Google turned 12 on Monday, giving Business Insider and others a great reason to reflect on how the company’s been doing so far. And a big part of how it’s doing is how people think about the company.

It gets solid reviews in the public relations department, Business Insider says, citing the company’s “smart PR decisions” as “integral to Google’s success.”

Among its notable actions: anticipating potential problems, responding to community concerns, and talking to the public, the article says, recognizing that the company has also had “some pretty big messes” to mop up along the way.

It points to privacy issues caused by Google Buzz and Google Street View, which many argued came too far into people’s lives, the former by showing who users emailed most and latter zooming in too far into people’s comings and goings.

“But the company’s reaction on both occasions was decisive, swift and accommodating,” the article says. “Google revamped Google buzz privacy settings and launched a campaign to educate users on their choices. On Street View it blotched out faces, building interiors, and other revealing details and setup a system where users can request the removal of compromising pictures.”

In January, PRNewser reported on Jill Hazelbaker taking the helm for Google’s communications.