Online Reputation Score: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Learn about your online reputation score, get more positive reviews and encourage customer feedback with our help. 

Are you wondering what your current online reputation score is and how you can improve it?

Your personal or business reputation score illustrates how well you stand out from the crowd and how the public perceives your online presence.

Negative reviews impact how potential customers perceive your business and will affect your overall business reputation score. On the other hand, if you have a system in place for managing online reviews, you have a better chance of garnering positive reviews that will raise your online status.

In this article, we discuss how your brand’s online reputation score influences your business success, along with tips for improving it with an online reputation management (ORM) company.

For a free online reputation analysis and to learn about your reputation score submit your details and we will be in touch.

What Is the Meaning of an Online Reputation Score?

Your personal or corporate online reputation score represents the total value of your online footprint and weighs the negatives and the positives. After we have this information, we can put together a strategic plan to correct the negatives and improve your overall online reputation score. 

Your score is based on several factors. These include the sum of positive, negative, and neutral details that show up in Google Search pages (SERPs) and other online search results, plus how they rank when people search for you online.

In other words, your brand’s online reputation score indicates what people see and think about you after searching for your company’s reputation online.

A positive online reputation is reflected by a business’s reputation score, and managing this well is essential. Your digital footprint can affect many aspects of your life, like whether or not you get hired for your dream job.

The world has become increasingly digitized, and social media platforms are now an integral part of our personal lives. With all of this in mind, your online reputation score has never been more important.

Why Does Your Online Reputation Score Matter?

Like it or not, how you look on the internet matters. No matter who you are or what you do, people are searching for you on the web.

And when they do, they judge your character and credentials based on what shows up in search results.

When your personal score is high, those people are more likely to find online assets that portray a positive image. In this case, your personal brand is more likely to earn people’s trust and pave the way to personal success.

But if your personal score is low, chances are good that employers, landlords, clients, and friends are finding things that look bad for your image.

It’s no secret that negative information works to undermine how you are perceived in the digital environment. If this negative information is easy to find in search results, others may not extend job offers or continue building relationships with you. 

In such cases, your online presence is likely hurting relationships, destroying opportunities and making it harder to realize your full potential.

Who Is Searching for You Online?

People from all walks of life search for your personal brand online every day. These include:

• Hiring Managers – More than 70% of hiring managers screen your social media presence during the hiring process.
• Employers – 4 out of 10 employers monitor you on social media at some point in your tenure.
• Job Prospects – Nearly 60% of job seekers research your business online before that first interview.
• Customers – 86% of prospects comb through online reviews before visiting a local company.
• College Admissions – Many colleges will now deny or rescind admission due to inappropriate digital content.
• First Dates – Almost 40% of people perform online research before their first encounter.
• Friends and Relatives – A recent survey found that 42% of people have changed their opinion of a friend or colleague due to negative online info.

Get a free reputation score scan today or speak with one of our ORM experts by calling 941-259-4554.

Who Creates My Online Reputation Score?

Numerous companies offer to check your online presence and create an all-encompassing online reputation score based on the quality and size of your digital presence.

Each site uses its own criteria and reputation score scale to measure your online reputation. They use their findings to create a value representing your online image. As such, each website may have different results once you’ve asked them to evaluate your digital presence. 

One of the more notable sites to do this is MyLife, which collects various elements of your presence and calculates your MyLife Reputation Score on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.

What Is My Personal Online Reputation Score Based On?

Your reputation score is based on how other people perceive you. It’s calculated by analyzing the frequency and quality of your online reviews and ratings compared to those of others in your industry. The higher your reputation score, the better people think you are.

Sites like MyLife base your personal Google reputation score on any number of online assets and criteria.
But, while companies each have a unique way to calculate your score, most use a variety of data. These data points often include mentions of your name, their quality, each item’s search ranking and the level of engagement.

A complete personal online reputation management analysis digs deep to identify all mentions of your name in search results. It then evaluates those listings carefully to learn how much each result impacts your online footprint. This includes where and how often searchers interact with each of these pages.

With each item identified and analyzed, your customized internet reputation analysis produces a net reputation score. This score indicates the overall quality of your online image.

Your personal online reputation score provides a brief but powerful glimpse into how you’re perceived online.

What Is a Good MyLife Reputation Score?

A good reputation score varies depending on who analyzes your online reputation. For example, while 4.3 may be a good score on MyLife.com, 600 might be a great score on another reputation services site.

But no matter where it comes from, a good score typically shows a clean, consistent presence on Google’s first page. Positive SERP rankings help highlight your best qualities whenever a friend, boss or coworker searches your name online.

What Is a Poor Reputation Score?

Much like their “good” counterparts, a poor reputation score can vary widely depending on the scoring service.

While 1 and 2 scores may point to a poor reputation score on sites like MyLife, scores in the 0-100 or 0-30 ranges can indicate poor performance on others.

Overall, a bad score likely indicates the presence of one or more negative items in Google Search. These often include negative comments and articles damaging your reputation and dominating your search engine presence.

Even one negative item is often all it takes to hurt your opportunities and drag your personal online reputation score through the mud.

What Is the Impact of a Low Online Reputation Score?

A low reputation score impacts your personal reputation based on what was used to get the result. Factors that generally pull your score down include the presence of negative articles, comments, images and reviews, plus where each one ranks in Google and how often searchers interact with each negative link. The worse these items are, the lower your score will be. 

While the impact varies based on your brand, things like bad reviews, news articles, and unflattering images tend to hurt your score and reputation the most. 

Sometimes, a polite removal request is all it takes to delete an unwanted comment, article or blog from the web. 

But removing items like negative reviews and news articles is often extremely difficult. This is because most sites have strict procedures for removing such content. When it comes to this, a custom personal online reputation management campaign may be your best option. 

Ongoing monitoring of your online presence is essential for effective ORM. It’s also essential for ensuring your internet reputation score moves in the right direction.

The decline of negative links from Google Search, combined with the rise of positive items, is a good sign your reputation score is improving.

What Is My Online Reputation Score?

Your personal score is calculated based on the quality of your Google search results. Because so few Googlers go beyond the first page, it’s your first 10 listings that factor most into your personal score.
If you want to know what your reputation score will be, start by searching for yourself.

Then, make a note of each listing related to your personal online brand image and business listings on the first 2-3 pages. Also, note that second-page results may someday move up and reach page one.

Determine how these results reflect on your name (positive, negative, and neutral) and how high each rank in search.

Higher visibility usually means a bigger impact on your personal online reputation score.

A brief personal analysis will help set your expectations. It will also alert you of potential problems and show how much you may need personal online reputation management.

Why Is My Online Reputation Score So Low?

Are you suffering from a low reputation score? If you see anything that needs updating, go ahead and do so immediately. You should also double-check your profiles on other sites like Facebook or X (if you have one). Your brand’s online reputation score may be suffering because of:

• Poor Social Media Management: Whether you share a questionable video or let a comment thread get away from you, a poorly managed social media presence can quickly become your worst digital nightmare.
• Bad Online Reviews: If you’re a small business owner or local professional, a bad review can leave a lasting stain on your legacy and bottom line.
• Unflattering Court Records: A past mistake or court case could be throwing your personal reputation score behind bars.
• Negative Media Coverage: Even just one negative news item or blog can create a lifetime of bad press for your search engine presence.
• Inconsistent Profiles: Inconsistent information may be innocent enough, but it can do real damage to your personal brand and reputation score.

FAQ About Your Personal or Business Online Reputation Score

How is my online reputation score calculated?

Search engines often use a range of sources for calculating a reputation score, including names, page views and rankings. Each piece of content is reviewed and classified according to what search engines know about you. This process results in a reputation score, which is used to determine the effectiveness of your online communication. This score indicates the overall quality of your online image.

Who is behind my reputation score?

It depends on who assesses your digital presence. Many online services assess and amplify your digital presence. A positive SERP rank demonstrates how well your qualities are displayed when your reputation is evaluated by friends, bosses, or coworkers on search engines. An acceptable score depends on the person analyzing your Google profile.

Why do you need to know your reputation score?

Your reputation score is one of the most important factors Google takes into account when ranking your website. A reputation score represents what people see and think about you after searching for your name online. It is important to know the total value of your online footprint and increase that score, if needed.

Is it possible to fix a bad reputation score?

Fixing a poor reputation score is not a simple job. Sometimes, you can have negative forum posts and blog entries removed by making a simple request. On the other hand, negative reviews and news articles can be more difficult to remove. This is because most sites have strict procedures for removing such content. Working with an online reputation management company is the best way to improve a poor reputation score.

Does a higher reputation score mean better opportunities?

A higher reputation score means you are a credible and trustworthy source of information. This can lead to better opportunities. More people are likely to seek inspirational content online from you, which will be advantageous for your personal brand.

How can I maximize my reputation score?

Having a high SERP ranking often shows users that you or your business are in good standing online. To improve your score and get a high Google placement, make sure your profile is up to date. Share your thoughts and ideas on topics that interest you, and be sure to include links to your profile pages. Try to get involved in the online community.

What are the benefits of a good business reputation score?

The benefit of a good reputation score is that users trust it and are more likely to visit your website. This can lead to increased traffic and sales. Additionally, a high reputation score can help your website rank higher on search engine results pages.

Can technology help you build a good reputation?

Yes, technology can help you build a good reputation by using your website. You can use various tools and technologies to monitor your website’s performance and reputation. You can also use technology to improve your website’s security and protect your users’ data.

Is reputation a trend for SEO?

People have a tendency to positively view websites that appear near the top of search results. For this reason, SEO continues to be one of the leading online reputation management trends.

What is the cost of reputation management?

ORM takes several aspects of your online reputation into account, including preliminary and ongoing reputation analysis, reputation monitoring, content removal and creation, and more. Charges vary based on your specific reputation management needs.

If your personal online reputation score could use some work, we’re here to help. As leaders in personal reputation management, we specialize in customized online strategies that turn your digital image around and help you build the personal online reputation score you deserve.

To Schedule Your Free Reputation Analysis, Call 941-259-4554 or Contact Us Today