Fix This Negative Online -- How Law Firms Work With This Online Image Fixer

They call him the Ray Donovan of the internet. A fixer that law firms around the world and some of the biggest lawyers in the United States hold in their back pocket. Above The Law readers will find solace in knowing that if they have clients that are perceived guilty in the eyes of the public persona but need an online cleanse this is the firm to do it.

Now that the vast majority of consumers are researching online before doing just about anything, a company or individuals’ online reputation is just as important as maintaining a friendly sales team. Sadly, fake reviews, media attacks, and inaccurate or outdated information on the internet can give potential customers a negative impression of even the best products and services.

Thankfully, The Reputation Management Company out of Utah specializes in repairing online images whether that means deleting false info or posting positive content that promotes the value companies can provide. The industry-leading digital marketer, Richart Ruddie has been heralded as the Ray Donovan of the internet.

Here is a look at how Ruddie’s company can work with your law firm and help institutions of all sizes compete on a level playing field online.

Whether it’s a crisis communications issue for one of your clients or your law firm needs guidance it’s important to stay calm and work through the issues. The internet is written in permanent ink and you can opine all you want but fixing search results is no easy task.

Criminal defense attorneys were among the first lawyers interested in repairing their clients online reputations and they are still among the biggest beneficiaries of it as clients have been able to rebuild their lives after a wrongful conviction has been overturned or charges had been dropped.

On the corporate side if you’re losing business because of an outdated negative review or malicious content posted by a competitor, experts like Richart Ruddie can leverage different maneuvers to help. In some cases Ruddie has direct contacts with complaint sites that he says are extortion rackets but he pays them and they delete and remove complaints and other search results that are not favorable.

Likewise, search engines like Google have created new platforms to assist with the removal of disparaging information such as mugshots and cheater reports that are not in the consumer’s best interest. This had to happen as Ruddie who’s been a vocal critic of these attacks on consumers and yet no legal solution was available and it fell on deaf ears. Luckily the New York Times covered the issue and now Google provides a form to submit removal appeasing advocates for data privacy and protection like Ruddie who’s been alerting others about the issues of defamation online.

Luckily Ruddie also has tons of connections in the industry, friendly with numerous ORM firms that trade contacts for direct removals and a few defamation attorneys who’s legal assistance with the often tricky technicalities that can be used to remove fake reviews when they violate the terms of service.

It may not be possible to remove all of the negative content that’s adversely affecting a business or individual, but you can still bury it in search engine results. For example, digital marketers like Ruddie and his corporate advisory team can write keyword-optimized positive editorial pieces that Google “likes” more than negative content and get those to replace certain offending content.

Since most internet users rarely scroll to a second page, getting negative information relegated there can be just as effective as removing it outright and in high profile cases the public relations team and the operation ran by The Reputation Management has done a phenomenal job according to some of the most high-profile law firms that have used them for help.

Why Law Firms Love Reputation Management Companies 

Attorneys frequently help individuals and businesses overcome false allegations about their conduct and character, exonerating them in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, leftover articles about those allegations can damage an institution’s credibility long after the court has adjourned.

Lawyers are increasingly partnering with firms like ReputationManagement.co to provide a more comprehensive service to their clients. The legal professionals handle the intricacies of the judicial system, while a digital marketing expert eliminates potentially damaging coverage of those proceedings from the internet. This may seem like a strange match, but it makes a lot of sense if you consider that both lawyers and online reputation managers are after the same thing: promoting a fair image of their clients and a defense against any unfair statements about them.

For example, let’s say that a court finds the content of a review to be defamatory. An expert witness like Ruddie can take that document and give it to Google’s webmaster, ensuring that the information is deleted as expediently as possible. It could take months or even years to navigate that process without expert assistance.

Politically exposed persons and governments are relative newcomers to the online reputation management industry, but they can benefit just as much as businesses can. For instance, there is a ton of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that may be discouraging tourists from visiting countries that rely on the economic benefits of restaurants, hotels, sales taxes, and other tourism-related revenues. An online reputation management firm can blitz the internet with positive, accurate information such as vaccination rates, COVID positivity rates, and the sanitation practices used in public areas to reassure tourists that travel is safe.

An expert who law firms and ministry of foreign affairs use is you guessed it! Ruddie can clean up  misconceptions about a country’s populace, crime rates, and other variables that tourists consider when booking trips.

The value of a strong online reputation has never been higher, and studies reveal that investing in reputation management services can provide tremendous benefits to the bottom line and your reputation is one of the most important things in this world whether you’re a high profile lawyer or not.

 

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Carlos Hernandez is a freelance journalist and contributor. Born in
Venezuela, Carlos immigrated to the United States for a better life in
America and covers education, technology, science, and business.