Who among us hasn’t done an online search to find out more about someone or something, only to be met with a flood of unwanted and irrelevant results? From outdated content and negative reviews to social media posts and other personal information, it can feel like the internet is conspiring against you. Fortunately, there are ways to remove these unwanted search results so that your reputation remains intact. In this article, we’ll discuss how to effectively remove these types of search results and the different processes available for doing so.
What are Unwanted Search Results?
Unwanted search results are information that appears in a search engine result page (SERP) which is not related to the topic or query you searched for. These types of results can range from outdated content, negative reviews, and personal information, to irrelevant images and advertisements. Unwanted search results can be damaging to your reputation as they may contain inaccurate or inappropriate material, which could lead people to form a negative opinion about you or your business.
How to Remove Unwanted Search Results
Removing unwanted search results is essential if you want to maintain a positive online reputation. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to get rid of these undesired results.
The first step is to contact the website in question and request that they remove the content. If the content is hosted on their own website, they should be able to delete it quickly. However, if the content is hosted on another site, you may need to contact the owner of that website as well.
Types of Unwanted Search Results
Unwanted search results can come in many forms, from embarrassing personal posts to malicious content created by third parties. Unflattering photos, outdated contact information, and defamatory comments about your business or brand are all examples of unwanted search results that can significantly damage your online reputation.
According to an Advanced Web Ranking study, the first ten search results receive 84.8 percent of the total clicks. What’s worse, negative headlines perform 63 percent better than positive ones. Therefore, if negative content ranks in your top 10 search results, people are likely to read it.
External Link: https://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/
Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can cause serious damage to your online reputation, and it’s important to address them head-on. Ignoring negative reviews won’t make them go away; instead, it can give the impression that you don’t care about customer feedback or have poor customer service. It’s also important to respond in a timely manner – the longer you wait, the more likely it is that other customers will see the negative review and be deterred from doing business with you.
Outdated Content
Outdated content can be a major issue for businesses and organizations. It can give potential customers the wrong impression and cause them to question the validity of your products or services. Outdated content can also be detrimental to your search engine ranking, as old information may no longer be relevant to what people are searching for.
So, the first thing you (or your ORM team ) need to do is identify all unwanted search results.
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Negative Content
Negative content can have a serious impact on your business or organization. Whether it’s reviews, comments, or even false information, negative content can make potential customers doubt the validity of your products or services. It can also damage your reputation and cause people to turn away from you instead of trusting you.
Social Media Profiles and Posts
Social media has become an integral part of life and business, with everyone from individuals to companies using it to promote their products or services. It’s important to use social media in a responsible manner, as posts and profiles can be seen by anyone.
Credit Card Info & Identity Theft
Credit card fraud and identity theft are two of the most common forms of cybercrime. Credit card information can be stolen through a variety of methods, including phishing emails and malicious websites. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information to commit crimes or open accounts in your name.
Blog Posts & Other Personal Information
Blog posts and other personal information can be easily accessed by cybercriminals, so it’s important to take steps to protect yourself. Be aware of what information you are posting online – don’t post anything that could identify you or give away sensitive information. Ensure all your passwords are strong and unique, and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Limit who can access your blog posts by making sure privacy settings are enabled on social media websites.
Google Removal Requests Process
Google Removal Requests are a way to remove unwanted search results from appearing in Google search. The process is simple and straightforward: Go to the URL removal tool on the Google Search Console, enter the URL of the webpage you want removed, and click submit. Once submitted, Google will review your request and determine if it meets their removal policy guidelines. If approved, the page will be removed from Google’s search index within 48 hours. It is important to note that this process only works for webpages, not entire websites or other content such as images or videos. Additionally, submitting a removal request does not guarantee that the page will be taken down permanently; it may reappear in future searches if there are changes to the page or website content.
Knowledge Panels & Removal Requests
Knowledge Panels are an important part of the Google experience, providing quick access to information about a person or organization when a user searches for their name. When used in conjunction with Removal Requests, Knowledge Panels can provide users with greater control over their online presence.
Different Types of Content Removal Requests Processes
Different types of content removal requests can be made to Google in order to remove unwanted search results. Generally, these are categorized into two main types: Manual Removal Requests and Automated Removal Requests.