ReputationDefender

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a client.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ReputationDefender?

I used ReputationDefender’s service for identity protection. I wanted to clean up my digital footprint and ensure my online reputation was accurate. I didn't want my personal information or pictures out there.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ReputationDefender has provided consulting services. We had an orientation where I explained what I was looking for. I wanted them to make my online presence more accurate and remove unwanted information. 
The whole process took about 45 days. I spoke to the person when I called and paid for the service. They set me up with an orientation and assigned an advisor. We got to work right away.

For the first month, I was assigned an advisor, and we've worked together. The team has gone online with me and cleaned up my digital footprint, including pictures, addresses, and phone numbers. They've also done dark web scans for possible security breaches.

I've provided my full legal name, phone number, and email address. The team has used this information to clean up my online presence.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one individual, but he might have a team that helps him.

How did you come to work with ReputationDefender?

I saw a commercial for ReputationDefender, and I've wanted to do this for the past year because there was stuff on the web that wasn't me, and there was old information I didn't want out there, so I hired them. I've always used LifeLock's service, and I think they're affiliated with Norton.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $2,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from August to October 2024, and I'm still working with them. We have a one-year contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The success has been that they've cleaned my digital footprint and removed unwanted information. I’m happy with the service. When I Google my name, it is clean. It was a quick and easy process.

The quarterly scans and ongoing monitoring give me peace of mind. The team checks in with me. They've also educated me about other search engines that needed to be cleaned up.

How did ReputationDefender perform from a project management standpoint?
The team has checked in with me once a month, and now we meet quarterly. I go online during our meeting, which they've scheduled for Zoom.
The team has moved quickly. After the first 30 days, I started seeing things fall off. Everything was 100% complete after about 45–60 days. I can call my advisor if I have a question. He’s great about getting back to me.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to give a shout-out to Yorick; he's been great, very professional, easy to work with, has been doing exceptional work, and has made the process quick and easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their delivery and efficiency in getting things done have been impressive. They set the meetings and asked what my goal was. They fully understood and delivered on completing the task. If I need to call them or send them an email, they respond right away.

They’re on top of everything. The process was very streamlined and painless. They did all the work, and I just paid. They've kept me in the loop and educated me on things I didn’t know. They were honest with me, and they were pretty to the point.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. The price seemed high, but it was worth it in the end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Call and ask several questions. Ask about your concerns and goals. Find out what programs they have and what fits best for you. Have your questions and a list of goals ready. Go over that with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a law student, and I’m graduating this year. I worked for a law firm over the summer. I’ve also been involved in some student clubs and have worked in New York in the past.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ReputationDefender?

There were some negative articles written a long time ago, which were not fair or accurate and possibly defamatory. The negative articles talked about the quality of my writing. I had to spend a lot of time editing that writing and rewriting it myself, which was unfortunate. I wanted to improve my presence, and ReputationDefender seemed like a good option. I wanted to see what type of services they offered.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I started with ReputationDefender, I told them my story, my goals, and my background. After that, they provided me different options and quotes, so I became familiar with their product.

ReputationDefender used keywords to improve my online visibility and push the negative article down. It was all done through SEO.

They created and managed a personal site for me. Although they did not manage my social media accounts, they signed me up to a few sites that I had not heard of and sites that I hadn’t used before, like Tumblr and Pinterest.

In addition to that, they wrote some bio pieces, including personal information like where I grew up and what I’ve done and accomplished. After that, I just edited them. Now, the contract is over, and I’m managing a few sites on my own.

What is the team composition?

The only person that I was in contact with was Danny (Senior Reputation Advisor). I'm not completely sure of their org structure, but he has a team doing the site work. He was just managing the project.

How did you come to work with ReputationDefender?

I reviewed a few third-party sites in Google. I got a few quotes from different places ranging from individual contractors to companies. I compared the services that they offered, the amount of work that they would do, and the length of the contract.

The fact that ReputationDefender was an established company made me choose them over others. I’m not familiar with the industry, so I felt it was a less risky approach. I thought that they seemed like a better option because they were a little more proven. However, it’s hard to compare because I don’t know what it would’ve been like working with someone else.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent $5,625.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2020–2021. It was a one-year contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The one negative feedback was that I wasn't very impressed with the quality of the writing so I had to spend a lot of time editing and sometimes just rewriting it myself. That was a little unfortunate, but I also have high standards.

I now have a more extended assortment of websites, like Pinterest, Yola, and CakeResume. That’s not the biggest achievement to point out, because I could’ve done those on my own. What’s important is that if you search my name, the negative article doesn’t appear, whereas before it was appearing on the first page immediately. You have to be pretty specific and use keywords to find that article.

How did ReputationDefender perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was pretty easy. Danny was responsive, easy to work with, and available for any questions. He gave me instructions on how to use the sites and explained the processes. He gave me control over some of the processes, too. That way, if I didn’t approve something, it didn’t happen.

Sometimes, I was waiting on a few of the contents to publish. However, everything came after 2–3 weeks, which was the timeline that we set.

Another helpful thing was, they provided us an online portal. It allowed us to see the sites they created and when they were published. If I had any keyword that I wanted to add, I would just put it there. Everything was located in that online portal, including passwords and logins. It was very easy to use — I appreciated it. Overall, the project management was solid.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The service that ReputationDefender offers is really unique. I don’t know that much about the space. However, they’re more systematic and robust than other SEO companies or individuals. In addition to that, they gave us a discount on our contract, which was nice. Our relationship with ReputationDefender was satisfactory.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I often wasn’t happy with the writing that they produced, so I would edit it. I wish I had a better understanding of the quality of it. That way, I would’ve chosen to do the writing myself, rather than wait for them to do it and then have to edit and rewrite. I guess it makes sense since they’re an SEO company, not writers.

Any advice for potential customers?

Understand the timeline, their strengths, and weaknesses. Have a good relationship with the product manager and set up expectations about how the final product will look like.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a school in Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ReputationDefender?

I was trolled online and needed to address the impact. I contacted ReputationDefender with the desire to suppress certain Internet postings. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They assessed the severity of the negative posts and recommended a plan. Then they negotiated with me about the distribution of work and about the protection package that I needed. Finally, we agreed and we implemented the plan.
They started creating posts about me that were positive and strategically placing them online. Their team was also optimizing my current online products for SEO and monitoring my online status continually.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with two different partners during the project.

How did you come to work with ReputationDefender?

I found them through online reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested $5,000 in the first year and $2,500 in the second year so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

When you search my name, the post that I was looking to suppress has gone from the top of my first page to the fourth page. That was the single outcome that was desired.

How did ReputationDefender perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through monthly telephone calls. They achieved the goal that I wanted as a customer, and while everybody wants their problems to be dealt with faster in this kind of situation, they’re very clear and upfront about the timeline.

They’re very responsive to my desire of being flexible in how the contract is implemented and able to be changed based on what I see happening. I can’t say that they’re always anticipating a step ahead of what we need to do next, but they have been very responsive when I mention things aren’t going well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things they do particularly well is they listen. They are responsive whenever I need to contact them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would like it if they offered more anticipatory guidance. Trying to think of a few steps in advance would be helpful for me. That way they might have been ready for any kind of situation. Also, there are some troubles with internal communication. I work directly with their sales associate, and there have been mix-ups between him and their writing team.

Any advice for potential customers?

Try to negotiate and make sure you're getting what you want. ReputationDefender is flexible in their responses; they'll put forth their packages, but they will happily and willingly deviate from that package whenever needed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of Parents Universal Resource Experts (PURE), a resource service for parents looking for therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment centers for their at-risk and troubled teens. 

For over 20 years now, I’ve been working with different families and searching for different therapeutic boarding schools for their teens. Basically, we’re family consultants that help families that are at their wit’s end, especially now with the rise of depression, anxiety, and stress.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ReputationDefender?

Back in 2006, I won an $11.3 million landmark internet defamation case. I was a disgruntled client of my lawyer when I took a person to court. It was one thing to exaggerate one’s experience with a company, but it was another thing to completely destroy someone's reputation by calling them a crook, which people could do in one click online. I experienced that, and I knew I had to take the person that did that to me to court. 

However, even if my lawyer vindicated me in a court of law, I forgot that Google didn’t say sorry. It was also the first year that ReputationDefender opened their doors, and I became one of their first clients. That time, I needed them to help me get back online and represent myself better digitally. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ReputationDefender built a lot of substance for me online. It wasn’t about making things up; it was about showcasing who I was and putting my best foot forward online to build my digital real estate. Back then, I had what the team called the Edge Program, though they don’t have that anymore now. Through this program, they rebranded me online by building up everything that PURE and I do. To do that, they created at least a dozen new websites for me, including URLs and everything else that had to do with the teen health industry, such as teen depression, teen suicide, and teen gangs. 

They used those websites to fill up the frontlines of SEO. However, they didn’t remove anything online about me. What they did was teach me ways to maintain my own online reputation, such as putting my name on reviews when I buy a product online; my name had to start showing up in a positive light. Another thing ReputationDefender taught me was reading the terms of services of a website and messaging the owner when I see something negative about me. I could politely ask the site owners to remove such negative comments about me if they violate the site's terms of service. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a team of 2–3 people at that time, and I had one main contact person. Back in 2006, there were only 3–5 people working at ReputationDefender when I met Michael (Founder). 

How did you come to work with ReputationDefender?

I had a friend in San Francisco who was a witness in my trial, and he happened to see Michael on the news for ReputationDefender. That friend told me about the business, and I then called Michael all the way from Florida. That was how I found out about them. 

At that time, even though I told people that the internet was wrong, they could still Google my name and see some claims that I was a crook or that I kidnapped kids. As a result, meeting ReputationDefenders at that time was great for me because it had perfect timing. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from October 2006–October 2008. At present, I don’t pay ReputationDefender anymore, and they don’t pay me, but I’m their spokesperson. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I was extremely fortunate to have ReputationDefender. They saved me; they gave me my life and career back. The websites that they built were top-quality and well-researched, and they were always ranked highly. In fact, the team only took down a website a year ago — it lasted that long because it was really good. When I hired ReputationDefender, they taught me everything I had to know about maintaining my digital footprint. Without doing that, we couldn’t exist in business today. 

ReputationDefender had to do a lot of work because my reputation was tanked, but all of the websites they built were done really nicely. They weren’t simple WordPress sites with 2–3 lines of content; they had statistics and nice images. The team also didn’t do any shortcuts anywhere, and they took the time to interview me and understand what my business was all about. 

How did ReputationDefender perform from a project management standpoint?

They were right there for me at every turn, even when there was a hiccup. We had one blunder, and they were there to fix it. Somebody from their team put up my name as a person who cooked as a sous-chef — I don’t cook; if the food doesn’t go in the microwave, it doesn't go in my house —  so a reporter thought I was that person. It was a bit of a misunderstanding, but we just laughed it off. It was pretty funny. Other than that, there weren’t any bigger blunders. Overall, ReputationDefender was fabulous and hands-on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their longevity distinguished them from other providers. Their experience spoke volumes, and they knew what this field was all about.

On top of that, ReputationDefender was the pioneer of this type of business. There’s currently a lot of online reputation management groups out there, but back in 2006, there weren’t. It’s a whole new world today, and I’m not saying that the new companies like them today are not good — but those companies have learned things from ReputationDefender. They started their business because they saw that there was a need for their services, but it was ReputationDefender that saw that need first. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

ReputationDefender went over and above for me, but I wish they had a more cost-effective program for individuals or small businesses. Their services are out of reach for individuals, and that’s the reason those people go to other businesses and programs; they simply can’t afford the best. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of the engagement, make sure you click with whoever your representative is. If you don’t click with that person, ask for someone else. It’s important that you have rapport with whoever your representative is, because if you don’t, the engagement won’t work. You need someone that understands you. 

Moreover, remember that results won’t show up overnight. The people I referred to ReputationDefender said they didn’t experience what the team did for me, but it was only because they’d only given them a short time. It will work, and you just have to give it time. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of HighIQ

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell softeare and related services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ReputationDefender to accomplish?

• Imptove visibility of the company on the internet.

SOLUTION

How did you find ReputationDefender?

TV Ad

Why did you select ReputationDefender over others?

Familiarity with Gen

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Use RD produced content to push down negative articles about my business based upon Google search results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

 The negative article went from 3rd on the Google search page down to 5th on the page.  It was still shown on the first page of the search results, however.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

I dealt with one customer service rep who was knowledgeable but did express reliance upon what the people behind the scenes were doing.  She was able to explain what these people did but state that it was necessary for them to provide her input as needed.l

What was your primary form of communication with ReputationDefender?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They delievered what they promised to deliver plus a bit more.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ReputationDefender could have done differently?

I think it would be helpful to have RD emphasize that they can't guarantee results but will do everything they can to achieve the client's goals.