Crisis Management

A reputation crisis rarely arrives with warning. A customer’s video spreads overnight, a reporter calls about an allegation, or your Google profile fills with one-star reviews from people who have never visited.

Online reputation crisis management gives you a structure for the first few days, then a plan to rebuild what people see when they search for you once attention moves on.

What’s included

• Rapid assessment. A same-day review of what is being said, where, and how fast it is spreading.
• Response planning. Holding statements, platform replies and staff guidance, drafted with you and reviewed by your lawyer or PR advisor where relevant.
• Platform reporting. Documented reports to Google, Yelp and other platforms for reviews and posts that break their rules.
• Recovery plan. The work that restores your ratings and search results after the attention fades.

How it works

1. Audit

A fast, focused map of where the story is spreading, which search results and review profiles are affected, and which items break platform rules.

2. Repair

We support your response and file platform reports during the active phase. Once things settle, we restore genuine review volume through review management and build accurate content that helps push down negative results where removal isn’t possible.

3. Protect

We watch for the story resurfacing, such as when a related case goes to court. Ongoing brand monitoring catches the next issue while it is still small.

The first 24 to 72 hours

Establish the facts

Before any public statement, find out what actually happened. A statement you have to walk back does more harm than a short delay.

Publish a holding statement

If people are asking, silence reads as avoidance. Acknowledge the situation, say you are looking into it and when you will share more, without speculating or blaming. If you got something wrong, a public apology follows once the facts are clear, and a security incident needs its own data breach communication plan.

Choose one spokesperson

Staff replying from personal accounts can make a manageable story bigger. One person speaks; everyone else points to the official statement.

Don’t delete criticism

Deleted criticism gets screenshotted. Hide only what breaks your page rules, such as threats or private information.

Report review bombing properly

Google’s review policies prohibit reviews not based on a genuine experience, and Yelp can place an alert on a page drawing attention because of a news event and temporarily pause new reviews. We file reports with evidence, such as timing and shared wording, rather than flagging every negative review.

What we can and can’t do

We can help you respond clearly, report content that breaks platform rules, and rebuild your search results and ratings over time. We are not a law firm and not a PR agency. We don’t give legal advice or run media relations; we work alongside your lawyer and PR team, or suggest you bring them in.

We also can’t stop a story from being reported. Truthful coverage of a real event will usually stay online.

How long it takes

The active phase usually lasts a few days to a few weeks, depending on whether the story keeps developing. Platform decisions on review bombing reports can come within days, though that varies by platform and how clear the pattern is.

Changing the first page of search results after significant news coverage typically takes several months or more, depending on the strength of the publications involved and how much accurate content exists about you.

Who it’s for

Businesses and leaders facing a fast-moving problem right now, and organizations that want a plan before they need one. For individual executives, it often runs alongside personal reputation management.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first in a reputation crisis?

Establish the facts, then publish a short holding statement if people are asking. Pick one spokesperson, tell staff not to comment from personal accounts, and bring in your lawyer if there is any legal exposure.

What is review bombing and can those reviews be removed?

Review bombing is a surge of reviews driven by a controversy or campaign rather than real customer experiences. Google and Yelp both have policies against such reviews, and reports backed by clear evidence are often acted on. Reviews from real customers about real visits usually stay up.

Are you a PR agency?

No. We focus on the online side of a crisis: reviews, search results, platform reports and monitoring. We work alongside your PR advisors and lawyers rather than replacing them.

How do I get a negative news article off Google after a crisis?

Truthful articles rarely come down on request. If the facts have changed, a publisher may add an update, and Google’s “Refresh outdated content” tool can update its copy once the page changes. Otherwise the realistic route is building accurate results that push the article down over time.