Why PR pros must own reputation management

We learned about it in our college courses and included it on our websites as a practice area.

In the past few years, however, reputation management was taken over by the search engine optimization world. Today, when you mention the strategy, many equate it with companywide image management, including manipulating search results by pushing down, burying or suppressing negative content and links.

Here’s how Wikipedia defines reputation management:

Reputation management refers to influencing and controlling an individual’s or business’s reputation. Originally a public relations term, the expansion of the internet and social media, along with reputation management companies, have made it primarily an issue of search results.

Ouch.

How you are initially viewed online is critical to your organization’s image, but your reputation crosses many other parts of your business. I believe that PR pros are best suited to manage this on behalf of the organizations we serve, either as in-house or outside counsel.

Online reputation is more than search results