Potential customers will often google a business before using it–and herein lies the problem for many businesses. Any disgruntled employee, unsatisfied employee, or troublemaker has access to free blogs and forums through which they can assault that company. Whether or not their claims are valid, and they usually are not, companies want them removed or decreased in visibility. Internet reputation firms promise to bury the offending material by highlighting more positive pages, forums, or blog postings.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2008/sb20080430_356835.htm