So before you chase scale, fix your signal with strategic online reputation management (ORM), modern public relations (PR), and effective search engine optimization (SEO). Here is how startups should think about reputation from day one.
Why Reputation Is A Core Metric
You might think product or funding should be top priority. But reputation hits everything else first.
According to a 2025 LinkedIn survey, 92% of investors said a founder’s online presence influences whether they take a pitch seriously. Over 70% of consumers say they won’t try a new business with a bad online footprint.
You could be a genius with a world-changing product. But if people Google your brand and see confusing, outdated, or negative info, you are in trouble.
Reputation builds trust, and trust unlocks everything else.
Google Is The First Impression
Let’s be honest. Nobody starts with your website. They start with Google.
Try it now. Type in your name. Your company. Your product.
What shows up? Is it clear? Is it accurate? Is it flattering?
If not, that is a problem.
Startups are judged fast. You don’t get the benefit of the doubt. You need your top search results to reflect who you are and what you do today—not what you did three jobs ago or that Reddit thread from your soft launch.
If there is something bad or misleading in those results, you may need help to remove Google search results that don’t reflect your current reality. It is not just about looking good. It is about being seen correctly.
Founders Are The Face
In the early stages, the founder is the brand. Your online trail matters more than you think.
I once met a founder who couldn’t get his seed round closed. Not because his idea was weak, but because the top search result under his name was a 10-year-old article about a failed side project. He didn’t even know it was still online.
He eventually got it removed and replaced it with new press. Three weeks later, funding closed.
Lesson: Google yourself. Regularly. Then do the same for your co-founders. If something needs fixing, fix it fast.
Reviews Aren’t Just For Products
B2B, SaaS, local services—whatever your startup offers, reviews matter.
Google, Trustpilot, G2, Reddit, Glassdoor. People are talking. If you're not paying attention, someone else is controlling your story.
Negative reviews often aren’t about the product. They are about the experience. A late reply. A confusing policy. A rude email. Fixing your operations is important, but so is managing perception.
Reply to reviews. Report false ones. Ask loyal customers for positive feedback. It is not vanity. It is survival.
Don’t Ignore Small Platforms
Startups often chase the big stuff—TechCrunch mentions, Forbes articles, big-name partnerships. That is great, but don’t ignore the small platforms.
Old blog posts. Outdated bios. Facebook pages you forgot about. All of these can show up in search and confuse your message.
Clean house. Archive what no longer fits. Update what still matters. The fewer loose threads, the better.
Privacy Settings And Smart Posting
If you are building a brand, be intentional with your personal accounts.
That tweet you thought was funny in 2024? That vacation pic from college? People will find it. Maybe a VC. Maybe a journalist. Maybe your next customer.
Set your profiles to private or clean them up. Use your public-facing platforms to post content that builds your credibility.
Think in terms of: Does this post make people more likely to trust me?
If not, skip it.
Get Ahead Of The Curve
Reputation management is often reactive. Something bad happens, then people scramble.
That’s a mistake. Be proactive.
Set up Google Alerts for your company and your name. Use brand monitoring tools like Brand24 or Mention to track what’s being said. This isn’t ego—it’s awareness.
You want to catch issues before they spread. You want to know what people are saying even if they don’t tag you.
And you want to respond quickly, calmly, and clearly.
Outsource When It Makes Sense
You can’t do everything yourself. Especially not while building a company.
If managing your online footprint feels overwhelming, get help. A good reputation firm will monitor search results, help remove outdated or harmful content, and even help you build stronger, more accurate content to replace it.
The best ones work quietly in the background, keeping your name clean while you focus on your actual business.
Reputation Affects Recruitment
Early hires shape your culture. But smart candidates Google you just like investors do.
A Glassdoor rating that is too low. A weird Reddit post. An old lawsuit that wasn’t even related to your current team. All of these can scare off talent.
You don’t need a perfect image. Just a clear, accurate one.
Make sure your job listings, team bios, and employee content all align. Keep your brand story consistent across every touchpoint.
Real Stories Make A Real Difference
People don’t just want to buy from you. They want to believe in you.
That means telling your story the right way. Press mentions help. So do podcasts, blog interviews, founder videos, and case studies.
The more content you control, the less control you give to Google’s auto-suggestions or third-party posts.
A startup founder once told me, “People kept asking about some old forum thread where I had posted a prototype. Once I published a full story on our journey, that stopped being the focus.”
Don’t let the internet tell your story for you. Own the narrative.
Final Thought
Startups move fast. But reputation moves faster. You can’t scale what people don’t trust. You can’t close deals with doubt hanging over your name.
“You don’t win by being loud. You win by showing up, doing the work, and backing people when it counts,” says Aaron Keay. “Reputation isn’t something you build once. You earn it every time you make a call, show up prepared, or help someone when there’s nothing in it for you.”
So start early. Clean up search. Watch your reviews. Tell your story. And if needed, remove Google search results that don’t reflect who you are today.
Your reputation is your first product. Make it a good one.
