Plain-English FAQ.
No marketing fog. Every question we get on real strategy calls, with the direct answer.
About the firm
Is DefendMyRep a PR firm or an SEO firm?
Neither, and both. We are a reputation defense firm. PR and SEO are two of seven disciplines we run as one system, with AI defense (GEO + synthetic media) leading the front.
How long has DefendMyRep been around?
Founded in 2023. The senior analyst team brings 12+ years of defensive PR, SERP, and threat-intel experience per principal.
Are you US-based?
Yes — New York headquarters with senior analysts in five time zones. Engagements with international subsidiaries are common.
About engagements
What does an engagement cost?
Pricing is never posted online. Every engagement is scoped on the strategy call, against your specific surface. Financing up to $20,000 is available through three approved partners with same-day funding.
Do you guarantee a specific result?
We guarantee the protocol, the metrics, and the published model. We do not guarantee that a specific Google result will be removed — anyone who does is using tactics that will get you blacklisted.
How fast can the work start?
Standard engagements start within five business days. Crisis cell activation runs sub-60-minute mobilization with same-hour funding via Crisis Fast-Track financing.
Will I work with a senior person?
Yes. The director who scopes you is the director on your engagement. We do not use account-coordinator funnels.
About AI defense
What is GEO and why do I need it?
Generative Engine Optimization is the defense of how LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok) cite and summarize you. In 2026, roughly 38% of branded queries get answered before the user clicks. GEO is the new home page.
Can you guarantee a specific AI answer?
No, and avoid anyone who says yes. Frontier models retrain. We work the citation graph LLMs measurably pull from, and we measure the answer drift quarterly.
How do you detect a voice clone of me?
Voice-print registration with multiple commercial detection vendors, watermarking on new media you publish, and continuous scanning across the platforms attackers test on first (Telegram, Discord, kit channels) before mainstream upload.
About payment and policy
Do you accept chargebacks?
No. The Terms of Service § 8 contains a No-Chargeback Covenant. Disputes go through the procedure in § 9; chargebacks filed outside that procedure trigger liquidated damages, collections, and credit-bureau reporting per the Collections Policy.
Is there a refund policy?
Yes — narrowly. The forensic baseline carries a fit-refund within seven days of delivery. Crisis activations are non-refundable upon mobilization. Retainers are pro-rated only for fully-unused billing periods.
What happens if I cannot pay?
We expect this scenario. That is the entire reason financing exists. Funding partners run a soft credit pull only, decisions land in five minutes, funding lands the same day. The work starts now, not next quarter.
The standing engagement opens with a private call.
A single conversation, signed under non-disclosure, with the principal who would own your matter. You leave with a printed posture assessment and the engagement letter, whether or not you retain us.