Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) is an Search Engine Optimization (see “What is SEO?“) service that seeks to protect and strengthen a brand in the Search Engine Results Pages, or SERPs. Still with me?

When a journalist or blogger or other person in control of a website writes about a company, their article can appear in the search results for that company’s name. For example, as of August 2007, Wal-Mart Watch, Walmart Facts, Wake Up Walmart and a Fast Company article on Wal-Mart and the pressures the mega-retailer put on suppliers all appeared in the top 20 search results for Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has put considerable effort into crowding these critical sites out of the SERPs, with a certain measure of success: they maintain 5 of the top 10 spots on Google. The goal is to control the message and positioning of your brand that search engine users see and hear.

It’s important to note, particularly in the context of the above Wal-Mart example, that addressing the reasons for which you/your company is being criticized is essential to a succesful SERM campaign. If you don’t address these problems, then your efforts will be futile, as new criticisms just replace the old ones in the rankings.

While Search Engine Reputation Management can be a form of damage control for those companies like Wal-Mart that have to worry about such things, branding efforts in the search engines can also have a more direct effect on the bottom line. Going back to the Wal-Mart example, Wal-Mart’s music download subdomain, pharmacy folder, and video download subdomain also turn up in the top 20. The end result is that people searching for Wal-Mart will also likely check out Wal-Mart’s products and buy some of them.

Similarly, on a search for Bombardier, the aeronautics and transportation giant’s various subdomains also each get a spot in the SERPs. Airline executives can see Bombardier’s products more easily and this likely generates more business for Bombardier.

Search Engine Reputation Management is really a mixed branding/direct-marketing service. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as it suggests that it is only for companies concerned about reacting to negative publicity instead of being about proactive marketing.

But reputation management helps communicate the brand message and image you desire while offering the opportunity to generate sales and make leads - to create a concrete return on investment (ROI) that can be measured in dollars. Combine that with the fact - repeatedly borne out in case studies - that people searching for a brand are very highly qualified prospects and you’ve got a very interesting proposition.

Which is why SEO ROI is happy to offer this service to clients. Get your proposal for Search Engine Reputation Management today!

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