Online reputation management is a complex field – but we all know it matters. The most important online reputation management services can elevate your profile, reduce negative content in search results, and help maintain a positive reputation score. Your reputation score reflects how the public perceives you. Specifically, it factors in online content, reviews, social media reach, and other performance metrics.
NetReputation.com offers online reputation management services to clients worldwide. A positive online reputation is essential for any individual or business. If you’ve ever watched TV or listened to the radio, chances are you’ve seen or heard advertisements for Reputation Defender.
Does this company have what it takes to help clients, or do their promises sound too good to be true? In this guide, we explore Reputation Defender. Below, we’ll reveal the truth behind the company and its ORM services.
Who is Reputation Defender? How Does Reputation Defender Work?
Reputation Defender is a company based in Tempe, Arizona. Michael Fertik launched it in 2006 in Redwood City, California, and it rapidly grew to dominate the ORM industry. Multiple rounds of investor funding helped the company rise quickly. By 2011, the firm had raised over $41 million. In 2018, the Stagwell Group purchased Reputation Defender. Then, in 2021, Norton LifeLock acquired the company, which is now part of Gen Digital Inc (NASDAQ: GEN).
The company claims to provide services for individuals and businesses. Additionally, it bills itself as the oldest ORM company in the industry. Throughout its history, however, poor reviews and less-than-flattering customer stories have followed the company.
How Much Does Reputation Defender Cost?
Since the acquisition, Reputation Defender’s pricing has become unclear. Entry-level privacy subscriptions start around $9.95 per month. Meanwhile, online review packages run about $2,000 per year. More intensive privacy remediation can cost thousands annually, and comprehensive programs for complex projects can reach five figures.
Is Reputation Defender Legit?
A quick Reddit search reveals many unsatisfied customers. They report that Reputation Defender’s services are overpriced and ineffective in ORM. Instead, consider NetReputation’s Online Reputation Management — a more comprehensive alternative. Take a look at our list of the top reputation management companies to get started on your ORM journey.
What Is Your Online Reputation and Why Is It Important?
For individuals and business owners, your online reputation is how the digital world perceives you. It reflects the general public consensus of your online presence. More importantly, it tells others who you are and what you stand for.
A variety of factors and information found online shape your digital reputation. A positive online reputation comes from information like:
- Positive reviews on Google and third-party review sites
- Prominent visibility in Google search results
- Positive digital content like news articles, blog posts, and social media comments
- Positive customer testimonials and ratings
A negative online reputation, on the other hand, stems from several factors that can hinder your personal and professional goals. These factors include:
- Negative online content
- Negative reviews on Google
- Negative information in search results
- Customer complaints and poor ratings on review sites
- Unflattering news articles, images, and blog posts
Your online reputation can unlock new doors of opportunity, or it can stand between you and achieving your goals. Indeed, having a negative online reputation is a massive risk for both individuals and business owners alike.
How to Get an All-Encompassing Reputation Score for Your Business?
Platforms calculate your reputation score based on your performance across review sites, social media, and other channels. Additionally, some companies offer a free reputation score to help you gauge your standing against competitors.
What is Online Reputation Management?
Online reputation management (ORM) is a powerful digital marketing practice. A reputation defender helps manage and improve online reputation by shaping public perception of a company or individual. In addition, companies use reputation management to build brand awareness, attract new customers, reinforce their corporate reputations, and improve visibility with accurate, positive content. ReputationDefender helps individuals gain similar benefits, including personal branding to achieve goals in both their personal and professional lives.
Reputation Management Services: An Overview
Online reputation management solutions consist of several key components. Specifically, each one is designed to support, reinforce, and repair your internet reputation in search results and on social media platforms. These components typically include:
- Content creation — creating positive content to share on websites, blogs, social media, and your website.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) to improve visibility in online search results and to push down negative search results.
- Removal of negative links and reviews, and, where possible, negotiation of content removal with website owners.
- Public relations, including customer outreach, press releases, and content promotion.
- Reputation monitoring to identify emerging risks before they can damage your reputation, including privacy and data-broker removal and monitoring data brokers for exposed personal information.
- Reviews management on Google and third-party review sites.
Whether you need to remove negative content or build a stronger presence, a long-term strategy matters. In fact, it helps suppress negative search results, promote positive content, build brand awareness, and control the conversation.
Size Matters in Digital Reputation Management
One of the first warning signs associated with Reputation Defender is the sheer size of the company. Larger ORM firms tend to drag their feet on delivering results. In contrast, a specialist or smaller firm may be a better fit for narrow needs. A big provider only makes sense when you need broad, multi-front support. Small businesses, on the other hand, are hungry for your business. Smaller firms like Online Reputation provide cutting-edge digital reputation management solutions backed by practical technology. As a result, they deliver results without the long waits, stifling contracts, and broken promises that large companies often rely on.
A Business Model Built on Lengthy Contracts
One of the most frequent Google searches about this company is “how much does Reputation Defender cost?” The answer: there isn’t one. In fact, companies like RD are intentionally vague about pricing. There’s more to the cost story, too.
Reputation management cleans up your digital footprint. In addition, an effective strategy prioritizes transparency while improving search visibility. Replacing negative search results with fresh, positive content improves public perception and strengthens your online presence. However, ORM results can take days or several months — outcomes vary by situation.
Reputation Defender’s business model relies on lengthy contracts. Yet the company can often achieve results in a fraction of the contract’s duration. As a result, there is no incentive to clean up client reputations quickly or efficiently.
Say you’re a client of a large ORM firm and get the results you need in three months. After that, you’d typically stop paying unless you need ongoing monitoring. Larger firms like Reputation Defender claim results may take 12 to 24 months. In other words, they stretch contracts far beyond what’s necessary. Consequently, their clients end up locked into long-term agreements — at high cost.
You should check the costs of ORM services before engaging with one.
No industry standards or regulations prevent predatory contract practices. That’s why big ORM companies like Reputation Defender keep getting away with it.
What About Online Reviews?
In a perfect world, any service provider you choose would have perfect reviews. You’d expect a prominent ORM provider like Reputation Defender to have great reviews. However, the truth is more complex. Reputation defenders help businesses manage online reviews and social media to protect brand trust. Companies should also maintain clear social media policies for customer-facing interactions.
A quick internet search for the firm’s name turns up startling results on Google’s first page (which is also precisely why you should claim your business on Google – we explain why in this article). The results include a surprising number of bad reviews. In fact, many customers complain that RD’s solutions fall short of promises or that the company extended their contracts without reason.
Personalized customer support helps reduce the impact of negative reviews. Specifically, it gives frustrated customers a real person to talk to and resolves issues faster. When multiple customers leave negative ratings, it signals that a company doesn’t deliver on its promises. Moreover, that reflects a lack of expertise, poor customer service, and generally bad experiences. Consumer complaints represent another red flag against RD and its ORM services. Therefore, monitoring online reviews and encouraging authentic customer reviews can help rebuild consumer trust.
How Can Online Reputation Help Me?
Online Reputation is a smaller reputation management business with a track record of outstanding success in our market. In fact, we build our business on delivering quality services that produce the results you deserve. When you need ORM, we help you develop targeted strategies to clean up your reputation, manage conversations in the digital environment, and position your brand for continued success.
Need a hassle-free personal reputation report? We start with a detailed analysis of your digital footprint. From there, we scrutinize every mention of your name in search results. Our ORM professionals then develop strategies to remove complaints and unflattering digital content, improve your visibility, and monitor news coverage, online mentions, and brand sentiment in real time. Our tools also notify you when your brand appears online. We also develop crisis response plans to manage adverse events, including issuing public apologies when necessary. Our guarantee: no long-term contracts and a full money-back promise. Best of all, we produce the results you want — and quickly. With cutting-edge tools and techniques, our team helps your business grow in the digital space.
The internet can be a challenging place to do business. Your reputation either helps or hurts your prospects. That’s why our firm provides the services you need to stand out in any market. Relationships with media outlets also help shape brand narratives during reputation challenges. To learn more about our ORM solutions or to receive a free consultation about any concerns, contact us today at 844-230-3803.