What if you get hit with a negative link that shows up on the first page of Google?

See Related Article: 25 Free Online Reputation Management Tips and Tools

Not to be the soothsayer of doom, but things could get ugly fast.

If one negative review, disparaging blog post, or SEC filing, for example, shows up in Google, business colleagues drop out of deals, and clients stop calling, sales decline, money hemorrhages. Not good.

What is it worth to get things back in order?

$20,000–the average cost to repair a negative link–could be the difference between declining or thriving revenues.

Here are a few real-world online reputation management repair examples that might be helpful.

Case One: Contemporary Art Gallery Owner’s Bad Partnership Turns Ugly Online

For one client with a business worth several million dollars, an art gallery partnership dissolved un-amicably, resulting in the bad press put out by the other director looking for revenge and eliciting pain and suffering. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.  

When conducting a Google search, three negative links showed up, including one right at the top, by well-respected industry sites.

This was very damaging since it’s the first thing potential collectors see, and the more people click on it, the more likely it will remain prominent.  

As a result, his income slid to nearly zero because he couldn’t move forward with his career–not in the art world nor anything else. 

Result

After the repair treatment, however, he was able to find a new position, this time with a major auction house at a high salary.

Case Two: CEO of Small Financial Business Is Victim Of Unethical Competitor Resulting in Ruined Web Presence

In this case, a financial fund manager earning in the six figures gained a poor reputation due to a disgruntled–and unethical–competitor who purposefully ruined her web presence by posting damaging blog posts to gain a competitive advantage.  

Although legal actions were taken, it’s tough to prove the actual origin of the negative comments.

Her online reputation was damaged, and the business ultimately failed. She tried to join another company but could not find work because the first thing headhunters do is conduct a Google search.

Result

After the repair process, though, she not only found work back in the financial sector partnering with another fund manager, but she also increased her income because her new online reputation showed her as a highly visible and trustworthy advisor.

Case Three: Sole Practitioner Lawyer Loses $200,000 From One Negative Link

For a sole practitioner lawyer, it turned sour fast. A disgruntled client wrote something negative on an anonymous posting site, Ripoffreport.com, which shot right to the top of the search page within weeks. Soon after, the client realized they made a mistake and tried to redact the comment, but it was too late.

Result

The bottom line? The lawyer calculated that the one negative link resulted in $200,000 in lost business.  His income has since returned and has even grown since the web repair.

It is Worth $20K to Save Your Business From a Damaged Online Reputation

Spending $20,000 to save your business from a damaged online reputation could be a prudent investment and might be the difference between prospering or maybe going out of business.