What online reputation entails in 2026
The online reputation of an executive or a startup is built across several fronts simultaneously. The first is the one everyone knows: Google results for the founder's or company's name. This includes press articles, LinkedIn profiles, reviews on B2B platforms, and mentions in industry forums.
The second front is newer and less well-managed: generative AI responses. When a prospect types "who is [founder]" or "[startup] reviews" into ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Mode, these systems generate a response based on the content they have indexed. This response is your LLM reputation, and it can be very different from the image the executive thinks they are projecting.
A founder whose Google reputation is solid but whose LLM reputation is absent or inaccurate pays an invisible commercial price: prospects who use AI to research them before a first meeting don't find what they need.
Factors that build or damage online reputation
Online reputation is built through the accumulation of signals. On the positive side: articles in reputable media, mentions by recognized third parties, verified reviews on B2B platforms (G2, Capterra), a consistent and well-documented LinkedIn presence, and public stances on relevant topics.
On the negative side: unmanaged PR crises, unanswered negative customer reviews, outdated content that no longer aligns with current positioning, or simply a lack of sufficient positive content to outweigh negative results.
The 2026 reality is that LLMs weigh information differently than Google. They look for citable sources, structured content, and information repeated across multiple independent sources. An executive mentioned once in a major media outlet will be less well-represented in LLMs than an executive mentioned ten times in diverse, even less prestigious, sources.
What we see with our clients
Founders who start posting regularly on LinkedIn and securing press coverage see their LLM reputation improve measurably within six to twelve months. The mechanism is as follows: LinkedIn content is indexed by LLMs, press articles create third-party authority signals, and the combination of both produces a digital footprint dense enough for AI to have something to say about that executive.
Conversely, founders with little online presence, even with a good reputation in their direct networks, are often "invisible" to LLMs. Their digital reputation does not reflect their real-world reputation, creating a detrimental gap during prospecting phases when potential partners research them before the first contact.
Managing a damaged online reputation
When online reputation is negative or non-existent, two approaches coexist. The first is defensive: responding to negative reviews, contacting platforms to address erroneous content, and working on the SEO of positive content so it displaces negative results.
The second is offensive and more sustainable: producing enough positive, authoritative content so that negative signals become the minority. An active LinkedIn publishing and PR program is the most effective lever over twelve to eighteen months to rebuild a damaged online reputation or build one from scratch.
To learn more: How to manage a PR crisis and LinkedIn and GEO: optimizing your messaging for generative AI.
