Some people say that there’s no such thing as bad press. However, in this day and age, that’s just not true. Your company’s livelihood depends on its reputation, and Google plays a key role in that. Additionally, getting rid of content isn’t as easy as many seem to think. There are only a few cases where this is possible, and they’re not available to everyone. Additionally, you’ll need to know which steps to take and how to go about removing the negative content. But first, let’s see if there’s hope for your particular case.
Qualifying for Removal
Bluntly put, Google doesn’t care about you getting bad press — as long as it doesn’t pose a real threat. Moreover, the content needs to expose you to theft or other types of injury. So, if it exposes your personal information or puts you in harm’s way — Google will remove it from its search results. You can utilize the “Remove Information from Google” button if the content falls under one of the following categories:
- Photographs of signatures
- Credit card number or bank account
- Sexually explicit images
- Social security number
- Medical records
The only way to truly remove something from Google is for the original source to delete it. This scenario doesn’t happen too often, but it’s not impossible to convince the site’s owner to take the content down. Additionally, if the site removes the content, but it’s still visible in Google’s search results, you can ask Google to remove the deleted content. If worse comes to worse, and the matter can’t be settled, you can try to file a defamation lawsuit against the owner of the website. Still, this is a time-consuming and expensive route, which may simply end in the counter-party declaring bankruptcy and leaving you with little chance of collecting damages.
Burying Negative Content
Although a bit arduous, trying to bury the negative content might be the best way out. You can hire a company like us to build websites, social profiles, press releases, and optimize them to put your business or personal info in the best light possible. By promoting videos, articles, images, and other digital assets for your name or brand, you will be able to push down the negative info in search results so that only the good stuff shows. This is the go-to approach for most business and professionals who are dealing with negative PR and news on a large scale.
Final Thoughts
Bad reviews happen, and it’s something most businesses can’t avoid. This said, if you stay in control of every situation and catch problems before they escalate — you’ll be able to steer clear of negative content altogether. However, when it does occur, contact us immediately so that you’ll be able to deal with it and get it out of sight as soon as possible.