In short, online review management is the business process of monitoring, analyzing, responding to, and generating reviews across multiple online review websites, usually with the aim of supporting a company’s marketing strategy and improving overall business performance.
Additionally, reputation management involves the monitoring of the reputation of an individual or a brand on the internet, addressing content which is potentially damaging to it, and using customer feedback to try to solve problems before they damage the individual’s or brand’s reputation. It is important to note, Reputation management also refers to the influencing and controlling or concealing of an individual’s or group’s reputation.
Furthermore, often considered a public relations term, the growth of the internet and social media, along with reputation management companies, have made search results a core part of an individual’s or group’s reputation. Online reputation management, sometimes abbreviated as ORM, focuses on the management of product and service search website results. It’s important to note, ethical grey areas include mug shot removal sites, astroturfing customer review sites, censoring negative complaints, and using search engine optimization tactics to influence results.