We get emails every day from small and large businesses, as well as individuals, complaining about something bad appearing about them on the internet. It may be true or false, but unfavorable articles, critical reviews, and compromising photographs can quickly derail someone’s career, social life, and damage a company’s financial performance.
Here are our top 3 ways to fix a damaged online reputation:
1. Contact the person who posted the harmful info about you or your company.
In most cases, they will not respond, because they often use a random email to make the account where they posted the document. They wrote in anger or out of frustration, and once they get it off their chest, they move on. Unfortunately, their review will stick forever unless something is done.
Still, in those instances where you know who the poster is, it is always best to first try to talk it out and explain why this info is unacceptable. If they have posted something that is untrue and/or defamatory, you may have to seek out legal help to get it taken down. The major drawback, of course, is the time and large expense involved to get something removed. If the person is in a different country, or uses a platform/server located in a country that does not recognize or enforce judgments from your country, even a win in court will mean nothing when it comes to getting the info off the front page of a Google search.
2. Build a network of new websites, then work to outrank the negative website.
This is traditionally known as ‘online reputation management‘, or ‘ORM’, for short. Not only is it a viable solution, but it allows you to have some control over the situation rather than leaving it to the opinion of a court, which could take months, or even years, to settle, not to mention spending an ENORMOUS amount of money in hiring a lawyer. Also, even if you are successful in getting one article/review removed, that won’t necessarily stop your enemy from posting again.
Outranking negative news takes time. Suppression of a website might take as little as a few months, but this is typically unusual. The outcomes on the first page generally take about six months to build.
3. Hire a negative SEO service.
Perhaps more controversial, and despite sounding self-serving, there are a number of genuine instances where personal contact and legal channels simply lead nowhere. Imagine one day doing a Google search for your name or your company’s name and discovering that not only has someone posted terrible things about you, but that your children, coworkers, friends, and neighbors can also see these things. Just as you would be right to defend yourself if someone physically attacked you or someone you love, there is no shame in wanting to fight for your reputation online.
If you come to our site as a visitor and require assistance, contact one of our representatives here immediately so that we can assist you in regaining your reputation where it belongs.