a client’s reputation online is very difficult. When negative news or comments come up for a client, they, of course, want to get rid of this and as soon as possible. However, this is easier said than done. Just like an SEO campaign, where it takes time to get your website up in the listings, it will also take time to move those negative sites with negative commentary down in the search engine listings.

So what is the best way of going about reputation management? The first thought that comes to my mind is that reputation management should be proactive and not reactive. You should already have an idea what is being said about you out in the search space. Many clients come in asking an agency to get rid of negative results showing up for their site after they have seen these for a period of time and that’s when this whole process gets even more hairy.

There was a recent post on Search Engine Land that gave some great advice concerning online reputation management. One great point brought up was that “You can’t just make it go away.” With the hustle and bustle of today’s world and how we’ve grown to love instant gratification, it’s hard to wrap our minds around not having the result we would want immediately. However, by staying in tune with your brand’s online reputation and being willing to step outside and do more, you will start to see your online reputation staying in-tact.

Another point that was made was that reputation management is a “project, it never ends.” This is so true. Even if you finally see that negative content fade away, you must always manage your online reputation because the online space is always in flux.

Reputation management is a project in which you must put forth effort in order to see a change. It may be a pain in the rear, but remember, reputation counts for a lot, both online and offline.