15 Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Reputation Management Contract

Why these questions matter

People usually call a reputation firm when something is already hurting. That is exactly when it is easiest to sign a contract you do not fully understand. A few minutes with these questions slows the process down and gives you a clear, written picture of what you are buying. A good firm will be glad you asked. A firm that dodges is telling you something.

If you have not yet seen what goes into a quote, read why reputation management quotes cost so much first.

Questions about deliverables

1. What exactly will you deliver each month? Ask for numbers: pages built, articles written, profiles created or updated, outreach attempts, removal requests filed. Vague categories like "brand building" make it impossible to tell whether you got what you paid for.

2. Which results do you expect to move, and which do you not? An honest firm will look at your audit and tell you some results are realistic targets and some are not. A firm that says everything can move is guessing or selling.

3. What will you need from me? Interviews, approvals, documents, account access. Work stalls when a firm is waiting on you, so know this up front.

Questions about methods

4. Where will content about me be published? Name the sites. This is the most revealing question. Real outreach means real publications that would cover you on the merits. If the answer is "a network of high authority sites" with no names, ask whether those sites are owned or paid for by the firm.

5. Do you pay for any links or placements? Paid links that pass ranking credit violate Google's spam policies. Sponsored content should be labeled as sponsored. If the firm's plan depends on undisclosed paid placements, that is a risk you carry.

6. How do you handle reviews? Under the FTC's rule on fake reviews and testimonials, creating fake reviews or buying positive ones can lead to penalties. Ask the firm to describe its review process in detail. Our guide to reputation management tactics that backfire explains why this matters.

7. What removal requests will you file, and under which policies? Ask them to name the Google policy or site rule for each request. If the answer is "we have ways," be cautious. See Google's removal policies for what actually qualifies.

Questions about ownership

8. Who will own the domain, the website, and the content? It should be you, registered in your name, with your login. A site on a firm's domain disappears when you stop paying. Our guide to owning versus renting your name online explains why this is the most expensive detail people skip.

9. Who will have the logins for profiles you create? You should get every username and password, and every profile should use an email address you control.

10. What happens to everything when the contract ends? Ask for the handback process in writing: domain transfer, site files, content, and account access.

Questions about measurement

11. How will we measure success? Agree on a list of searches (your name, your name plus city, and so on) and the pages to track before you start. Ask to see a sample report.

12. How often will you report, and what will the report show? A good report shows positions for named searches and named pages, plus the work done that month. A report full of charts with no named searches is hard to evaluate.

Questions about the contract

13. What is the minimum term, and what does it cost in total? Multiply the monthly fee by the minimum term, and add any setup fees and pass-through costs.

14. How do I cancel, and is there a refund? Read the notice period and refund terms. Ask what happens if you leave partway through.

15. What happens if nothing moves after six months? A firm with a real answer, like a revised plan, a pause, or a partial refund, has thought about it. A firm that will only promise results probably has not.

Answers that should make you walk away

Our guide to reputation help red flags has more.

• "Removal is guaranteed" or "Page one is guaranteed." No one can guarantee this for lawful content.
• "Our methods are proprietary." Legitimate methods can be explained in plain language.
• "We will build the site on our domain." You lose it when you leave.
• "This price is only good today." Urgency is a sales tactic.
• "We can get you reviews." Ask how. If the answer involves paying for reviews or writing them, leave.

How to compare two proposals

If you have quotes from more than one firm, put their answers side by side. Make a simple table with one row per question and one column per firm. Fill it in from their written answers, not from what you remember of a sales call. Patterns jump out quickly. One firm may name publications while the other does not. One may build on your domain while the other keeps it. One may offer a clear exit while the other locks you in.

Then add the total cost over the minimum term to the bottom of each column. A firm with a higher monthly fee but clear deliverables, full ownership, and a fair exit may be a better deal than a cheaper one with vague answers. And if neither looks good, that is useful information too.

Before you sign anything

Compare what you have learned against doing the work yourself. Our step by step DIY guide covers every deliverable on a typical proposal, and our guide to alternatives to hiring a firm lists options in between.

For what it is worth, here are FairlyKnown's answers to the questions above: we build and grow a personal website on a domain registered in your name, you approve every page before it goes live, we publish only on your site, we do not buy links or reviews, we do not promise removals or rankings, and our prices are public. If you leave, the domain is yours.

Common questions

Sources

1. Do you need an SEO? (Google Search Central)
2. Spam policies for Google web search (Google Search Central)
3. Federal Trade Commission announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (Federal Trade Commission)
4. How to avoid a scam (Federal Trade Commission)