Reputation

Reputation is what other people say, share and signal about your business.

Unlike Authority, it cannot be created entirely on your own. It is earned through recognition from customers, publishers, communities and other trusted sources.

For local businesses, that includes practical signals such as a complete Google Business Profile, current reviews, accurate directory listings and consistent service-area information.

Anyone can describe themselves as experienced, trustworthy or authoritative.

Reputation provides external confirmation that other people agree.

Local SEO is a useful example. It is not a separate visibility system. Its parts are Foundation and Reputation signals: clear location information, appropriate service pages, structured data, reviews, citations and local recognition.

Reputation becomes visible through external signals that show your business is recognised beyond the pages it controls.

Reputation cannot be manufactured directly. Create conditions that make recognition more likely.

1. 1

   Do work worth talking about.

2. 2

   Make business and location information consistent where relevant.

3. 3

   Make it easy for customers to leave evidence.

4. 4

   Publish things other people want to reference.

5. 5

   Build relationships beyond your own website.

6. 6

   Repeat consistently until recognition compounds.

Look for evidence that recognition exists beyond your own website.

Reputation becomes most useful when it can be observed growing over time.

Primary documentation supporting the reputation signals used throughout the framework.

Useful tools for observing, collecting and improving external reputation signals.