This glossary defines the terms you will meet when researching reputation management. Each definition is neutral and independent. Where a term maps to a category of firm, we link to that part of the directory.
- Astroturfing
- Creating what looks like organic, grassroots praise or criticism when it is actually coordinated and paid for, which misleads readers about how widespread an opinion really is.
- Backlink
- A link from one website to another. Search engines treat backlinks from credible sites as a signal of trust, which is why they matter for ranking a page higher or lower.
- Brand monitoring
- The ongoing practice of tracking mentions of a name, company, or product across the web and social platforms so that new reviews, articles, or complaints are caught early.
- Brand SERP
- The full page of search results that appears when someone searches your exact name or brand. It is often the first impression a prospect, employer, or partner forms of you.
- Content suppression
- A broader term for pushing unwanted content out of common view, whether by outranking it in search, requesting removal, or encouraging a publisher to update it. See SERP suppression companies.
- Crisis communications
- The planned response an organization or individual gives during a sudden reputational threat, aimed at providing accurate information quickly and limiting further harm. See crisis reputation management companies.
- De-indexing
- Removing a specific page from a search engine index so it no longer appears in results, even though the page may still exist on its original website.
- Defamation
- A false statement of fact, published to others, that harms a person or business. Truthful statements and clearly labeled opinion are generally not defamatory.
- Digital PR
- Public relations work aimed at earning coverage, links, and mentions on online publications, which in turn shapes search results and public perception. See digital PR companies.
- Disavow
- A request asking a search engine to ignore certain backlinks when evaluating a site, typically used when those links are low quality or spammy and could otherwise hurt rankings.
- DMCA takedown
- A formal request, under United States copyright law, asking a website or search engine to remove content that infringes on someone's copyrighted material.
- Doxxing
- Publishing a person's private information, such as a home address or phone number, without consent and usually with intent to harass or intimidate.
- GDPR erasure
- A request made under the European Union's data protection regulation asking an organization to delete personal data it holds about an individual, subject to certain exceptions.
- Google autocomplete
- The search suggestions that appear as a user types a query, generated from common search patterns. Negative autocomplete suggestions can shape a visitor's first impression before a single result loads.
- Knowledge panel
- The information box a search engine shows beside results for a well known person, brand, or organization, assembled from sources the engine treats as authoritative.
- Negative content removal
- Efforts to have an unfavorable article, post, or listing taken down entirely, as distinct from suppression, which leaves the content online but less visible. See content removal companies.
- Online reputation management
- The practice of monitoring and influencing how a person or organization is perceived across search results, review sites, and social platforms, so the public record reflects an accurate and fair picture. See online reputation management companies.
- Personal branding
- The deliberate shaping of how an individual, often an executive or public figure, is perceived professionally, typically through published content, speaking, and a consistent online presence. See executive and personal reputation management.
- Review gating
- Screening customers before asking for a public review so that only satisfied ones are routed to the review site. Major platforms prohibit the practice because it distorts the overall rating. See review management companies.
- Review velocity
- The rate at which new reviews accumulate for a business. A steady, natural velocity is generally viewed as healthier than sudden bursts that can look manufactured. See review management companies.
- Right to be forgotten
- A legal right, recognized in the European Union, that lets individuals ask search engines to remove certain results about them. It has no direct equivalent in United States law.
- Schema markup
- Structured data added to a web page's code that helps search engines understand its content, which can influence how a listing appears in results.
- Sentiment analysis
- The automated process of classifying text, such as reviews or social posts, as positive, negative, or neutral in tone, often used to track shifts in public opinion over time.
- SERP suppression
- Publishing and strengthening favorable pages so that unwanted results fall lower in the search rankings, where far fewer people look. It does not delete the underlying content. See SERP suppression companies.
- Streisand effect
- A phenomenon where an attempt to hide, remove, or suppress information ends up drawing far more attention to it than if it had been left alone.
- Wikipedia notability
- The set of criteria Wikipedia editors use to decide whether a person or organization qualifies for an article, generally requiring significant coverage in independent, reliable sources. See Wikipedia page management companies.