Mastering Online Reputation Management in 2026

Online reputation management (ORM) is the practice of monitoring, influencing, and protecting how your brand appears across search engines, review platforms, and AI systems like ChatGPT. In 2026, ORM has expanded beyond traditional review management—with 98% of UK consumers reading online reviews and AI chatbots now serving over 1 billion users monthly, businesses must actively manage their reputation across both human and algorithmic audiences to maintain trust and drive conversions.

For UK businesses, this creates both risk and opportunity. The good news? Most competitors haven't adapted yet. At Whitehat SEO, we've identified that almost no UK agencies currently address the intersection of AI visibility and reputation management—a gap that forward-thinking businesses can exploit.

This guide provides the complete framework for managing your online reputation in 2026, covering traditional review management, AI reputation control, UK regulatory compliance, and practical integration with your existing HubSpot or CRM systems.

What is Online Reputation Management in 2026?

Online reputation management in 2026 encompasses the strategic monitoring, influence, and protection of how your brand appears across all digital touchpoints—including search engines, review platforms, social media, and increasingly, AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Claude.

The ORM market is projected to reach £11.7 billion globally by 2031, driven by the convergence of traditional reputation management with AI-powered brand perception. The most significant shift is that large language models (LLMs) now function as information gatekeepers, synthesising unified narratives about brands rather than presenting link lists.

Modern ORM strategies centre on the PESO framework, which provides a structured approach to managing reputation across multiple channels:

The key insight for 2026: proactive reputation building has overtaken reactive crisis management. Google's own research confirms that businesses responding to reviews are considered nearly twice as trustworthy as those that don't respond. Building reputation systems into your inbound marketing strategy delivers compounding returns over time.

Why ORM Matters More Than Ever

The business impact of online reputation has reached critical mass. According to BrightLocal's 2025 Local Consumer Review Survey, 98% of consumers at least occasionally read online reviews for local businesses, with 83% using Google as their primary review platform.

The conversion sweet spot for star ratings is 4.75-4.99 stars—not a perfect 5.0. Research from PowerReviews found that 46% of consumers are suspicious of perfect 5-star ratings, with suspicion rising to 53% among Gen Z consumers. This counterintuitive finding suggests authenticity matters more than perfection.

For multi-location businesses, local reputation has become even more critical. According to Synup's 2024 research, 91% of consumers say local branch reviews impact their overall perceptions of national brands. A single underperforming location can damage your entire brand reputation—making systematic Google Business Profile management essential.

Perhaps most significantly, 88% of consumers would use a business that responds to all reviews, compared to just 47% who would use a business that doesn't respond at all. Response time matters too—63% expect responses within 2-7 days, yet 63% of users report at least one business has never responded to their review.

AI and Your Online Reputation

AI systems now determine first impressions for millions of potential customers. The way ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews source and present brand information represents the most significant change to reputation management since Google's launch.

Critically, 70% of ChatGPT prompts represent entirely new types of search intent that never existed in traditional search. AI platforms cite only 2-7 domains per response on average, compared to 10 organic results in traditional search—meaning visibility is far more competitive, and being one of those cited sources matters enormously.

How AI Systems Source Brand Information

Understanding the AI citation hierarchy is essential for managing your reputation across these platforms:

AI Hallucination Risk

AI hallucinations represent genuine business risk with documented financial damages. Research indicates chatbots hallucinate approximately 27% of the time, with factual errors appearing in 46% of generated texts. Up to 47% of ChatGPT references in academic contexts have been found inaccurate.

Notable cases include Air Canada being ordered to pay damages after their chatbot fabricated a bereavement fare policy, an Australian mayor falsely accused of bribery by ChatGPT (when he was actually the whistleblower), and the Deloitte/Australian Government incident involving fabricated citations that led to a partial refund of approximately £250,000.

Practical Strategies for AI Reputation Management

Research from Princeton and Georgia Tech demonstrates that Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) strategies can boost AI visibility by up to 40%. Whitehat SEO's Answer Engine Optimisation services focus on the following key strategies:

1. Monitor AI Reputation Regularly: Query ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity about your brand monthly. Document inaccuracies and track how your brand is represented over time.
2. Optimise Wikipedia Presence: If eligible, maintain an accurate, balanced, well-cited Wikipedia page. Monitor for unauthorised edits that could damage reputation.
3. Create AI-Friendly Content: Structure content with clear FAQs, comprehensive fact sheets, question-based headings, and Q&A formats that AI can easily extract and cite.
4. Publish Corrective Content: Create fresh, SEO-optimised content addressing common queries and correcting outdated information that AI might cite.
5. Build Authoritative Partnerships: Collaborate with trusted publications through guest posts on industry sites—brand mentions are becoming "the new backlinks" for AI visibility.
6. Establish Correction Protocols: Many AI developers have formal factual correction processes. Document inaccuracies systematically and submit corrections through official channels.

UK Regulatory Landscape

UK businesses must navigate specific regulatory requirements when managing online reputation. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 received Royal Assent in June 2025, reforming UK GDPR with several reputation-relevant changes, including restructuring the ICO to the "Information Commission" and new "recognised legitimate interests" provisions.

The CMA secured legally binding undertakings from Google (January 2025) and Amazon (June 2025) to tackle fake reviews, signalling increased UK enforcement activity. Businesses should ensure their review collection practices comply with these evolving standards—particularly important for those using automated review request systems through platforms like HubSpot.

ORM Strategies for UK Businesses

Effective reputation management requires different approaches based on business size and complexity. Here's Whitehat SEO's framework for implementing ORM across different organisational contexts:

Review Management Best Practices

The foundation of any ORM strategy is systematic review management. Based on consumer behaviour data, Whitehat recommends the following practices:

1. Respond to All Reviews: With 88% of consumers preferring businesses that respond to all reviews, response rates directly impact conversion. Aim to respond within 2-3 business days.
2. Address Negative Reviews Constructively: 69% of UK consumers would change their mind about a purchase after reading negative reviews. Your response is your opportunity to demonstrate customer service excellence.
3. Don't Gate Reviews: Under strengthened CMA guidelines, filtering who can leave reviews based on satisfaction is prohibited and can result in enforcement action.
4. Diversify Review Platforms: 74% of consumers check at least two review sites. Ensure your presence on Google, Trustpilot, industry-specific platforms, and social media.
5. Leverage Video: 76% of UK consumers use video content when researching businesses. Video testimonials and case studies carry significant weight.

Search Reputation Management

Your reputation in search results—both traditional and AI-powered—requires active management through strategic SEO:

• Create comprehensive "About Us" and leadership content to control branded search results
• Publish thought leadership content that demonstrates expertise and builds authority
• Develop case studies with specific metrics and outcomes
• Maintain active profiles on LinkedIn, industry directories, and relevant platforms
• Monitor branded search queries and address any negative results through content strategy

Social Reputation Management

Social media plays an increasingly important role in reputation, with 34% of consumers using Instagram and 23% using TikTok as alternative review platforms. Reddit is particularly significant—it leads LLM citations at 40.1% for Perplexity—meaning authentic participation in relevant subreddits can directly influence how AI systems represent your brand.

B2B Reputation Management

B2B reputation management operates differently from B2C, yet most existing ORM content is consumer-focused. This represents a significant opportunity for B2B organisations to differentiate through systematic reputation building.

Key B2B Reputation Platforms

For B2B organisations, the following platforms require active reputation management:

• G2 and Capterra: Essential for software and SaaS companies. Claude heavily cites Capterra for B2B software citations.
• Clutch: Critical for agencies and professional services firms.
• LinkedIn: Company pages, employee advocacy, and thought leadership content all contribute to B2B reputation.
• Glassdoor: Employee reviews impact candidate quality and increasingly influence client perceptions of company culture.
• HubSpot Partner Directory: For HubSpot partners, directory presence and reviews directly influence buyer consideration.

B2B reputation strategy should integrate with your broader content marketing strategy and sales enablement efforts. Case studies, testimonials, and thought leadership content all contribute to the reputation ecosystem that influences B2B buying decisions.

HubSpot Integration for Reputation Management

A critical finding from Whitehat SEO's analysis: HubSpot has no native online reputation management tool. However, its Service Hub and Marketing Hub features combined with third-party integrations create a powerful ORM technology stack—yet almost no UK agency currently addresses this integration opportunity.

Native HubSpot Features for Reputation Management

• Customer Feedback Surveys (Professional/Enterprise): NPS, CSAT, and CES survey tools for measuring satisfaction
• Ticketing System: Track and resolve issues before they become reputation problems
• Shared Inbox: Centralised view of all customer communications across channels
• Email Marketing: Automated review request campaigns triggered by deal stage
• Custom Dashboards: Track reputation metrics alongside marketing KPIs

Recommended Review Collection Workflow

Whitehat SEO recommends the following automated workflow within HubSpot for systematic review collection:

Third-Party Integrations in HubSpot Marketplace

For businesses using HubSpot, integrating reputation management into your existing workflows creates a systematic approach that compounds over time. Whitehat's HubSpot onboarding services include reputation workflow configuration as part of the implementation process.

Tools and Platforms Comparison

The review management platform landscape has matured significantly, with clear market leaders emerging by company size and use case:

New AI-Specific Monitoring Tools (2025)

A new category of tools has emerged specifically for monitoring brand representation in AI systems:

• Meltwater GenAI Lens: 360-degree view of AI brand recommendations across major platforms
• Peec AI: Backed by €21M Series A (2025), tracks brand visibility across LLMs
• Profound: Enterprise-grade AI search visibility monitoring
• Otterly: Budget-friendly tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity
• LLMrefs: Citation and mention tracking specifically in AI responses

Implementation Checklist

Use this checklist to implement a comprehensive ORM strategy for your UK business:

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Protect and Enhance Your Online Reputation?

Online reputation management in 2026 requires a systematic approach that addresses both traditional review platforms and the new AI gatekeepers. As a HubSpot Diamond Partner with deep expertise in SEO and Answer Engine Optimisation, Whitehat SEO can help you build reputation systems that compound over time.

Whether you need help with HubSpot integration for review management, SEO strategy for search reputation, or Answer Engine Optimisation for AI visibility, we're here to help.

Book a consultation →

References

1. BrightLocal. (2025). Local Consumer Review Survey 2025. BrightLocal Research.
2. PowerReviews. (2024). The Complete Guide to Ratings & Reviews. PowerReviews Insights.
3. G2. (2024). B2B Buying Trends Report. G2 Research.
4. Competition and Markets Authority. (2025). Online Reviews and Endorsements Guidelines. UK Government.
5. Aggarwal, N. et al. (2023). GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. Princeton University & Georgia Tech.
6. Synup. (2024). State of Local Business Reviews. Synup Research.

About Whitehat SEO

Whitehat SEO is a London-based HubSpot Diamond Solutions Partner and full-service inbound marketing agency. Founded in 2011, we specialise in SEO, Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), and HubSpot integration for B2B companies. CEO Clwyd Probert is a guest lecturer at UCL and leads the world's largest HubSpot User Group (London HUG). Learn more about our team →