Removing an article from Google can be as easy as contacting the author. Sometimes the author is reluctant to take down the article, especially if it has a good ranking. Such cases may require assessing legal grounds and contacting Google.
Learning how to remove articles from Google is inevitable if you have a brand or business to protect. You must keep tabs on your online reputation, which involves promoting your best features and removing negative publications.
How to Remove Articles From Google?
Most people seek to remove publications that share their business or brand in a negative light. You can also request the removal of articles that share your confidential information. The first step to removing articles from Google is documenting the specifics.
Find out where the article is published and note the URL and publisher. Review the entire article and record parts you’d like removed/changed and reasons for requesting removal. You can also perform an incognito search to find other websites where the article has been republished.
Documenting relevant information makes it easier for the author to identify the article you’re talking about. The goal is to expedite the removal process. Here’s an overview of how to remove articles from Google:
1. Speak to The Author
Reaching out to the author of an article is one of the feasible solutions when you want to remove a publication from Google. You can get contact information and send a polite request. Make your email as persuasive as possible without being threatening.
Writing and publishing an article takes a lot of time and effort, so authors are often reluctant to take their work down. Don’t impose yourself on the author, which can result in pushback. Using the notes you made, you can ask them to edit specific parts that impact your reputation.
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2. Involve a Lawyer
Polite outreach is the best way to get articles removed from Google, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes you can’t reach the publisher, or the author refuses to remove the article. You can consider legal defenses like the statute of limitation, wire service defense, substantial truth doctrine, fair report privilege, and newsworthiness defense.
If your lawyer identifies valid grounds, don’t threaten the author with legal action or make demands. Follow the right due process for unpublishing the content. Some cases involve seeking a court order.
3. Ask for Google’s Help
You can ask Google to remove an article from their search results and servers. The article must first meet specific conditions that warrant a take-down. Google can remove content that violates its terms and conditions or meets the search removal policies. If the article violates intellectual property rights like trademark and copyright, Google won’t hesitate to take it down.
The search engine can also remove articles containing personally identifiable information and login credentials. Other reasons Google considers include failure to comply with a court order.
4. Hire an ORM Company
Working with an online reputation management (ORM) company is one of the ways to remove articles from Google. ORM companies specialize in protecting your online image, and removing negative publications is what they do regularly.
You can hire an ORM company to help you contact authors, find legal grounds for unpublishing an article, or contact Google. The company will handle the unpublishing, allowing you to focus on other things. Hire reputable, long-serving reputation management companies.
5. Consider Content Suppression
Google and the courts won’t force publishers to unpublish their articles without valid grounds. You can consider alternative solutions if you have no valid legal reasons for requesting removal. Content suppression is one way to reduce the impact of negative articles.
Instead of requesting permanent removal, you can work with ORM companies to push the article further down the search engine result page. Suppression can also be achieved by publishing high-quality articles on high-profile websites to share your business in a positive light.
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Key Takeaways for Brand Owners
Personal and business brands depend on their reputation. Negative articles can damage your reputation and keep you from attracting more customers. You can remove negative publications about your business if you’ve had negative publications written about it.
Learning how to remove an article from Google is the first step. Consider involving a reputation management firm to handle the unpublishing process. ORM companies specialize in creating a clean digital footprint.
