Online Reputation Management Statistics [2020 Update]

Hundreds of reputation management statistics provide evidence that corporate online reputation is crucial. In fact, it affects everything from purchasing decisions and market value to hiring ability and much more. Therefore, failure to manage reputation is an avoidable strategic risk.

A new commissioned study by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Terakeet, “The New SEO Paradigm Shift: How Integrated SEO Can Unlock New Areas Of Value For Brands — Beyond Just Incremental Sales,” reveals that executives at large companies overwhelmingly understand the vital importance of their brand’s online reputation.

Forrester Consulting surveyed more than 260 global SEO strategy professionals, including C-level executives and vice presidents. The goal of the study was to evaluate the role SEO plays in reputation management as well as their overall business strategy. As a result, we extracted more than 16 unique reputation management statistics.

An SEO strategy that is applied across marketing functions can improve your brand’s reputation, reduce negative mentions, and improve lifetime customer value.

2020 Commissioned study by Forrester Consulting

According to the study, nearly 70% of executives believe SEO impacts brand perception. However, only 31% of SEO decision makers actively work to suppress negative search results. That stat reveals the stark disconnect between the perception of a positive online reputation and its prioritization.

We extracted some of the most compelling online reputation management statistics from the study and organized them to be easily digestible. Read the full study here.

Reputation management statistics sorted by impact

When you invest in online reputation repair services, you’re investing in the long-term, financial health of your business. Negative articles, bad reviews, biased reporting, social media attacks, and other online activities can impact your brand’s bottom line.

Forrester Consulting found that top executives are beginning to see the holistic benefits of reputation management. However, only the most established companies are actively working to influence their online narrative.

How digital reputation impacts market value

It’s critical to remove unwanted Google results, including damaging customer reviews, in order to protect your digital reputation and increase market share. When you don’t actively strengthen your business’s online presence, you leave unguarded gaps in the digital landscape. As a result, competitors, angry customers, and third parties can hijack your narrative.

The most common incidents that cause a negative reputation include data breaches, product recalls/failures, and negative reviews. However, activities on social media sites, poorly-received marketing campaigns, and unfavorable articles about the CEO can also have severe consequences for brands. Ultimately, these events drive away potential customers and investors which reduces revenue and stock prices.

Therefore, it’s vital to safeguard your search landscape by working with a highly-qualified reputation management company.

Per the Forrester Study, more C-level executives than ever recognize online reputation management as an essential part of securing your brand’s place in the industry spotlight:

Revenue

Establishing a favorable set of search results on the first page of Google dramatically improves your business’s bottom line. In fact, one of our customers recaptured $32.7 million in monthly revenue after we repositioned several unfavorable reviews and articles.

Per the Forrester Consulting study, decision-makers are now, more than ever, aware of the fiscal benefits of safeguarding their reputations and brands online:

Reputation management statistics about revenue

Hiring and retention

A positive reputation directly impacts hiring costs and effectiveness. In fact, Harvard Business Review found that a company with 10,000 employees spends as much as $7.6 million in additional wages to make up for a poor reputation.

Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn — websites devoted to jobseekers are innumerable now. Therefore, it’s very easy for employees to dictate whether your business has a bad reputation or a good reputation in the hiring world. In fact, it’s inevitable that a former employee will eventually air their grievances on a job review site.

If your company doesn’t regularly seek employee feedback, a handful of bad reviews could overpower your brand’s business profile. Furthermore, criticism isn’t confined to those platforms. Employer review websites tend to rank very well on Google for branded searches. So, those negative Glassdoor reviews could surface in your search results, corroding your company’s image.

It’s equally important to manage your CEO’s reputation for these same reasons. Unfavorable news articles on top-tier publications can tie your brand to damaging narratives that drive away talent.

Companies must take a proactive approach to brand protection and establish a culture of encouraging regular employee feedback. Then, work with a reputation manager to ensure positive reviews show up in your search results.

Trust

You already know that a good reputation is essential to building brand trust. You may have even heard that people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. As a result, you’ve probably invested countless resources in trust advertising through PR, paid digital marketing campaigns, and customer experience surveys.

Yet, regardless of how valid it is, a single unfavorable star rating on a review site, or an unflattering article in your search engine results can easily damage your hard-fought reputation.

When internet users do an online search of your brand, what they discover will inform their first impression of your business.

Brands that reduce negative search results about executives can improve brand perception scores, grow revenue, and regain customer trust.

Forrester Consulting

Online reviews

Positive reviews at the top of the Google search results can pay off in big ways—and not just for small businesses. Executives at large corporations also understand that higher ratings and favorable business reviews impact customer retention and lead generation from the beginning of the buyers journey.

Per the Forrester Study, a large number of decision-makers recognize that online search engines like Google and Bing have a critical impact on brand sentiment and reputation. Leaders now understand it’s important to remove negative news articles from Google to avoid lasting impact.

Work with us

It takes more effort than you may think to properly shape online narratives.

We’re experts in reputation management strategy and SEO. Through dedication and integrity, we continuously improve our proprietary technology, our methodologies, and our growing in-house team of more than 250 people. So, whether you’re facing a crisis on the first-page of Google, or you want to proactively establish a breakwater against future reputation risks, we can help.

The Forrester Consulting study revealed that many executives are making reputation management their main business priority.

Explore our online reputation management services for brands and executives.