If you would like to have something removed from Google search results, the best course of action is to contact the owner of the website or domain and request that it be removed. Sometimes, negative content promises to be so detrimental to a reputation that burying it with positive and neutral content just won’t do. Revenge porn, private information, and content published in order to do harm can be brought to the attention of Google for removal. Citizens of EU countries may have additional recourse because of the expansive privacy legislation in Europe. In many cases, you may need to consult with a content removal specialist or online reputation management company in order to protect your online reputation.

No matter the search engine, your first course of action to remove negative information from the internet should be contacting the website’s host or owner. If this is not appropriate, you may contact Google, Bing, or Yahoo. If you know who has published the negative content, and the information is false, you can sue them for defamation and take it to court. There are no guarantees when it comes to the removal of negative information from the internet; however, working with a top reputation management company, skilled in navigating laws, policies, regulations, and procedures related to online search results, will greatly increase your chances of success.

A bad review cannot be removed from Google simply because you disagree with the content of the online review. Opinions, even rude, obnoxious, and hurtful opinions are protected speech. You must be able to prove that a review came from a competitor, or from someone who’s never done business with your company, for instance. If you can prove that the review is fake, you can then flag it and communicate your evidence to Google. If it is a real review from an actual client or customer, then it’s best to respond to the review by thanking the person for their opinion and working to solve the problem.

Every platform has a different procedure to delete an online review. The very first course of action should be to either contact the reviewer directly and ask them to remove it (unless they are using profanity or show signs of mental instability) or respond to the negative review publicly to resolve the situation. Online reputation management companies may also have creative ways to remove a review from popular websites. If you consider the review to be slander or libel, flag and report the review (but be ready to submit evidence as to why the review is false). If the review violates the site’s terms of service, you can also flag it and ask for it to be removed. Unfortunately, websites are not responsible for what users post (Section 230, Communications Decency Act), so sites are not liable.

According to BrightLocal, 74% of businesses have at least one Google review. When you consider that Google reviews are the most visible in searches, it becomes imperative that your Google reviews be positive. You cannot delete a Google review of you or your business unless you can prove it’s libel or slander. If it is a fake review (and you can prove that it was posted by someone other than an actual customer), you can flag it and present your case to Google for removal.