
Case study
12months
Executive & Founder Reputation Management Case Study
A B2B SaaS founder was losing Page 1 to speculative industry coverage and strained board and investor trust. The engagement was built to displace noise with owned authority, not to debate the allegations in public.
Industry
Executives & C-Suite Leaders
Profile
48-year-old Founder & Managing Director
Challenge
Leadership controversy & media speculation
The Reputation Management Challenge
A founder of a B2B SaaS platform serving mid-market operations firms faced serious reputational strain after internal leadership allegations sparked speculative commentary across industry media. Within weeks, opinion-driven narratives had taken hold across:
• Niche SaaS and technology industry publications • Commentary and opinion blogs with moderate domain authority • Syndicated business content platforms republishing the original allegations
Page 1 and Page 2 were dominated by critical opinion pieces. Investor calls became strained. Two board-level stakeholders privately flagged concerns about the founder's continued visibility as the company's public face.
Baseline Search Results & Reputation Audit
Our Reputation Management Objective
Our Reputation Management Strategy
- Conducted a full name-based SERP audit mapping all 30 ranking URLs across Pages 1-3
- Identified LinkedIn as the highest-leverage platform for rapid authority building given existing domain strength
- Rebuilt the founder's LinkedIn profile from scratch - professional headline, detailed career narrative, skills, and endorsements
- Launched a structured thought leadership programme: 3 posts per week covering governance best practices, operational leadership, and long-term industry vision
- Developed and published long-form commentary pieces on two mid-authority SaaS publications under the founder's byline
- Built a personal professional website - indexed and beginning to rank within 8 weeks of launch
- Strengthened Google-visible profiles across Crunchbase, AngelList, and relevant business directories
- Consistently produced interview-style content positioning the founder as a forward-looking voice in the SaaS space
Month-by-Month Reputation Management Milestones
Swipe the row to see every period. Connectors show progress.
Reputation Management Results (12 Months)
- Negative opinion pieces suppressed from Page 1 and Page 2
- Founder-authored content ranking in the top 3 search results
- Page 1 shifted entirely toward leadership insight and professional authority
- Measurable improvement in investor and stakeholder sentiment reported directly by the client
Business Impact & Reputation Management Outcome
The founder's digital presence came to reflect experience, stability, and leadership depth. Investor conversations moved away from controversy and back to business fundamentals. The personal website and LinkedIn profile - both non-existent at the start of the engagement - became the defining assets of his professional identity online.
We work with executives and founders facing exactly this kind of exposure. This was resolved through the same negative link suppression process described here.
Related Reputation Management Case Studies
See how we've helped others in similar situations
- Case study
Startup Reputation Recovery After Funding Controversy
A public rift over a Series B round put governance and solvency rumours in the tech press, slowing hiring and a major renewal. The goal was to earn back share of top results with credible company and leader-led content.
Read full story→ - Case study
E-commerce & Retail Brand Recovery
A viral creator fallout pushed boycott sentiment and near-total negative SERPs within days. Recovery combined crisis-framed comms, durable brand assets, and systematic work to re-balance what prospects saw first.
Read full story→