Learn how to remove negative content from Google with our step-by-step guide.
Many people don’t realize that unwanted search results can damage someone’s personal life or company. New articles show up online daily, and many of them have been on the internet for many years. If online articles include targeted negative information about an individual or company, they can potentially destroy someone’s life, business or both.
Years after a blog post, video, or article is published on a web page, it can still have very destructive effects. Right now, you’re probably wondering how you can remove negative articles and content from Google searches and other online sources like YouTube and social media channels.
In this article, we’ll discuss processes and methods for removing negative news articles and other content from Google searches, especially regarding defamatory or fake information.
Do you need help to remove negative news articles from search engines? Call us at
(844) 458-6735
for an in-depth audit and valuable insights from an online reputation expert.
An Overview of Removing Negative Articles From the Search Engine Results Page
Once you do a Google search for your brand name, you may notice a lot of negative content on the internet associated with you or your brand. At that moment, you may think that the easiest option is to give up and remove all of your information from the internet.
That’s not always possible, though. Much of the information in Google Search comes from public sources. It’s difficult to find whoever’s responsible for posting the information and convince them to take it down. And Google needs a compelling reason to remove search results from its database.
If search results go against Google’s Terms of Service, most of the time, the damaging and negative content can be blocked from the search engine results page in some way. However, in many situations, content cannot be deleted from search results, and you’ll need to use a different approach to sort it out.
One of the best approaches is the reverse SEO method. With this method, all negative results that appear in Google Search can be suppressed, pushed down, and removed from the first search engine results page (SERP).
Deleting Google Results and Alternative Options
It’s a very difficult and time-consuming process to remove negative search results from the internet. Because of the internet’s viral nature and content-removal policies, even negative search results cannot disappear entirely.
For all the negative content that cannot disappear, though, there are approaches that you can take to essentially hide the information from users. A critical reputation management strategy is content suppression, also known as reverse SEO.
This method of suppressing negative Google search results is highly effective. It pushes negative content off the first Google search page and down to the second page (at least). Only a small percentage of people look there.
As we’ve mentioned, some negative search results cannot be removed or deleted unless they are in violation of Google policies. In this case, your next best option is to create new and fresh content that will rise above negative results appearing on Google.
Do You Need To Remove Negative Articles From Google?
It can be a real challenge to decide on the right approach and online reputation management strategy for removing negative articles from the internet.
Unfortunately, online reputation management (ORM) is often ignored until the last moment. Reputation work is commonly pushed back until you find yourself in the middle of some scandal.
If you wait to take proactive measures mid-scandal, it’ll likely be too late, as you’ll already be in the middle of an online reputation mess. Instead, take a preventative approach to avoid the problem in the first place. At the same time, have a plan of action in place so you know exactly what to do should a PR crisis arise.
The most important thing is to keep calm and try to understand the problem. Then, make a detailed plan to sort out the problem swiftly and lessen the impact of the situation.
This will be your first step when dealing with negative results on the internet. You will need to understand, identify, and try to resolve the problem that created the negative feedback in the first place.
You should also take some time to understand what happened and what caused the negative feedback. Once you determine the problem, you will be able to make the necessary changes to prevent similar situations from happening again.
Don’t wait — get started today with online reputation management or repair. Give us a call at
(844) 458-6735
to learn more.
The Importance of Google Search Results
Every problem on the internet has a starting point. For example, a serious online reputation problem can begin with a single bad review, article, or blog post directed at an individual or business.
Once you are mentioned in a negative context on the internet, those search results go hand in hand with your name. Users won’t even have to look past the first SERP to make a snap judgment about you or your brand.
Search engines like Google match the keywords you use to perform a search with the information stored in their databases. In seconds, Google can find precise information to help you access the search results you’re after.
Right now, you must be wondering what happens when potential customers or hiring managers Google your name or the name of your business. If negative search engine results show up first, their ability to trust you or their willingness to work with you will decrease a lot.
Removing Negative Search Results Benefits You and Your Business
We’ve already mentioned many reasons why you should remove negative results from Google searches. Right now, we’ll focus on some numbers and statistics so you can better understand how much negative articles can impact your business.
When people (potential customers) Google your name, what they see online will impact their perception. Do you wonder what impact will be left on people if they see negative content when they search for your brand name or company?
Here are a few eye-opening stats to consider:
- The top organic result in Google Search is 10x more likely to be clicked than the No. 10 result, and it has an average click-through rate (CTR) of 27.6%.
- Less than 1% of users click on a result on the second SERP, which means most users stay on the first results page.
- Over 93% of online shoppers read reviews before making an online purchase.
- 36% of consumers use two review sites when researching local businesses, and 41% use at least three sites.
Moreover, studies found that very few people will purchase from a company if negative reviews show up on the SERP.
At this point, you probably have a much better understanding of why people, brands, and companies want to learn how to remove negative content from Google searches.
What Is Negative Content Suppression?
The process of creating content that will rank high on SERPs and outrank and bury negative search results is called negative content suppression. The main goal of suppression is to remove brand-related negative articles, content, videos and other search results from the first Google results page.
We already mentioned that a very low percentage of people will click beyond the first page of Google results. Suppressing negative search results serves to push negative content off the first page. This prevents a majority of users from finding it.
Learn more about how we remove negative reviews from Google here.
Suppressing Negative Results on Google
We know you won’t be happy if you find something bad written about you or your company online. Because of situations like this, people often wonder about suppression tactics. They want to learn how to suppress or remove negative articles from Google search results.
It’s very common for companies to come across bad content or negative reviews at one point or another. At times, business owners will feel that the feedback or coverage is inaccurate and does not reflect their brand or products.
In these cases, their main goal is to have the information removed from the internet completely. Unfortunately, that’s not often a possibility.
Unless you can prove that the content violates Google’s policies, the search engine is unlikely to remove negative articles, poor reviews or other types of negative results from the database.
For negative search results that cannot be deleted or removed from the internet, there is another option. You can hire an ORM and search engine optimization professional who knows how to apply suppression tactics.
Often, suppressing negative content online involves the following steps:
- Building a personal website and/or professional site where you can post regular content that you own and have full control over.
- Promote your new website and the content you create so that it climbs in search rankings.
- Link all of your owned websites with your social media accounts.
From 24-hour monitoring to upscale content and personal website creation, our team of ORM experts can help you create the online presence you deserve. Contact us at
(844) 458-6735
for more information.
Content Suppression Steps
Interested in suppressing negative information online to protect your brand’s digital reputation? Here are the basic steps that ORM professionals take for content suppression.
Find the Phrases That Trigger Negative Content
It’s common to look for positive keyword phrases and search results related to your company on the first page of Google results. For suppression, though, you’ll need to seek out negative search results instead.
Once you’ve found the phrases and content that are harming your reputation, you’ll know exactly where to focus your efforts.
Boost Positive Results in Google
After you’ve identified all the negative information appearing on the top search results pages, you’ll need to start optimizing your own content so it appears higher on Google search results pages.
For this process, you’ll need to use SEO tactics such as link building and keyword targeting to optimize your content so it can outrank bad results.
Create Fresh SEO Content
In addition to optimizing existing content, you’ll want to create fresh content on a regular basis. Focus on developing new blog posts and social media posts that will get top billing on the SERP. If needed, set up new websites and social media profiles so you have several options for where to post your content.
Track Your Progress
After you have successfully completed the previous steps, you’ll need to spend some time tracking your progress. Be sure to monitor the keywords or search terms that you are trying to rank to see if they are getting the desired results.
Meanwhile, you’ll also want to keep track of negative search results and check regularly to see if they’re moving down. The best outcome for you will be when negative results fall from the first Google search page to the following pages.
Removing Negative Results From Websites You Don’t Own
Unfortunately, most negative information about you or your brand will be published on websites that you don’t control. This can make it especially hard to have it taken down. Here are the steps to take to see if the website owner or Google will remove the information.
Find the Original Source and Third-Party Sources
Initially, you must locate the source that originally posted the harmful content. Then, track down other sources that picked up the original information and posted it online.
To monitor future mentions of your brand online, you can use a free tool like Google Alerts. That way, even if you have negative information removed, you’ll know right away if it pops back up online in the future.
Directly Contact the Website Owner
Once you find the main source of the information, you can contact the webmaster. Not able to find the website owner’s contact information on the site itself? Check the ICANN database, which provides registration data for websites.
We suggest that you remain calm and ask politely if the negative information related to your business can be removed. If the content violates the website’s policies, point that out.
If the posted information uses facts, the web owner is not obligated to remove it. Because of that, you should be polite and try to explain why that harmful content should be removed.
If the webmaster refuses to remove the negative information, ask them to add a no-index tag to the content instead. While this won’t remove the content, it will signal to Google that it shouldn’t include the content in search results. You can also ask that they remove your name or your brand name from the content and replace it with a more generic description.
Always remember that this method is for removing bad content from third-party websites. You shouldn’t contact Google in situations like this. Google does not create content and is not responsible for negative information posted online.
Keep Proof of the Conversation
When you’re having a conversation with the webmaster, always remember to take screenshots. If things get more serious, you must have records of the exchange. For example, if you decide to take legal action against someone, having screenshots can significantly help you win your case.
Report Web Content That Violates Google’s Policies
Any website that violates Google’s rules and publishes defamatory or vindictive content — or that gives away sensitive personal information about someone — can be reported to Google. Learn more about reporting content to Google here.
Final Thoughts About Reverse SEO and Your Online Reputation
Do you have negative Google search results, defamatory comments, or bad reviews about your company online? You probably want to remove them completely from the internet. Since this isn’t an option in most cases, you can at least take steps to remove negative results from the first page of Google.
After you decide that the suppression method is your best option for dealing with negative comments on the internet, creating high-quality SEO content will be the key factor for your success. This process will require competition research, keyword research, and other techniques. You also may need to invest in software.
By removing negative search results from the internet, you’ll break the links that associate your business with those bad reviews or comments. Best of all, the high-quality content you create will not only push down bad content, but it can also be a great boost for your business.
The way you’re perceived online matters, and a poor online reputation can damage your personal life and your professional opportunities.
Find out how to create the online reputation you deserve by calling our ORM professionals at
(844) 458-6735
today.