The repercussions of negative, false and defamatory content on the web are profound for businesses and individuals, especially when it ranks prominently on Google.
This article explores nine of the most effective and commonly used strategies for removing negative content from the web.
The effectiveness of these methods may vary due to changes in laws, search engine policies, and your specific situation.
Most websites that host user-generated content (UGC), including Facebook, Reddit, and Yelp, have a defined set of community guidelines. They clarify what type of content is allowed or prohibited on their website.
To find the community guidelines for a specific website, a simple “[site name] + community guidelines” Google search should show them.
You can flag or report content for removal if negative content violates one of their policies. You will normally receive a response from the website’s content moderation team within a few days.
Because of a law known as a Communications Decency Act (section 230a)Website owners that host user-generated content have no legal responsibility for what is posted on their website.
All US websites that host UGC can decide what will or will not be removed from their website. If your removal request is denied, your best bet is to respond and/or remove the harmful content.
Dig deeper: a quick guide to managing your online reputation
2. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and doxxing
Notifying Google of false and defamatory content containing personal information may result in removal of links from search results.
Below is a list of all types of personal information that Google will consider removing from its search results:
Government confidential identification. Identification numbers (eg, US Social Security number). Bank account numbers. Credit card numbers. Images of handwritten signatures. Images of identity documents. Highly personal, restricted and official records (eg medical records). Personal contact information (for example, physical addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses). Confidential login credentials.
Here they are Google instructions to request the removal of personally identifiable information.
Dig deeper: how to repair your Google search results and restore your online reputation
3. Copyright infringement
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a federal law designed to address the issue of copyright infringement. It comes into play when your copyrighted content is posted on a website without consent.
Website owners take US copyright laws seriously given the potential legal liability they face if they do not promptly disable access to infringing content.
If a website does not adhere to a DMCA notice, you can send a copyright infringement notice to the website’s hosting provider, such as GoDaddyor Google. If Google approves, it will permanently remove the link hosting the infringing content from Google search results.
Mediation can be an effective method of removing content.
When negative content publishers can remove negative content and can be contacted, a third-party mediator or reputation management expert can work to facilitate the removal of negative content.
This should be handled with care as a wrong approach can make the situation worse.
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5. Negotiation
For specific situations, there may be an opportunity to negotiate with the publisher about the negative content and have it reviewed or removed.
For example, if your customer leaves a negative review, talking to them about the situation and finding an amicable solution may be the best way forward.
This could involve offering your customer a full refund for your service and politely asking them to edit or remove their initial negative feedback.
Learn more: How to respond to negative reviews that damage your company’s reputation
6. Report exploitative disposal practices
Google has a policy to remove content from its search results if you are the victim of exploitative removal practices.
If you are on a website that contains negative content about you and the website owner asks for payment to remove it, you can contact Google to remove it.
In order for the withdrawal request to be considered, the following requirements must be met:
You are the object of the content of the submitted URL. The website is not a business review site. The website has removal practices that require payment to the site or other agencies to remove content.
7. Sexually explicit content
Google has implemented measures to protect users from the distribution of nude and non-consensual images. Victims of such content may request removal of images or videos from search results by submitting a removal request.
Websites often emphasize the importance of consent when distributing explicit material and may provide a notification mechanism to address such content.
Another disturbing trend is the rise of AI-generated “fake porn”, where people use machine learning technology to put someone’s face in an explicit video without their permission. Google has created a report form to remove this type of content.
8. Right to be forgotten
In 2014, the European Union passed a ruling known as the “right to be forgotten”. EU citizens have the right to request content removal related to your name if it is “inaccurate, inappropriate, irrelevant or excessive.”
This has resulted in more than a million EU citizens asking to remove content from Google search results. Unfortunately, in the United States, such a law does not exist at this time.
9. Court order
As a last resort, legal strategies may be available to remove negative content from the web. One approach to removing negative and defamatory content from Google is to obtain a court order.
When a website receives a court order declaring the hosted content defamatory, it is required by law to remove it. If the website does not respond to the request, you can submit the court order to Google Legal Departmentand will remove the link from search results.
It is important to consider the public exposure and legal costs of filing a defamation lawsuit, which is the first step in obtaining an injunction.
Protect your brand from harmful online content
The removal of negative or harmful content on the Internet is possible depending on your circumstances.
If you find yourself on the receiving end of content that negatively affects your reputation, there’s no need to panic.
Even if it is impossible to remove the content, there will always be alternative strategies to mitigate the damage and visibility of the negative results.
Going Deeper: A Three-Phase Approach to Proactive Online Reputation Management
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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