Asking Google to remove unwanted search results is easy if the content in question violates Google’s terms of service. You can also clean up content you own in less than an hour.
Beyond that, things get a bit tricky.
The fastest option is hiring a reputation management expert. BetterReputation offers a refreshingly simple (and affordable) solution for removing and cleaning up unwanted search results from Google.
Reputation Defense Network is great if you need help building a legal case. Rhino Reviews offer a full suite of reputation management services for businesses, but at a much higher price point.
Prefer to DIY? Keep reading–we’ve got you covered.
1. Use One of Google’s Online Forms
Google’s personal content policies protect you in the following situations:
- Explicit or intimate personal images
- Involuntary fake pornography
- Pornography irrelevantly connected to you/your name
- Personally identifiable information (PII) or doxxing content
- Content about you on sites with exploitative removal practices
- Non-explicit images of minors
The links above will take you to additional details about removal requirements for each type of violation.
If the results you want to remove meet one of them, your best bet is Google’s request removal form. It’ll guide you through a series of questions, ultimately leading to you submitting it for review.
If you want to remove content for legal reasons, like a court order, copyright or trademark infringement, or a law violation, you should use this form instead.
Once you submit your request, you’ll get an email confirmation. Google will then review your request. They may also ask for more information if they need it.
You’ll get an email letting you know whether or not the content will be removed. If they decide not to remove it, you’ll get a short explanation.
If your request is denied, you can resubmit when you have more evidence.
2. Submit a Removal Request for Individual Search Results
You can submit a removal request for individual pages directly in search results, too.
All you have to do is click on the three dots above and to the right of the title. This will bring up a separate menu with more information. Click on “Remove Result.”
Then, choose why you want to remove it. After that, follow the prompts to submit your removal request.
If you want to remove an image, click on the Images tab.
When you find the image you want removed, click on it to preview it. When the preview populates, click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner.
Next, select “Report this result.”
Then, choose why you’re reporting the image and follow the prompts to complete the removal request.
Like the first process, you’ll receive an email confirmation once you submit your removal request. Google will review your case and ask for more information if needed. At the end, they’ll notify you of their decision.
If your request is denied, you can resubmit it when you have more material to support your argument.
You can also monitor the status of your request on the Results About You Page. Scroll down to “Removal Requests” and you’ll see everything you’ve submitted.
You can filter by in progress, approved, denied, or undone.
It can take as little as 24 hours to get a decision from Google or as long as a few weeks. Either way, there may be a slight delay in when the result is actually removed from Google if your request is approved. However, it should be removed within a few hours of the approval.
3. Get Rid of Unwanted Content You Control
You have more control over what pops up in Google search results than you may realize.
Deleting old posts on social media, your own blog posts, unnecessary web pages, and any other accounts you don’t want showing up is a great way to maintain control of the narrative. Depending on what platform you’re using, there are different ways to do it.
But it’s usually as easy as selecting the post or account and deleting it.
This won’t remove search results immediately. However, they will eventually stop showing up in search results when Google realizes they no longer exist. You may be able to speed this up by reporting them (step 2).
You can also check the privacy settings on all of your accounts to limit the personal information shared with search engines.
To do so, go to the privacy settings on every online account you can think of, including your Google account, social media profiles, the sites you shop with, and any subscriptions you have.
From there, you’ll be able to see (and disable) all the sites sharing information with Google.
4. Contact the Site Owner Directly
When you reach out to a website owner, the most common outcome is… nothing. Don’t let that stop you, though–you may get lucky.
You can do so by filling out their contact form or reaching out to them via the email address or phone number listed. If you can’t find contact information, Hunter.io or a premium LinkedIn subscription may help you get in touch with the right person.
There are multiple strategies you can use to appeal to them, from pulling on their heart strings to a more logical approach. ChatGPT can help you out if you’re stuck.
5. Create a Positive Content Campaign to Bury Negative Search Results
If you’ve tried all the above and haven’t had any luck, there’s still hope.
According to a Backlinko study, only .63% of people go to page two of Google’s search results and click a link. So, the next best thing is burying unwanted search results on page two or beyond.
Although this won’t permanently remove anything, most people will never see it.
If you run you’re own website, you can use it (or other sites you own) to rank for the same keywords or phrases. The more pages that rank, the further down the unwanted results will go.
You will need to know how to create content that ranks and understand search engine optimization (SEO) for this work.
You’ll also need to be patient. It takes a lot of strategy, effort, and consistency to see results.
If you don’t have time to do it yourself or are on a tight time crunch, partnering with an online reputation management service, like BetterReputation, Reputation Defense Network or Rhino Reviews, is the way to go. They’ll put together strategic campaigns that encompass all the methods we covered here (and then some) to clean up your online image from every angle.
