How Long Does Reputation Management Take?

One of the first questions we get from most of our reputation management clients is, “How long will reputation management take?” (The next question is of course “How much does ORM cost?”)

Their anxiety is understandable. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, approximately 98% of consumers used the internet to find information about local businesses in 2022. What Google’s first page says about your business practically determines how potential clients and partners see you. This article explains the key factors that affect how long online reputation management takes — and what you can do to speed up the process.

Quick answer: How long does ORM take?

• Removals: ~1 week
• Push down search results: Average 10 months
• Improve online reviews: ~2 weeks

Longer answer

At Reputation X, the average online reputation management project takes about ten months. But that number is misleading.

Every campaign is different, and there are many factors to consider. Some reputation marketing campaigns can never be considered “done,” only improved. Here’s why.

Reputation management timelines: Key factors

Several factors determine the length of an online reputation management (ORM) campaign. Until you understand them, you’ll most likely underestimate the work that goes into improving online sentiment. Here are the key factors to consider.

The existing online reputation of a brand

A brand’s existing reputation has a major impact on its overall ORM strategy. If a brand already has a positive presence on the first page of search results for its main keywords, securing the remaining spots is relatively straightforward — those results already carry authority and require less work to maintain.

However, if target keywords are already showing negative articles, forum threads, or social media posts in the top results, significant work is needed to either remove them or push them out of sight. This is why having no web presence at all is sometimes better than having a negative one.

Here is an approximate timeline based on how much work needs to be done:

Building a positive reputation from scratch takes time, but it’s still easier than countering negative content that’s ranking high. For a deeper look at how pushing negative search results down works in practice, see our dedicated guide on suppression strategies.

The strength of the competition

Competitive strength is probably the biggest factor determining the complexity and length of an ORM campaign. When other companies are heavily investing in SEO, SEM, link building, and social media, your job becomes harder.

Google’s ranking systems evaluate content across a broad and evolving set of signals — a complexity that has grown considerably with AI-based systems like RankBrain, BERT, and MUM. When competition for a keyword is high, you need to outperform competitors across as many of those signals as possible.

The chart below shows the approximate difference in resources needed based on the relative strength of competing online results:

How links make the competition stronger

The link profile of a site is one of Google’s key considerations when ranking content. When high-quality, reliable websites link to your content, Google treats it as a vote of confidence — which is why the number of quality backlinks pointing to your site is usually directly related to your search rankings.

Acquiring these links is not as easy as it once was. Before Google’s Penguin algorithm updates began rolling out in 2012, buying a few hundred backlinks in bulk could push a site to the top of search results within days. Following the same strategy today can result in penalties or blacklisting.

Getting backlinks from authority sites now requires a complete link-building strategy. It can take months and cost thousands of dollars per backlink for the most competitive placements. Even then, there’s no guarantee Google will index a link and factor it into your profile. When competition is high, rising in search results takes time — patience is essential.

Content marketing and the brand story

A strong, positive story is the most powerful tool in reputation management.

A great content marketing strategy tells a compelling story. The problem is that brands engaging in reputation management usually have a problem with their existing story — what we at Reputation X call the “brand mythology.” Understanding how your online reputation management strategy connects to your broader content efforts is essential to shortening timelines.

A well-designed content marketing strategy can significantly reduce the costs of improving online sentiment. If the story is compelling and positive, it can go viral — or close to it. When that happens, other people improve the brand’s reputation for free by sharing and creating content around it.

The chart below shows how costs multiply in inverse proportion to the quality and quantity of existing content marketing. The better the content effort relative to competing online content, the lower the costs for reputation management services.

If a brand has a small or nonexistent content footprint online, the campaign will be far more difficult and expensive. But if a brand has a compelling story, it’s easier to attract bloggers, journalists, and customers who create content around it — reducing the resources needed. Sites with superior content can also reach the top of search results with fewer backlinks, because the links they do earn tend to come from higher-quality sources.

The best thing a brand can do is develop a strong story that people, bloggers, and journalists want to share and build on.

Online assets, profiles, and outreach

Existing online assets and profiles

Beyond your own website and blog, there are several key online platforms where you need to secure your brand name. If you don’t already have well-managed profiles on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and other key platforms, you’ll need to invest in building them before they can contribute positively to your ORM strategy. Learn more about how to protect your online reputation across these platforms.

SEO outreach and influencer marketing

Reaching out to key influencers and opinion-makers in your niche is another important aspect of ORM. Influencer marketing has become a massive industry. According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2024 Benchmark Report, the global influencer marketing industry was valued at approximately $21.1 billion in 2023 — up from just $1.7 billion in 2016. Brands of all sizes are investing heavily in micro-influencers who command loyal audiences within specific sub-niches.

Getting these influencers on board with your ORM strategy can accelerate progress and deliver better results faster.

Search engine lag time and review management

The lag time of search engines

There is a 10 to 12-week lag time between performing SEO and seeing results — and your mileage may vary. The best reputation management companies back up their content and public relations work with strong search engine optimization, using outreach techniques to get publishers to mention, cite, and link to positive content. Google eventually recognizes those links, but seeing SEO efforts reflected in search results requires patience.

How long does review management take?

Ethical online review management must proceed at roughly the same velocity as the business’s normal review history. If a business has averaged five reviews per week in the past, new reviews should come in at a similar rate. A sudden surge of reviews — even genuine ones — can appear unnatural to platforms like Google Business Profile or Yelp, causing them to be hidden.

Keep in mind that if you already have ten reviews, improving your rating will take less time than if you already have 500. For more on this topic, see our guide on analyzing online reviews and feedback to improve reputation.

Wrapping up

There are too many variables in an ORM strategy to pinpoint exactly when results will appear. The timeline depends on your brand’s existing reputation, the competition in your industry, the maturity of your content strategy, the quality of your brand story, and search engine optimization factors. To discuss a potential timeline for your project, contact us today.