Search Engine Image Protection (SEIP), also known as search engine reputation management, combines the expertise of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and PR, and is designed to protect a company or brand against incorrect negative publicity via the Internet.
By using SEIP strategies to push potentially damaging information out of the top search engine rankings, marketers hope to protect their brand image and make a good impression on Internet users who may be researching a future purchase.
SEIP draws on a combination of SEM and public relations strategies to supplant unflattering online content with brand-friendly content. Typically this involves regular monitoring of search pages, blogs, news sites and discussion pages for negative, false or out-dated information on a company or brand.
Marketers produce web releases, blog entries, articles and other fresh content for online submission. If well designed and distributed, this content will be picked up by the search engines, pushing the older, less desirable information out of the top rankings on the search engine results pages (SERP) and out of the view of most search engine users.
This process takes advantage of the natural turnover of Internet content. If out-dated information is ranking highly on the search engines, it may not be replaced until newer content is introduced. In addition to protecting their brand, marketers are helping consumers by providing relevant product information and assisting Website administrators by offering fresh content.
With its emphasis on influencing search engine results to protect a corporate or brand image, SEIP can be thought of relating to other areas of online marketing, such as Word of Mouth Marketing and Search Engine Optimization. The strategy also has strong ties to public relations.