As reputation management professionals, one of the most common questions we hear is: “Can you make negative Google results disappear?”
It’s a fair concern. Research shows a single negative search result can cause brands to lose up to 22% of potential customers. With three negative results, the number jumps to nearly 60%, and at four or more, brands risk losing 70% of opportunities.
Your online presence matters. A strong reputation can attract new business overnight, while negative press can damage it just as quickly. The key is consistent monitoring, proactive content creation, and strategic suppression of harmful results.
In this guide, we’ll walk through when results can be removed, how suppression works, and the best strategies to improve your brand’s digital footprint.
Table of Contents
When Can Results Actually Be Removed?
Here’s the truth: most negative results can’t be deleted from Google. The majority must be suppressed.
However, there are limited cases where removal is possible:
Exposure of personal information (phone numbers, home addresses, emails, Social Security numbers, financial or medical details)
Copyright or trademark violations
Counterfeit use of logos or brand assets
In these cases, you’ll need to file a request with Google and contact the website’s owner directly. Google can de-index the page from search results, but only the site owner can delete it permanently.
For everything else? Suppression is your best path forward.
How Suppression Works
Most people never scroll past Google’s first page. In fact, less than 1% of users click through to page two.
That means the goal isn’t to erase negative content—it’s to push it down past the first page where it won’t be seen. By replacing harmful links with optimized, positive assets, you can reclaim your digital real estate and reshape how people perceive your brand.
Step 1: Define the Problem
Before you build a strategy, you need clarity:
Pinpoint the exact results you want suppressed.
Note their position on page one (#1, #4, #7, etc.).
Categorize all other results as positive, neutral, owned, or external.
Identify the keywords that trigger the negative result.
That last step is critical. Often, a CEO or company leader isn’t directly tied to a scandal—but their name becomes a “problem keyword” because Google associates it with the event.
Your job is to understand which keywords are pulling up negative content so you can redirect them toward positive assets.
Step 2: Build Your Strategy
A well-rounded suppression strategy combines multiple tactics. Here’s what works best:
1. Boost Existing Owned Content
If you already have brand-controlled content ranking below the negative result, optimize it to climb higher. For example:
#4: negative article
#5: neutral external link
#6: positive owned page
By strengthening #6, you can outrank #4.
Optimize owned content for problem keywords by updating:
Meta titles and descriptions
Headings and subheadings
On-page content (naturally, without keyword stuffing)
Additionally, link internally to these pages with relevant anchor text to increase their authority.
You can only control a limited percentage of page one—make it count. Ensure your website includes:
An optimized homepage
An “About Us” page
A dedicated “About Me” or leadership profile page
Beyond core pages, invest in:
Blog posts (regular, useful, keyword-rich content)
Content tailored for Google’s “People Also Ask” and featured snippets
A verified Google Knowledge Panel
The more high-quality assets you own, the more real estate you claim.
3. Optimize Social and Business Profiles
Profiles on trusted platforms often rank well for branded searches. Create and maintain consistent listings on:
LinkedIn
Crunchbase
Bloomberg
Facebook
Instagram
X (Twitter)
YouTube
Consistency in naming and branding helps Google connect these profiles to you.
4. Launch a New Website
In some cases, creating new websites with targeted URLs can help. For example:
Authors: booktitle.com
Philanthropy: companygiving.com
These sites can rank well for specific queries and displace unwanted content.
5. Publish Guest Posts on High-Authority Sites
Guest articles on respected platforms benefit from existing domain authority. A well-placed byline with a branded bio not only improves visibility but also adds credibility to your reputation.
6. Manage Your Wikipedia Presence
If you or your company has a Wikipedia page, it will likely appear in the top three results. While you can’t control Wikipedia directly, monitoring for accuracy is essential. Updates here can also affect your Knowledge Panel and search carousels.
Step 3: Stay Vigilant
Successfully suppressing negative results is an achievement—but it’s not the finish line.
Online reputation management is ongoing. You need to:
Monitor results regularly
Keep positive assets updated and optimized
Continue publishing new, relevant content
Stay ahead of emerging search trends
Sometimes negative stories fade naturally as they become “old news,” but you can’t depend on time alone. To protect your reputation, you must remain proactive.
If you need expert support in protecting your brand’s search presence, we’re here to help.
