Steven W. Giovinco

Given it’s 2023, I thought I would share some upcoming goals for Recover Reputation. Basically, we plan to: Publish a printed version of the ebook, “Holistic Reputation Management.” Give more information away through talks, presentations, and seminars. Provide pro bono services to those in need, including persons of color, disabled, or those impacted by revenge porn. Recover Reputation Highlights Recover Reputation is a boutique online reputation management firm that builds, boosts, and repairs the web presence of businesses, brands, and professionals.    With a 90% success rate in moving down negative links, I only take on projects I feel that can be successfully completed, and my approach is focused on high-quality hands-on work.  Current Services Repair: Suppress negative links off the first page of Google search results through excellent content, and relentless engagement. Building: Create positive information that appears on the first page of Google search results for the brand or business. Removal: Delete images, videos, blog posts, comments, sites, and articles, if possible.   Most projects take about eight months to complete; the average fee is $5,000 per month.  Why I Started in Online Reputation Management  I was working as a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant for a client, but it seemed difficult to really quantify successful results. One day, she asked if I could remove an extremely damaging post appearing prominently at the top of Google search for her brand. Although at the time I had little experience in online reputation management, and spent days conducting research, and found a way to delete the negative post.  Light Bulb Moment When I saw the immediate positive impact this had on her business, I had a profound “light bulb” moment: I can really make a difference in people’s lives by removing or suppressing bad information written by disgruntled ex-clients or untrue articles made by fired employees.   I immediately learned as much as I could and shifted all my efforts to online reputation management. In 2017, I launched Recover Reputation formally by creating an LLC.  To Help and Be of Service What I found especially meaningful in repairing damaged reputations was seeing the direct impact my work had on restoring people’s lives, which is extremely important to me as a small business owner. Additionally, I love to work directly with clients–rather than have layers of salespeople, project managers, etc.–and feel this is the most effective way to provide quality results to those I serve. In other words, I feel like I am making a difference in people’s lives. Giving Back to the Community I support the community by giving individuals a second chance, helping innocent people get their lives back, hiring the disadvantaged, and giving away free services to those who need them.    The core of my business is giving brands, CEOs, executives, and others who have admittedly made mistakes a second chance. I work with people who, if they did something wrong, now realize their past errors. I also help clients who erroneously had their reputation inadvertently hurt because of circumstances or a tangential connection to someone else. Helping Non-Profits For example, one of my first clients was a non-profit group that helped families impacted by 9/11, who mistakenly got embroiled in a series of incorrect negative press articles. Since I live in Downtown New York, I was able to offer a severe discount to the organization because I felt the strong need to be of service.  Help the Community Another way I plan to help the community is to hire employees with disabilities, people of color or are from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Since I identify as someone who has a disability (psoriatic arthritis) and might be considered older, I want to help those who might not be normally associated with technology firms and people here in New York. Pro Bono Services Finally, I want to give my services away for free. This could be in the form of lectures, my book, presentations, or online reputation repair to those that can not afford it such as the underprivileged, young women suffering revenge porn issues, or the unemployed. Accomplishments I Am Most Proud of My biggest accomplishment is my extremely high success rate in solving clients’ problems. While most online reputation management firms don’t seem to be focused on achieving positive results for their clients, I am obsessed with it.  90% Success Rate As a result, I have documented a 90% success rate. Out of about 40 cases, only a few times have I been unable to suppress negative articles off the first page of Google search results. The success is partially due to my work ethic as well as my policy of not taking on a client I don’t think I can be successful with. Being honest and transparent is a core tenant of my business, and that, unfortunately, makes me unique in my field: there are many distributable online reputation management firms, and I aim to be the highly trustworthy exception. Revenge Porn Help Briefly, another accomplishment is my being able to help young women with revenge porn problems. For example, one of my clients was recorded partially nude–possibly due to being drugged at a club–and posted to YouTube without her consent. When employers and others searched Google for her name, several variations of this video and photos prominently appeared, causing extreme reputation damage. I was able to remove them; soon after, she immediately found new employment.

Thinking it might be helpful for new entrepreneurs, small business owners, or those starting a practice or service, here are some ways I try to get clients. It can be a hard road, especially at the beginning, but try crafting a great online reputation as a building block for developing clients. First, Prepare Your Reputation Breathe. While not really directly about reputation building, start by trying to get out of fear–the fear could be about anything: lack of money, anxiety, not knowing what\’s going to happen. Personally, this has taken me a long time to not be afraid of what might or might not happen. Being in an anxious state shuts you down, and clients can sense this. Write. Create excellent content such as blogs, white papers, presentations, etc. that provide excellent solutions to problems your clients actually need. This is part of online reputation management development–showing that you are the expert in your field. Give Talks. Give away some key information for free as a talk or presentation. This could be at the local library, at an industry event or via a Zoom gathering. Then, Share and Connect Contact Leads. Email everyone who has contacted you about your service, and offer something that will help them. It could be the two items above, a related article, or a free brief evaluation. Also, see if they or someone they know are looking for your services. Feel free to ask directly for leads if you know them; approach them with more tact if they are \”lukewarm\” contacts. Contact Past Clients. Do the same as above, but since you\’ve worked with them in the past, you could be more casual and friendly. Try to schedule a coffee or lunch in person, if possible, soon (in the next two weeks). Remember that they could be looking for a new service you are offering or they might know someone–a friend, family member, their accountant, etc.–who needs what you do. Cold Contact. Find new people and reach out to them, even if you don’t know them. It could be an author of an article or an expert in your field. Honestly, this can produce limited results, but if done with a specific and well-thought-out reason, it could work. Examples might be asking a business in a related field to speak at a Zoom panel or offering a free ebook you authored. Do your research! Mutual Synergies. Seek out other businesses that are related but not direct competitors. If you know them, meet in person, and pitch ways you can work together. Connect with Competitors. Look at competitors and see how you differ. Maybe they are too big–or too small–for a project, which might be perfect for you. Meet in Person. Nothing beats an in-person meeting. It might not be possible or appropriate for some potential clients or related businesses but schedule a coffee, lunch, or gathering. Pick up the phone too.  Follow up. Repeat the above steps several times. Reach out to your list with news, new services, helpful tips, articles, meetings and more once at least once or twice a year. These are just some brief ideas. I am probably missing several tasks, so feel free to add your own in the comments. Importantly, keep at it, continue to reach out to leads, and always build a positive online reputation. How Long Does Online Reputation Management Take? Each repair or brand building project is different and unique. Most projects average about six months to complete, although it could be a little less or more. In most cases, you can start to see an impact within a month. Why Does it Take So Long? Repairing your online presence is complex and requires analysis, site set up and time to take effect. For example, Google does not rank recently made sites highly, so it can take months for changes to be found properly by Google. Also, it takes months to create a genuine and trustworthy online presence where sites link back to you or treat you as an industry leader. Generally, an average project takes about six months to complete. What Can I Do If Someone Posts Negative Comments? You might not be able to stop the attacks, especially if they’re anonymous. In fact, you might not want to: if they don’t show up on the first page of your search results, it might be best to leave it alone; attempting to contact the poster could cause them to add additional negative posts.There are steps you can take steps to limit the potential damage they could cause, however. For example, maintaining an active presence on websites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube can help give you a layer of protection from online attacks and also give you the tools to promote positive, truthful information about you and your business. Can You Stop Slander on Social Networking Sites? The Internet has made it easy for people–including competitors–to share opinions, and sometimes these opinions are slanderous or harmful. On many of these sites, if the comments violate the terms of service you can report the post as abuse at Facebook and YouTube. We also advise customers to engage in a management service to take control of your online presence. Being proactive and creating a positive profile helps prevent future negative content from appearing online. Engaging with a lawyer to take legal action, however, is very costly and might not be effective. What is Online Brand Building? Google has recently changed its algorithm so just search engine optimization is not enough to get your site visible. Online brand building includes SEO as well as social media and content creation, such as article writing and blogging and is the post effective way to generate traffic that lead to sales. Can Recover Reputation Make the Negative Results Disappear Forever? Sometimes we can completely remove negative posts, especially if it includes personal information such as social security numbers, bank accounts, and your home address, for example. However, the best plan is

Aim for Consistent Reputation Building Gaining new business is rarely easy, especially when you’re just starting out. However, having a robust online presence can help substantially. That’s because a positive online reputation attracts clients naturally. Google search results filled with positive links draw in prospective buyers. People aren’t just concerned about credibility either. They seek answers when they search online for information tied to you and your business. In particular, they want to know: Can I trust them? If they then notice that articles, blog posts, interviews, social media profiles and videos linked back to you fill the first page of their search results, they’re more likely to hire you over a competitor. This is why online reputation management has to be a priority. If minimal or scant results appear in return, potential clients may wonder whether you and/or your business are inactive, uncaring or negligent when it comes to maintaining both a web presence and close business connections.  A Poor Reputation Drives People Away Worse still? If their search results yield negative links or poor reviews, that potential client will swiftly move on and find someone else to help them. In all cases, the best “in person” recommendations a prospect may have received—perhaps from a friend or a colleague of yours—become immaterial. The reason is simple, though it may not seem obvious: The essence of any good working relationship (and, therefore, online reputation) is trust. In the end: Can they trust you? When it comes to any online reputation, the bad always outweighs the good. You can fix “the bad” and get others to fixate more on “the good” by constantly and consistently building a better reputation online.  Common Questions People Ask Before Working with You It helps by addressing a series of questions potential clients typically ask themselves when they’re entering business partnerships. Questions people usually ask are questions I ask myself when I’m approaching a new venture. I encourage you to do the same: Are these people trustworthy? Who else have they worked with? Do they offer a guarantee of any sort? Have they been in business for very long? Where do I find examples of their successes? Can they solve my problems and will I see results? Is what they offer a good value or will they overcharge me? Do they understand my issue well enough to give me sound advice? Your online reputation needs to address and answer each of these questions thoroughly. What Is Online Reputation Management? Let’s explore what online reputation management is and why it’s important. Everything that appears in Google and similar search engine or inquiry platform results (i.e., blogs, articles, videos, reviews) works together to comprise your web reputation. Since this is what online consumers see first, it’s crucial to get this right. Keep in mind that, as was cited in this book’s introduction, Statista research from 2024 showed that Google alone holds about 82% of the global search-market share. Focus on Being Trustworthy Reputation management also involves tracking your social media posts or activity and tangential but related areas such as search engine optimization (SEO), various forms of media and print products. As you can see, this encompasses much more than simply customer reviews. Trust is a key concept here. A well-crafted online presence needs to convey a tone that helps confirm that you’re the right person to work with. It needs to reassure others that: You’re friendly. You’re professional. -&- You’re experienced. On the whole? It needs to convince them that you’re trustworthy. Compelling online content is what substantiates confidence. Everything attributed or attributable to you—from articles and presentations to white papers and videos (not to mention your business website)—needs to drive this point home.