All posts by Shannon M. Wilkinson

About Shannon M. Wilkinson

Shannon Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of Reputation Communications.

Online reputation management, , , ,
Reputation Communications

One of the most frequently asked questions online reputation management (ORM) firms receive is, why is this outdated/irrelevant/negative content showing up in my Google search results?

Ultimately, Google’s goal is to provide visitors with the most relevant and reliable information about every topic that is searched for.  AI has not changed that.

That said, AI is rapidly changing the internet in ways that impact how you and your organization appear on Google. If the results that appear in a search of your name and your organization’s look different than they did months ago, AI is why. Earlier this year, Google rolled out AI summaries of its own search results to all users in the U.S. They appear before many websites – including, possibly, your personal branding and company websites. Christopher Mims, the technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, wrote about that and other changes in his timely article, Googling Is for Old People. That’s a Problem for Google.

But some things have not changed. Sites that have the most comprehensive and well-written information, have the highest number of visitors, and are linked to the most legitimate and high-ranking websites, are still the ones that come up the highest and fastest in Google searches (aside from those Google-created AI summaries). That’s why platforms like Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and video-based ones like Instagram rank so highly…and also why media platforms do, too.  When you strategically create SEO-rich content for those types of outlets, anchored by personal branding websites and other intentional content, you can often outrank the unwanted material that is coming up on your Google searches.  (Our comprehensive guide, The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQs, explains why.)

Google has long maintained a market share of around 85 percent of the global search market. Bing accounts for under 4 percent of it. Google and Bing are spending billions of dollars to utilize AI in their search results, but those stats are not changing.

As the world’s dominant search engine, Google publishes considerable, free information about what makes its algorithm tick. It also keeps the world informed every time it makes a change to its algorithm via the X site, Google Search Central (@googlesearchc). Check them out when you have time.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , ,
Reputation Communications

Reputation management is often called the New PR. Law firms and attorneys must be alert and protect their online reputations.

Not surprisingly, clients facing reputational harm online frequently turn to attorneys for guidance. They seek clarity on their legal options to eliminate negative content, identify the often-anonymous sources of such attacks, and expedite the process of removing damaging comments, if feasible.

Fortunately, the digital realm offers numerous avenues for attorneys to shape and enhance their reputations, plus advise their clients regarding similar measures. From establishing authority through thought leadership to strategically targeting audiences, the potential benefits are immense. A strong online presence can attract clients and bolster credibility, especially as most prospective clients now research attorneys online before deciding who to retain.

In today’s digital landscape, how legal professionals manage their reputations can significantly influence their success and the trust clients place in them.

Janet Falk, Ph.D., Falk Communications and Research, and I recently contributed an article on this topic to the PLI Chronicle: Insights and Perspectives for the Legal Community. In it, we highlight what can go wrong for attorneys and their clients online, but what can also go very well for their reputations and brand-building.

Read the article here: https://bit.ly/4fpLDPF.

 
 
General, Social Media, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Reputation Communications

Reputation management goes far beyond rebooting a tarnished online image. In a media-saturated world, there are benefits to actively amplifying our reputations — and our voices. We can all create a strategically curated, impactful public image using one, two or more widely used channels. The most successful GenZ and other influencers use them. Everyone can learn from their approach.

Take Kyla Scanlon, a 27-year-old economic commentator known for coining the term “vibecession.” She’s captivated audiences through her analysis on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Substack. (She was just featured in The Wall Street Journal and has attracted an agent and book contract.)

By embracing these channels, she has carved out a unique niche in economic discourse, positioning herself as a trusted voice for her generation. Her strategy highlights the significance of engaging content, particularly through podcasts and videos, which resonate deeply with audiences.

Podcasts serve as a valuable medium for those looking to amplify their expertise. Through her podcast, Scanlon takes her audiences deeper into topics like monetary policy and consumer sentiment, fostering a community of listeners. Her reach has earned her attention from notable figures, including White House officials, underscoring the credibility she has built through providing consistent and informative content.

Substack newsletters have emerged as a powerful tool for writers and commentators to connect with their audience. By publishing free and paid content there, Scanlon not only shares her economic insights but also cultivates a loyal following that appreciates her unique perspective. Her ability to blend personal experiences with economic concepts makes her content relatable, establishing a strong bond with her readers.

Video has become the media form of choice in the age of social media. (On LinkedIn, one-minute videos are highly popular.) It’s not all would-be influencers following trends or videos of dogs and cats. Social video can also be an important and highly accessible way to amplify your presence. Scanlon’s TikTok videos, which include skits and educational segments, demonstrate how video can demystify complex economic concepts, not only enhancing visibility but also positioning you as a relatable figure.

If you think this approach only works for members of GenZ, think again. Even prominent members of the legacy media are using these platforms to expand their audiences and build their own brands. Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, for example, has launched her own newsletter on Substack, “Fresh Hell,” which gives her the opportunity to write about her ideas and observations with the freedom to have fun and be herself, while also controlling the content that comes out under her name.  

If you need to boost or reboot your online presence, these modern communication channels are essential tools. It takes time, effort, and most importantly, strategy. But if you ever question whether the rewards can be worth it, just look at Kyla Scanlon.

 
 
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Right to be Forgotten on Google

Many people are concerned with the volume of slanderous content about people on the internet…including websites that publish such material and then extort victims to pay to have it removed.

In 2021, Google announced plans to change its search algorithm to prevent predatory websites, which operated under domains like BadGirlReport.date and PredatorsAlert.us, from appearing in the list of results when someone searches for a person’s name.

In Google Seeks to Break Vicious Cycle of Online Slander, the article that broke this news, Kashmir Hill and Daisuke Wakabayashi, tech reporters for The New York Times, reported:

Google also recently created a new concept it calls “known victims.” When people report to the company that they have been attacked on sites that charge to remove posts, Google will automatically suppress similar content when their names are searched for. “Known victims” also includes people whose nude photos have been published online without their consent, allowing them to request suppression of explicit results for their names.

These are examples of personal information that Google will remove if you are unable to have a website remove it on request:

Non-consensual explicit or intimate personal images from Google

Involuntary fake pornography from Google

Content about you on sites with exploitative removal practices from Google

Select financial, medical, and national ID information from Google

“Doxxing” content – content exposing contact information with an intent to harm

Google may also remove personal information that creates significant risks of identity theft, financial fraud, or other specific harms.

If you believe your request meets one of the guidelines mentioned above, you can make a removal request at Google’s form, found here.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , ,
The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQ
On May 21, 2024, Reputation Communications Advisory Board member Don Aviv, President of Interfor International, and I discussed a variety of ways to manage your reputation, assess the reputation of those you might do business with, and some common mistakes we encounter in these areas.
This was part of a continuing series of webinars presented by Interfor Academy, a new speaker’s bureau that enables organizations to book elite presenters for conferences, corporate off-sites, or risk trainings & tabletop sessions. The conversation will be moderated by head of Interfor Academy, Jeremy Hurewitz, and should be a compelling look at this vital and constantly evolving subject.

You can view the webinar here.

 
Shannon Wilkinson, Interfor Academy
 
 
Branding, Online reputation management, , , , ,
Reputation Communications

Reflecting on the most common reasons why Reputation Communications was engaged by new clients in the last year, I realized those reasons have evolved since I launched this practice over a decade ago. 

At Reputation Communications, we work with a select type of clientele: leaders in their fields, VIPs, and rising stars. They require highly customized personal branding on the internet that supports their existing (or soon-to-be) high reputations.

Increasingly, we are being engaged to support the desire of successful clients to curate their achievements and skillsets in professional biographies, websites, portraits, social media and thought-leadership content as they establish new professional or personal goals. In most cases they have built major careers without ever creating anything other than a LinkedIn profile (which we often expand considerably on their behalf), and a company bio.

This represents a growing trend online of taking proactive, rather than reactive, control over how you are perceived on the Internet, where the world-at-large researches you. There are many advantages of taking ownership of your online persona…which may or may not be low-key at the moment but might change at any time.

Our digital magazine, You(Online), features countless strategies we use to mitigate the issues described here, as well as the many content-rich options you have to curate your personal brand on the Internet. The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQs, is the best. Good reading.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , , , ,
Reputation and the Modern Family Office

Over 3 billion people worldwide now use the Internet. The world is truly a stage and you’re on it. How big or small is your role online? And what information can the world find out about you?

In the digital age, search engines ensure that each of us have an online reputation whether we want one or not. Too often, that reputation is misleading or a scattered list of information, adding up to a less than satisfying projection of our real selves.

Here’s the good news: the Internet enables us to build our reputations without a middleman. That is nearly unprecedented in world history. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live. Simply by going online, you can introduce or reintroduce yourself to the world. By communicating your abilities, world view, skills and talent online, you can attract unlimited connections and opportunities. Fail to establish yourself on the Internet in a way that is appropriate for you, and the world may do it for you. Or it may overlook you.

The Internet enables you to establish your own credible image. To curate your achievements, innovations and mindset in order to attract, develop and profit from relationships that once required an introduction or facilitator.

The Internet also provides you with the opportunity to rebuild your reputation if necessary. If you can’t change the facts, you can proactively present a well-balanced image that effectively counteracts damaging content about you.

Yes, the Internet floods us with daily headlines about the newest celebrity, corporate and every-person’s reputation crisis.  And according to many online reputation management firms, we are all one click away from reputational disaster that we may never recover from. (We aren’t…and we can.)

One thing is true: once you have a presence on the Internet, you lose control over how you are perceived.

Unless you have an online reputation management (ORM) strategy.

As a nationally recognized expert in online reputation management, I blog about reputation management to help leaders take a proactive approach to building, managing, amplifying and repairing their digital reputations. My mission is to show you how to make the Internet a valuable ally for achieving your goals. I also want to help you prevent reputational risks before they become problems.

If you are a CEO, executive or professional and would like insight and guidance into how to plan an effective reputation management program, please read Reputation Reboot, our free eBook. It is the ultimate insider’s guide and tells you what you need to know about this process before you begin.

 
 
Online reputation management, , , , , ,
Reputation Communications: Online Reputation Management

The joys of summer vacation season have come to a close — beach days, family cookouts, and long, sun-filled days are making way for cooler weather, changing leaves, and a return to productivity.

For us, September is the New Season, a time during which we refocus. There are more inquiries, new engagements, faster execution of strategic plans, and a lot more content creation. We didn’t stop working in the summer, but we stepped back from ENews, taking time to pause, refresh, and recharge.

As we dive headfirst into this new season, I wanted to share with you what we’ve been working on.

It all goes back to these central tenants of our business — content creation and social media management, which are valued by Google. These have become our most sought-after services. We create social media content for our clients with tens of thousands of LinkedIn followers — some have scaled to those heights since they started working with us.

We craft Facebook and Instagram posts, and tweets — yes, tweets are still a thing even in the era of “X.” We’ve also set up client accounts on Threads. For much of this work, we harness modern AI technology, but we curate everything to guarantee accuracy and, most importantly, maintain the voice of our clients’ brands. Their reputation counts on this.

Articles, Blogs & Transitions

Our team of skilled writers — this includes everyone from professional freelance journalists for CBS and The Wall Street Journal to Hollywood screenwriters — create streams of blog posts and articles that are published on a variety of platforms, including leading industry periodicals.

At Reputation Communications, we continue to design and publish clients’ websites, molding them to be industry-specific so that they catch the eyes (and search engine hits) of those seeking their brands.

Throughout this time, there have been transitions. We’ve grappled with how to manage the limitations of X that Elon Musk placed on it, as the former microblogging site Twitter evolves into something new. We also have been staying up-to-date on the changes to Google and other search engines, now that AI has changed how algorithms feature your work and has impacted the way the world sees and discovers you.

In the past, we were engaged solely to repair reputations online. Now, more than half of our clients use us to amplify their reputations. We are the engine that powers increased visibility around our clients’ industry achievements and personal endeavors. This is because it is in many ways a new season for our clients as well.

Welcome to the New Season.