SERM and ORM: what are they and what is the difference?

Before making a purchase, ordering a service, or signing a contract, people often check a company on Google. Search results include its official website, business profiles, reviews, media publications, catalog pages, social media, and discussions. Each of these sources influences brand perception even before the first direct contact with the company.

Online reputation management helps control this information space, identify problem areas, and systematically address them. Two closely related approaches—SERM and ORM—are used in this task. While they are related, they address different scales of sources and solve different problems.

What is SERM?

SERM stands for Search Engine Reputation Management. The primary focus here is search results for queries related to a company, product, executive, or specific service. A specialist studies which pages a user sees in Google and the image they create.

SERM reputation management typically begins with branded queries. They check the company name, combinations with reviews, problems, work, products, management names, and other words used by real users. After analysis, it becomes clear which documents enhance trust, which contain neutral information, and which create reputational risks.

Online SERM involves SEO, PR, content, reviews, and external platforms. The goal is to ensure search results contain relevant, reliable, and useful information about the brand. This approach is called search reputation management or SERM.

What does SERM stand for?

The acronym SERM stands for Search Engine Reputation Management. Russian-language sources also use several variants of the term, including the Cyrillic spellings of SERM and SERM marketing. All of these relate to search engine reputation management, although user wording may vary.

In simple terms, SERM is about monitoring search results for reputation queries. A user enters a company name and sees several documents in the top 10. A SERM specialist analyzes these results, assessing the sentiment of the mentions, the authority of the sources, and opportunities to improve the visibility of useful materials.

The phrase “SERM stands for reputation management” conveys the general meaning, but requires clarification. SERM works specifically with search engine reputation. Social media, forums, and other platforms are considered when their pages appear in Google results or influence the overall strategy.

What problems does SERM solve?

SERM search engine reputation management begins with an analysis of the current situation. A specialist collects queries, checks the top 10 and top 20 search results, and identifies positive, neutral, and negative documents. A SERM strategy is then developed, taking into account the strength of the sites, the page rankings, and the nature of the problem.

The work typically includes the following tasks:

• analysis of brand and reputation queries with recording of current positions, sources and tonality of each noticeable result;
• improving the company's official pages and creating materials that answer real user questions;
• working with reviews, business profiles, media publications, directories and specialized resources;
• promotion of relevant content through SEO optimization, internal links, external mentions and PR publications;
• regular online reputation monitoring, tracking new documents and changes in search results.

After individual tasks are completed, monitoring continues. Search results change, new reviews and articles appear, and old documents may be enhanced following the latest news event.

How is SERM different from regular SEO?

SEO aims to increase a website's visibility for targeted search queries. For example, an online store promotes product categories, a clinic promotes its service pages, and an agency promotes its commercial activities. The primary focus of the work is usually the website itself and its ranking for the desired semantics.

SERM promotion works with a different set of pages. Here, a specialist analyzes all search results for branded queries, including independent sites. The top 10 may include an official resource, a media article, a Google Business Profile, a review site, a directory, a forum, or a competitor's page.

SEO tools are actively used within SERM. They help evaluate the semantic core, links, search rankings, indexed pages, and document authority. Therefore, website promotion and reputation management often overlap, although the final KPIs for these areas differ.

What is ORM?

ORM stands for Online Reputation Management – managing a brand's online reputation across its entire information landscape. It encompasses more channels than SERM: social media, review sites, media, forums, maps and geo-services, industry platforms, user-generated content, and other sources.

The search term “online reputation management” typically leads to the definition of comprehensive online reputation management. The team monitors company mentions, evaluates their sentiment, responds to reviews, manages feedback, supports PR, and engages in crisis communications in the event of reputational issues.

SERM and ORM are used together when a company needs continuous monitoring of the entire information environment. SERM is responsible for the visible image in search results, while ORM covers sources where brand discussion can begin even before a page appears in Google.

Who shapes a company's reputation on the Internet?

A company's reputation is built on a combination of public sources and the actions of people who interact with the brand. Customers leave reviews, employees share their experiences, journalists publish materials, partners mention joint projects, and industry platforms post profiles and ratings.

Brand perception is also influenced by bloggers, social media users, former clients, competitors, and company executives. Any noticeable piece of content can appear in search results and remain accessible to users for a long time.

Search engines determine the visibility of these documents using their own algorithms. Therefore, the question of “who creates your reputation” cannot be reduced to a single company department. A reputation manager works with an already established information field and helps build a systemic response to changes.

What is included in ORM?

ORM includes monitoring mentions, managing reviews, social media, media publications, and user-generated content. For large brands, this is supplemented by social listening, sentiment analysis, customer communications support, PR, and reputation crisis management.

Typically the team monitors the following sources:

• reviews on specialized websites, marketplaces, maps, and platforms where customers discuss the quality of goods or services;
• media publications, expert materials and news that may affect the business reputation of the organization;
• social networks, forums and communities where user-generated content spreads faster than official company comments;
• the brand's own resources, including the website, blog, expert pages and corporate profiles;
• search engines, where SERM reputation management helps control the most visible documents.

After the list, sources are prioritized. A major media publication and a single comment with no audience require different responses, so ORM relies on reach, the authority of the platform, tone, and potential risk.

SERM and ORM – what’s the difference?

ORM and SERM differ primarily in their scope of work. SERM online reputation management focuses on search engines and the results a user sees after a specific query. ORM monitors reputation across all available online channels.

In practice, these areas are closely related. A negative review on an industry platform is an ORM issue, and once a review site's page reaches the top of Google, it becomes a SERM issue. Therefore, the boundary between these areas is determined by the source of the problem and the task that needs to be solved.

This table helps understand the difference between ORM and SERM without complex terminology. For a company, the choice of direction depends on where exactly the reputational risk arises and which sources influence the client's decision.

Is SERM part of ORM?

In most practical models, SERM is considered a separate area within overall online reputation management. It focuses on search engines, while ORM encompasses a broader range of channels and interactions.

For example, a negative comment on a social media site first comes to the attention of the ORM team. The team responds to the user, escalates the issue to the relevant staff, and monitors the discussion. If the page containing the comment starts ranking for the company name, a SERM specialist is brought in.

The combination of SERM and ORM is especially useful for large companies that receive numerous mentions daily. It helps identify the source of the problem, refine communications, and simultaneously monitor what users find on Google weeks or months later.

When is SERM sufficient and when is ORM needed?

SERM is suitable for situations where key reputational issues are visible in search results. For example, the top 10 rankings may include an old negative article, several pages with low ratings, or outdated company information. In this case, the bulk of the work falls on SERP analysis, content, and search engine optimization.

ORM is required when the problem is distributed. Negative feedback can appear simultaneously on social media, media outlets, maps, forums, and review sites. In this case, search engine reputation management alone is insufficient to control the situation.

Large brands often use a comprehensive reputation management system. It integrates reviews, customer care, PR, SERM marketing, and analytics. This model helps quickly identify the source of a problem and understand how a single mention impacts the overall reputation.

How does SERM work?

SERM's work is built around search queries and the documents they rank for. The team first records the current situation, then selects priority areas, and only then launches publications, SEO, and work with platforms.

There's no universal solution where posting a few positive articles is sufficient. A strong negative document can be featured on a reputable resource and maintain its position for years. Another project solves this problem by updating official pages and properly managing reviews.

The process diagram looks like this:

Queries → SERM audit → results classification → strategy → content and platforms → promotion → monitoring → adjustments

Each stage is interconnected with the previous one. If you skip analysis and start with publications, the team risks wasting budget on documents that can't compete with already ranking pages.

Step 1. Reputation audit

SERM analysis begins with data collection. Search queries, search results composition, rankings, page types, and mention sentiment are examined. It's advisable to record the date of the analysis for each result, as search results can change even without any action on the part of the company.

During the audit, a brand's own resources are also assessed. Sometimes an official website doesn't respond well to informational queries, causing Google to rank external sites higher than corporate pages. This situation requires attention to the site's content and architecture.

The SERM audit should conclude with a clear problem map. The team receives a list of queries, priority documents, potential risks, and pages that can be strengthened through SEO or PR.

Collecting brand queries

Semantics begins with the company name, product name, and key people. Qualifiers such as “reviews”, “work”, “problems”, “price”, “scam”, service names, and geographic modifiers are added to the base words. The final set depends on the business and audience behavior.

You should collect queries that users actually use to evaluate the company. Excessively broad semantics increases the monitoring volume but provides little help in decision making. Therefore, queries are categorized by frequency, risk, and decision stage.

For a personal brand, the executive's name, profession, company, and associated events are checked separately. Reputation management for an executive requires considering materials that could be ranked by both the individual's name and the organization's name.

Search results analysis

For each query, at least the first page of Google is checked, and for audit purposes, it's useful to look at the top 20. Each document is assessed based on its position, source, tone, authority, and potential to influence the page's content.

Sentiment is typically categorized as positive, neutral, and negative. Sentiment analysis helps automate the initial classification of large numbers of mentions, but it's best to manually review complex texts. Algorithms don't always correctly detect sarcasm and ambiguous wording.

Additionally, the CTR and visibility of individual results are assessed if the necessary analytics are available. A high ranking of a prominent negative document can have a greater impact on users than several weaker pages below it.

Step 2. Developing a SERM strategy

After the audit, the team determines which documents need to be strengthened, which require an official response, and where new content is needed. SERM strategies vary even among companies in the same niche, as the composition of search results and the authority of sources always vary.

Priority is usually given to queries with significant volume and a strong influence on the client's decision. If a negative page is on the second or third page of Google and receives almost no traffic, addressing it may be a lower priority than a problematic result in the top five.

Reputation management strategies must address the root cause of the negative feedback. If users regularly complain about the same issue, publishing more articles won't improve the customer experience. Companies must first address the root cause of the repeated criticism.

Step 3. Working with content and platforms

Once a strategy is selected, work begins on the documents. They use the company's own pages and authoritative external sources that can rank for the desired queries. Each publication should have independent value and be relevant to the platform's theme.

Content is tailored to specific search intent. An expert interview, a news story, a detailed service page, and a company profile all address different needs. The more accurately a document answers a user's query, the greater its practical value for SERM.

Massive creation of weak websites rarely yields sustainable results. Search engines rank pages with a clear topic, a real audience, and a sufficient level of trust better.

The company's own resources

Owned resources include a corporate website, blog, service pages, an about us section, expert profiles, and other pages whose content the company has complete control over. This makes it easier to keep data up-to-date and correct errors.

Maintaining a website's reputation involves proper structure, meta tags, internal linking, quality content, and technical indexing. If official pages are weak, they may rank below external documents even for branded queries.

Building a reputation through your own resources requires regularly updating your information. Users should be able to find up-to-date contact information, terms, service descriptions, information about specialists, and answers to frequently asked questions.

External authoritative platforms

External sources can include specialized media outlets, industry websites, directories, interviews, ratings, and expert platforms. For SERM, a valuable resource is one that is relevant to the business's topic, indexed by Google, and capable of ranking for a branded query.

Publications are prepared according to the rules of a specific platform. Identical advertising materials on dozens of websites appear weaker than substantive articles where the company explores a real topic and proves its expertise.

PR publications also provide additional independent sources of information about a brand. When choosing a platform, consider its authority, audience, Google visibility, and relevance to a specific niche.

Step 4: Working with reviews

ORM reviews and SERM are particularly closely linked because review sites often rank highly for queries containing a company's name. If a site has a high Google ranking, its content directly impacts the reputational picture.

Handling feedback involves monitoring new messages, responding to customers, and escalating recurring issues to the appropriate team. The company must understand which complaints are caused by service errors and which contain inaccurate information or violate the platform's rules.

It's better to get reviews from real customers after actual interaction. Purchasing mass positive comments creates an unnatural profile and can lead to moderation. Improving your reputation is more consistently linked to genuine customer experiences and genuine feedback.

Step 5. Promoting the right materials

Once suitable pages are created or selected, search engine optimization begins. Specialists work on content, technical optimization, internal links, and external mentions. For third-party platforms, the available options depend on the resource owner's terms and conditions.

SEO helps increase the visibility of relevant documents for branded queries. Expert content, PR, links, and page updates are also used if changes are approved by the platform.

Website promotion and reputation management require different KPIs. For a corporate page, ranking and traffic growth can be tracked, while for SERM, changes in the top 10 rankings and the percentage of positive or neutral results are additionally assessed.

Step 6. Continuous monitoring

Search results change following algorithm updates, new publications, reviews, and the growth of individual sites. Therefore, the SERM system must regularly re-evaluate priority queries and record changes.

The frequency of monitoring depends on the company's size and risk level. For a business with a small number of mentions, periodic checks are sufficient, while a large brand may require daily monitoring of individual queries.

Search results monitoring helps spot new negative content before it gains a foothold in high rankings. At the same time, the team sees which content is growing in popularity, which is losing visibility, and where strategy adjustments are needed.

Lead SEO specialist — Gennady

In SERM, I start with a brand query map and an analysis of the current top 10. A single brand can appear completely different for queries that include the company name, reviews, or a specific problem. First, we need to understand which pages really shape user opinions. Then we decide what to strengthen, where to correct information, and what content to create. I evaluate the results based on the search results composition, tone, and visibility of priority sources.

What is a SERM audit?

A SERM audit reveals what information about a company a user finds through Google and what documents influence their decisions. It's conducted before developing a strategy and then repeated to monitor progress.

The audit results should be useful for the SEO specialist, PR team, and review team. A simple list of negative links is insufficient, as pages have different strengths, rankings, and potential impact.

A good audit links queries, documents, problems, and specific actions. This allows the team to see where content needs to be worked on, where a client response is needed, and where observation is sufficient.

What is checked during an audit?

The audit begins with branded queries and Google results. For each document, the URL, position, page type, sentiment, publication date, and nature of the mention are recorded. The company's official website and other resources are assessed separately.

The audit also includes review sites, Google Business Profile, maps and geo-services, media articles, social media, expert profiles, and industry platforms. If a company operates in multiple regions, it's advisable to check search results separately for the relevant geographic zones.

They also analyze indexed pages, duplicates, links, and competitors. This data helps understand why a specific document is retained in search results and how realistic it is to change the search results.

What should be the result of the audit?

After the audit, the company receives a search reputation map. It should include priority queries, current documents, sentiment, rankings, risks, and recommended actions. This turns the SERM audit into a working document rather than a general report.

Based on the map, a reputation strategy is developed. It identifies pages for optimization, topics for new content, potential external platforms, review management procedures, and KPIs.

The starting point is also recorded. Without baseline data, it's difficult to prove that brand reputation management has actually changed search results, so it's advisable to record the positions, sentiment, and composition of the top 10 search results with dates.

What tools and services are used for SERM?

SERM tools are selected based on the project's scope and scale. Some services collect brand mentions, others track rankings, and still others help analyze links, reviews, or newsworthy events.

There's no single SERM service that can completely replace a specialist. Automation speeds up data collection, but prioritizing, assessing the context, and responding to a problem requires analysis.

Reputation management services are useful for ongoing monitoring, especially when a brand receives numerous mentions. For a small project, some tasks can be accomplished with standard SEO tools and manual verification.

Monitoring tools

Monitoring systems search for new mentions of a company in open sources and help quickly detect negative publications. Depending on the service, they cover media outlets, social media, forums, blogs, and other platforms.

Reviews and ratings are monitored separately. It shows rating changes, new messages, and team response times. This data is especially important for local businesses, as users often compare companies directly on maps.

Automatic notifications reduce the risk of missing a significant post. However, it's recommended to manually check each significant signal to distinguish a genuine issue from a generic, uninformed mention.

SEO tools

SEO services help collect semantics, check rankings, analyze backlinks, and assess page visibility. This data is needed to understand why a specific document reached the top results and how strong its search rankings are.

SERM also checks indexing, meta tags, page structure, and internal links. If the company controls the document, technical corrections often offer additional growth potential.

Competitor analysis reveals which types of sources Google prefers for branded queries in a specific niche. This helps you choose platforms wisely and avoid wasting resources on publications without a realistic chance of gaining visibility.

Sentiment analysis

Sentiment analysis classifies mentions into positive, neutral, and negative. With large volumes of data, automatic classification helps quickly identify changes in the overall reputational environment.

Algorithm results require verification. For example, a neutral news story may contain a negative context, while a seemingly positive phrase may be sarcastic. For important materials, it's best to make a decision after manual review.

Sentiment dynamics are more useful than a single absolute number. If the share of problematic documents gradually decreases, and positive and neutral sources gain more visibility, the reputation management strategy is moving in the right direction.

Who is a SERM specialist?

A SERM specialist analyzes search reputation and coordinates work aimed at changing the information picture in Google. Depending on the company, this position may be called a SERM manager, SERM specialist, or reputation manager.

SERM work requires a combination of SEO, analytics, content, and communications. A single specialist rarely handles all the tasks independently, as a complex project may require editors, PR managers, SEO specialists, and customer support staff.

The primary responsibility is to understand which sources influence reputation and what actions can change the situation without artificial promises and questionable methods.

What does a SERM specialist do?

First, a SERM specialist collects reputation semantics and conducts a search results audit. Then, they identify problematic documents, evaluate their strength, and create a work plan for each priority query.

The specialist assigns tasks related to content, SEO, external publications, and reviews. If the issue is related to a genuine client complaint, they escalate it to the responsible department and oversee the official response.

After the SERM process is launched, a specialist monitors the rankings, sentiment, and composition of the top 10. Their job is to systematically manage the process, not to focus on the number of published materials.

What competencies does a specialist need?

A SERM specialist requires a solid understanding of SEO. Without knowledge of indexing, ranking, and link management principles, it's difficult to assess why some documents remain visible in search results while others don't.

Additionally, skills in analytics, content marketing, PR, and review management are required. A specialist must distinguish between reputational issues and service issues, as the solutions for each will differ.

It's helpful to understand the fundamentals of crisis communications and customer experience. A company's online reputation often reflects its actual internal processes, so technical SEO work must be combined with changes in communication.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of SERM?

The effectiveness of SERM is assessed based on search results dynamics and associated reputation metrics. The number of published articles alone says little about the results if these pages don't rank well and don't influence users.

Before starting work, it's necessary to save the initial state. For each priority query, record the top 10, document positions, sentiment, and, if possible, CTR. The comparison is then repeated at equal intervals.

A single metric rarely describes the entire situation. For example, the number of negative pages may remain the same, but the most prominent one may drop from third to ninth, which changes the overall picture.

Key SERM KPIs

The key indicator is often the proportion of positive and neutral results in the top 10. The number of negative documents and their rankings are also monitored, as the first-place result and the tenth-place result carry different weights.

The following indicators are also used:

• average position of priority positive and neutral documents for brand queries;
• the number of negative pages in the top ten of Google and the dynamics of their visibility;
• CTR of individual results when such data can be correctly obtained;
• number of real reviews, average rating and response speed to new messages;
• dynamics of the tone of mentions and the frequency of emergence of new reputational risks.

These indicators are considered together. An improvement in one metric while others deteriorate may indicate a temporary effect or an incorrectly chosen priority.

How long does it take for the results to appear?

There is no fixed timeframe for SERM. Speed is affected by the authority of the problematic source, the competitiveness of the query, the age of the documents, the quality of new pages, and the frequency of search results updates.

If a negative article has been published by a major media outlet and has maintained high visibility for many years, the work may require a lengthy period. In other situations, it may be sufficient to strengthen the official pages, update the data, and improve the review management process.

Therefore, deadlines are determined after the audit. A commercial proposal for SERM should be based on the specific search results and scope of work, not a blanket promise of achieving the desired top ranking in a few weeks.

Who needs reputation management?

Reputation management is especially important in niches where clients check the company before paying or signing a contract. The higher the cost of the decision and the potential risk for the buyer, the more attention they pay to reviews and external sources.

These include financial services, healthcare, education, real estate, B2B, e-commerce, tourism, and professional services. However, corporate reputation management can be beneficial to any company that experiences significant brand demand.

Work is needed even before a crisis occurs. Regular monitoring helps identify weaknesses early and build a stable information base around the brand.

For companies and brands

SERM helps companies manage queries involving brand names, products, and services. Potential clients often compare the official website with reviews and independent publications, so the quality of the search results influences their level of trust.

Reputation management is also useful during rebranding, launching a new product, or entering a new region. During such periods, the information landscape changes rapidly, and old documents may remain visible.

SERM reputation marketing is best integrated into an overall communications strategy. This way, company materials, reviews, and external publications provide users with consistent and verifiable information.

Personal brands and executives

For an executive or public expert, the primary search query is built around their name, position, company, and professional activities. The search results may also include interviews, social media, profiles, old news stories, and materials from third-party websites.

Managing a person's business reputation requires careful consideration of the facts. Trying to suppress legitimate criticism without addressing its cause can deepen audience distrust.

Official biographies, expert articles, interviews, and current profiles help users gain more comprehensive information. These documents also create understandable sources for search engines and AI systems.

Local business

Maps, ratings, and reviews are crucial for local businesses. Users can select a clinic, restaurant, service center, or hotel directly from Google results, without even visiting the official website.

Reputation management for a hotel, clinic, or restaurant involves monitoring the business's profile, responding to reviews, and verifying information on local platforms. Here, the connection between customer experience and public ratings is particularly noticeable.

If the same complaints recur, reputation improvement begins with internal processes. Once the problem is resolved, the company experiences more sustainable results from SERM and ORM.

What mistakes are made when managing reputation?

Weak SERM strategies often try to solve the problem by relying on the quantity of publications. However, the results depend on the quality of the sources, their relevance to the intent, and the actual state of the reputation.

Mistakes are especially costly during a crisis, when users are closely monitoring a brand's response. A careless response can gain more coverage than the initial complaint.

Therefore, online reputation management requires regulations: who monitors mentions, who responds, which questions are forwarded to lawyers or support, and when management is involved.

Buying fake reviews

Massive, artificial reviews create an unnatural image. A uniform style, a sudden increase in ratings, and a lack of detail reduce user trust and may attract the attention of the platform's moderators.

It's much more useful to establish a process for collecting feedback from real clients. Requests can be sent after a purchase, project completion, or service rendered, when the customer already has actual experience.

ORM reviews should reflect real interactions. If negative messages appear, they should be used as a source of information about service problems, rather than trying to cover them up with a flood of artificial positivity.

Trying to remove any criticism

Negative content comes in many forms. In some cases, a user describes a real problem, in others, the post contains inaccurate information, and in others, it violates the site's rules or the law.

If criticism is legitimate, a company should investigate the situation and provide a substantive response. Inaccurate information can be disputed through the resource owner, the platform, or legal action, if warranted.

A decline in reputation is often associated with a recurring cause. Addressing this cause typically reduces the number of new negative mentions, and future SERM efforts become more sustainable.

Work only after the crisis

When negativity has already become prominent, a company must simultaneously address communications and deal with strong documents in search. This task requires more time and resources.

Regular monitoring helps detect changes early. If a negative review or post quickly gains visibility, the team has time to check the situation and prepare an appropriate response.

It's best to build a reputation early through transparent information, expert materials, and effective customer service. This way, the brand already has a strong information base before a crisis occurs.

Lack of monitoring after the first results

Initial improvements in search results don't mean the work is complete. A new review, media publication, or algorithm update can change document rankings in a short period of time.

Once target metrics are achieved, the frequency of active work can be reduced, but it's advisable to maintain control. This is especially important for brands with a high number of mentions.

A reputation management system should show dynamics, not a single successful snapshot of search results. Change history helps quickly understand when a new issue arose and what actions may have contributed to it.

How does SERM relate to AI search and neural network responses?

AI search is gradually increasing the number of situations where users receive a ready-made answer without having to browse a traditional list of links. These systems use available sources, compare information, and can include information about companies, products, or people in the generated answers.

For a brand, this increases the importance of trustworthy public information. Up-to-date official pages, expert content, publications from authoritative sources, and genuine reviews help create a clear set of company data.

SERM and AI search intersect through the quality of available sources. However, it's impossible to guarantee the specific formulation of a neural network's response, so it's more appropriate to work with primary data rather than promise control over AI.

Why is search reputation important for AI Overviews and LLM?

AI Overviews and LLM can use data from different sources, so inconsistent or outdated information creates additional risks for a brand. If the official page contains one set of data, while third-party publications contain different data, the system may show the user an incomplete or outdated answer.

To mitigate such risks, it's important to keep your corporate website, profiles, and external publications up to date. It's also helpful to correct factual errors where possible.

The authority of the source remains a significant factor. Therefore, the strategy shouldn't be limited to a large number of weak publications. It's better to have a few high-quality documents with reliable and consistent information.

How to build a reputation management strategy?

A reputation management strategy starts with data. First, queries are collected and current results are recorded, then documents are classified and the causes of problems are identified. After that, platforms, content, and promotion methods are selected.

The workflow might look like this:

1. Collect brand and reputation queries that customers use before making a purchase or contacting you.
2. Conduct a SERM audit and save the current top 10 composition for each priority query.
3. Separate documents by tone, source type, authority, and risk level.
4. Check the real causes of negativity and refer recurring problems to responsible employees.
5. Identify your own pages and external sites that are suitable for further work.
6. Prepare useful content and carry out the necessary SEO optimization.
7. Organize systematic work with reviews and official responses.
8. Monitor positions, sentiment, ratings, and other selected KPIs.
9. Regularly review your strategy as search results change and new mentions appear.

Once launched, the strategy should be adapted to actual results. If the selected document isn't growing or the platform is losing visibility, it's best to redirect resources to a more promising direction.

SERM or ORM – which to choose?

The choice depends on the scale of the problem. If the primary task is related to Google search results for branded queries, SERM reputation management will be the core of the work. The team analyzes search results, enhances useful documents, and monitors changes.

If reputational risks are distributed across search, social media, media, reviews, and communities, a broader ORM approach is required. In this case, SERM functions as a separate component within the overall strategy.

For a large company, it's more practical to link both processes. Then, one circuit monitors the entire information landscape, while the other focuses on search results and their impact on users.

SERM helps manage the search reputation of a company, product, or individual. Work begins with brand queries and an audit, after which the team identifies problematic documents, strengthens useful sources, manages reviews, and continuously monitors changes.

ORM covers a broader information environment and includes channels that may not even appear in search results. For companies with a high number of mentions, it makes sense to use these areas together.

If your brand name returns negative, outdated, or irrelevant results in Google, start with a reputation audit. This will reveal which queries and pages require work, which sources are already helping the brand, and where a separate SERM plan is needed.