NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 01/03/13 -- According to a recent article from Search Engine Watch, online reputation management -- also called search engine reputation management -- "is reaching the next level" of prominence, visibility, and esteem. Indeed, the article notes that online reputation management has matured a great deal since the industry's fledgling days, and the online reputation management companies of 2013 offer a range of high-class, high-profile services to a variety of clients, including both corporate brands and individuals. The article has won the attention of Rich Gorman, Reputation Changer blogger and direct response marketing pioneer. Gorman has weighed in on the Search Engine Watch article with a new statement to the press, reflecting on just how far the online reputation management industry has come.

"There was a time when, as an industry, online reputation management was viewed as a scrappy upstart, or perhaps simply as a novelty, a passing fad in an ever-changing online landscape," comments Gorman. "Over the years, however, online reputation management has proven its staying power. The industry has reached a point of real maturation, and with it has come more widespread and mainstream acceptance."

The article in Search Engine Watch notes that, in its earliest days, online reputation management was largely concerned with clearing search engine results pages of unwanted listings; businesses faced with bad reviews, or politicians swamped in scandal, could enlist online reputation management agencies to push those unflattering listings off the first page of a Google, Yahoo, or Bing search. "That is still how many reputation management neophytes view the industry," Gorman offers. As the article makes clear, however, the services rendered by online reputation management firms are much more varied than this narrow definition might suggest.

"What this article makes clear is that online reputation management unites many different disciplines, with the goal of providing many different services," explains Gorman. "It is not just about using search engine optimization to suppress unwanted Google listings. Nowadays, it is also about using the best practices of PR marketing and content marketing to help establish a brand's online presence as positive and strong."

Brand enhancement is just one of the many online reputation management services listed in the Search Engine Watch article. The article notes that online reputation management firms can also be implemented in political lobbying campaigns. Additionally, an online reputation management firm can engage in both search engine results page "cleansing" and "claiming." "Whether a client wants to see certain listings removed from the first page of Google, or simply to get proactive in putting desirable content front and center, an online reputation management firm like Reputation Changer can do it," offers Gorman.

One of the article's primary points is that online reputation management has blurred the lines between traditional SEO and PR marketing. "This is very true," says Gorman. "An online reputation management firm relies on SEO tools to deliver successful search engine rankings, but this industry is not just about rankings. It is also about telling the client's story -- and as such, we depend on PR tactics and content marketing strategies to help position the client as positive and desirable in the public's eye."

At the end of the day, an online reputation management firm exists not to monkey around with search engine results, but to help clients build a narrative. "Whether the client is an individual, a Fortune 500 company, a small business, or an elected official, we want to help them control the way they are portrayed on the Internet, using all of the diverse tools that are available to us," concludes Rich Gorman, Reputation Changer blogger.

ABOUT:

Rich Gorman, Reputation Changer blogger, is a long-time proponent of the online reputation defense industry, and also a pioneer in the field of direct response marketing. A serial entrepreneur, Rich Gorman has played an essential role in the formation of numerous, successful online endeavors. He is a big believer in the right of any company or individual to control the way they are presented on the Internet.