A single negative news article can slash your sales chances by 42%. Removing news articles from Google presents a tough challenge because publishers rarely delete their content outright.
Bad news gets worse. More than four negative reviews could drop your business sales by 70%. This happens because Google’s algorithms favor engaging content, so negative stories often dominate search results. News websites hold special authority in Google’s eyes, which keeps these articles ranking high and visible for years.
The numbers paint a stark picture. Only 0.63% of users click past Google’s first page results. Your brand’s image lives or dies on that first page.
Getting news articles scrubbed from the internet takes time and patience, but proven strategies exist. Pushing negative content down in search results often works better than trying to remove it completely. You might need legal action if the content defames you or violates your privacy rights.
This piece walks you through six practical steps to remove or suppress negative news articles and help you take back control of your online reputation.
Need immediate help? Consult a content removal expert here.
Step 1: Identify All Harmful News Articles
The first vital step to remove damaging content is finding every article about you or your business online. You need a complete list of what exists before requesting any removals.
Search your name or brand in incognito mode
Start your search using incognito mode in your browser. This gives you a clearer picture of what others see by preventing your search history and cookies from affecting the results.
Incognito browsing lets you see Google search results without the algorithm customizing content based on your habits. This approach works great if you have been featured in multiple news articles.
Your internet service provider can still track your activity even though incognito mode offers limited privacy benefits. The mode still serves as a useful tool to monitor your reputation despite this limitation.
Try different search queries including:
- Your full name with quotation marks
- Variations of your name or brand name
- Your name plus keywords related to the negative content
- Your name plus words like “news,” “article,” or “controversy”
Use Google Alerts to monitor new mentions
Google Alerts is a free service that sends email notifications whenever your keywords appear in search results. Set this up after finding existing content to catch new articles.
Setting up Google Alerts is simple:
- Go to Google Alerts (google.com/alerts)
- Enter your name, brand name, or relevant keywords
- Click “Show options” to customize settings
- Choose delivery frequency (“as it happens,” “once a day,” or “once a week”)
- Select sources (news, blogs, web, etc.)
- Click “Create Alert”
The service notifies you whenever someone mentions your company name, products, or services online. Quick responses to negative comments help you control the narrative around your brand reputation.
Create multiple alerts to track:
- Your personal name
- Your business name
- Common misspellings
- Product names
- Key executives’ names
Check social media for article shares
Negative articles gain more visibility through social media shares. Social network monitoring helps you understand how far the content has spread.
You should look beyond traditional news sources. Blogs, online forums, and alternative media often show early signs of content that mainstream outlets might pick up later. This broader view helps spot potentially damaging content early.
Google Alerts won’t track platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Search these platforms directly to find:
- Article links shared in posts
- Comments discussing the article
- Screenshots or excerpts from the article
Create a spreadsheet to track URLs and status
A detailed tracking document serves as your central dashboard for managing removals. This organization becomes essential when dealing with multiple negative articles.
Document each URL and its search ranking position if you find multiple negative pieces. This helps you focus on removing the most visible articles first.
Your tracking spreadsheet should include:
- URL of the negative article
- Publication date
- Author name and contact information
- Website contact details
- Current search ranking position
- Status of removal request
- Follow-up dates
Search the article title in Google to check if other sites have republished it. News stories often appear on multiple websites, and each site needs a separate removal request.
This organized approach helps identify all harmful content before you start asking publishers to remove it. A complete list prevents surprises later and helps build a solid strategy to clean up your online reputation.
Step 2: Request Removal from the Publisher
The best way to remove news articles from Google starts with reaching out to the publisher directly after you spot problematic content. Publishers can delete, edit, or de-index articles as they see fit since they control their content.
Find the right contact person or editor
Your chances of success go up when you connect with the right person. Sending emails to general addresses usually leads nowhere or bounces around different departments.
The first step is to learn everything about the news organization. Parent companies often own these publications and have specific rules about removing content. Look at their website’s “About” or “Contact” pages to find:
- Managing editor’s email address
- Legal team contact information
- Content removal forms or procedures
Tools like Hunter.io or LinkedIn help you find the right person when contact details aren’t obvious. For smaller outlets, a WHOIS lookup might reveal domain registration details with contact information.
Note that newsrooms run on small teams, so you need to reach someone who can actually approve removals. This person is usually an editor, not the writer who created the article.
Make a polite and clear removal request
Your approach makes all the difference. Legal threats or aggressive messages usually backfire because news organizations deal with lawsuit threats regularly and have legal protection.
A compelling message should:
- Recognize the publisher’s free speech rights
- Point out the exact article and URL
- Tell your story in a professional way
- Make a clear, reasonable ask
Help the recipient weigh the article’s news value against how it affects you now. Build your case with facts while sharing its personal effect on your life.
Provide legal or personal impact evidence
Strong evidence makes publishers take your request more seriously. They’re more likely to help when you show solid proof.
Good evidence includes:
- Proof of reporting mistakes
- Court papers showing dismissed or expunged charges
- Details about special circumstances
- Proof of personal setbacks (job loss, harassment)
- Letters from respected community members
- Career achievements or positive changes
For defamatory content, hint at legal issues without making threats. Some lawyers suggest including a draft complaint that shows possible liability.
Follow up persistently if ignored
A slow response doesn’t mean no. News organizations often take time to review these requests because they’re short-staffed or need internal approval.
Stay politely persistent by:
- Following up every 7-14 days
- Reaching out to other contacts if you get no response
- Moving up to senior editors or the legal department when needed
- Trying different ways to communicate (phone calls often beat emails)
If full removal isn’t possible, ask about:
- Hiding your name but keeping the story
- Removing it from Google searches
- Adding new details for context
- Taking out photos or harmful information
Keep things professional every time you reach out. Each conversation gives you another shot at making your case. Success often takes multiple tries and a mix of patience and persistence.
Step 3: Ask Google to Remove the Article
Google becomes your next best option if publishers turn down your removal request. The search giant can’t delete website content directly, but it can stop articles from showing up in search results in specific cases.
What Google will and won’t remove
Google has strict rules about removing content from search results. They take harmful content seriously but only step in under specific conditions.
Here’s what Google might remove:
- Personal information that could lead to identity theft (credit card details, bank account numbers)
- Non-consensual explicit images
- Content that breaks laws in specific countries
- Copyrighted material used without permission
But Google won’t remove content just because:
- You don’t agree with the information
- You find it embarrassing
- It has negative but legally published opinions
- It describes real events
It’s worth mentioning that search results visible in one country might not show up in another due to local laws. Google blocks content only in regions where it breaks the law. Breaking Google’s content policies could lead to worldwide removal.
The legal removal request form
Google has a formal process through its legal removal request forms to handle valid removal requests. Here’s how to submit an effective request:
- Pick the Google product where you found the content (usually Google Search)
- Select why you’re reporting the content
- List the exact URLs you want removed (not just the website’s homepage)
- Explain which policies the content breaks and why
- Add all background information Google needs to assess your request
- Keep an eye on your email for updates and questions
You’ll get a reference number to check your request’s status. Google looks at each case individually and tries to balance privacy rights with public information access.
EU residents have extra options thanks to GDPR’s “Right to be Forgotten.” This rule lets people remove search results that are “inadequate, irrelevant, or inaccurate.” While this only works in the EU, it’s a good option for residents there.
Removing outdated content
The “Refresh Outdated Content” tool helps when an article has been taken down but still shows up in search results. This tool works best when:
- Pages no longer exist
- Content has changed by a lot
- Key information or images are gone
Steps to use this tool:
- Go to Google’s “Remove Outdated Content” tool
- Click “New request” and pick “Page” or “Image”
- Type in the outdated content’s URL
- For live pages with deleted content, enter words from the old version that aren’t there anymore
- Send your request and wait a few days for processing
This method only works for outdated content, not for content you dislike or find harmful. Website owners can use Google Search Console for both temporary removal (180 days) and outdated content removal.
Set realistic goals for this process. Removing content from search results doesn’t erase it from the internet – the webpage might still be there. Your removal strategy should work with the SEO suppression tactics we’ll cover next.
Step 4: Suppress the Article with SEO Tactics
Search engine suppression becomes your best option to deal with negative content when direct removal doesn’t work. This technique (also known as search engine burying) uses SEO strategies to outrank unwanted content with positive, relevant content on Google’s first page. This approach works well because 91.5% of users never look beyond the first page of search results.
Track keywords linked to the negative article
Your suppression strategy needs to identify which search terms display the negative article. Without this vital information, your efforts won’t have the right focus to work properly.
Research should pinpoint specific keywords where negative content shows up. These usually include:
- Your name or company name
- Product or service names
- Phrases related to specific incidents (like “[company] data breach”)
- Questions people might search (e.g., “is [company] a good place to work?”)
Set up a system to track these keywords weekly. Note which URLs appear for each search and their position changes. Tools like Ahrefs, Moz Pro, or SEMrush can do this automatically and show you exactly where negative content ranks for your target keywords.
Optimize existing content with those keywords
Quick wins come from optimizing content you already control. This creates a solid foundation for your suppression strategy.
Pages you control that rank below negative content need these on-page improvements:
- Add target keywords naturally into page titles and headings
- Update meta descriptions with relevant keywords
- Add fresh, helpful content using your target keywords
- Create internal links between your sites with optimized anchor text
- Make content better with relevant images, statistics, and sources
Start with your most authoritative pages – your company website, professional profiles, and social media accounts. Small improvements to existing content can boost rankings by a lot and push negative content down in search results.
Create new, positive content regularly
Google likes fresh, relevant, and useful content. Each new optimized piece gives you another chance to outrank negative articles.
Content types that work well for suppression include:
- Blog posts about industry topics
- Press releases about company news or achievements
- Guest articles on respected industry websites
- Profiles on professional directories in your field
- Content on trusted platforms like Medium or Substack
Different content formats like videos, podcasts, and infographics might rank separately in search results. Publishing consistently works better than all at once because it shows search engines you’re actively relevant.
Build backlinks to your positive pages
Backlinks act as “votes” for your content and strongly influence page rankings in search results. Quality matters more than quantity – links from trusted, relevant sites carry more weight.
Here’s how to build effective backlinks:
- Connect with industry partners for mutual link exchanges
- Write guest posts for authoritative websites
- Create content that naturally attracts links
- Share press releases through recognized channels
- Talk to journalists through platforms like HARO
Focus on building links to specific pages you want to rank above negative content. A single strong backlink from a respected site can improve rankings dramatically. Keep tracking your progress and adjust your strategy based on what works best.
Note that search suppression takes time – usually three to six months before you see major results. Some tough cases might take over 12 months. Success needs patience and consistent effort, but systematic work can minimize negative content’s visibility effectively.
Step 5: Work with a Reputation Management Expert
Expert help becomes a great way to get results when you hit a wall trying to remove news articles from Google by yourself. Reputation management specialists have tools and knowledge that most people don’t possess when dealing with stubborn online reputation problems.
When to think about hiring a professional
Several signs point to the need for professional help with ongoing reputation issues:
- Persistent negative search results – Harmful articles keep showing up on your first page despite your efforts to remove them
- Complex reputation challenges – You feel overwhelmed by tracking negative content and analyzing what customers say
- Lack of time and resources – Billions of online conversations happen every minute, and you can’t keep up
- Crisis situations – Your reputation needs immediate damage control
- Legal complications – You need expert help with defamation or privacy violations
A Harvard Business School study shows this is a big deal as it means that even a one-star boost in online ratings can increase revenue by 5-9%.
What ORM companies can do for you
Reputation management companies deliver services that go beyond what you could do alone:
These companies track and shape your online image constantly. They watch mentions, reviews, and content on multiple platforms at once. The experts also use custom strategies that work well against negative reviews and content.
They create and optimize positive content to boost your brand while pushing down negative search results. To cite an instance, see how they develop strategic content that competes with negative articles for the same keywords.
ORM companies’ crisis management expertise helps limit damage during reputation emergencies. It’s worth mentioning that 86% of job seekers look up company reviews before applying. This shows how reputation affects both customers and potential hires.
How to choose a reliable ORM service
The quickest way to pick the right reputation management partner:
Start by reviewing their expertise in handling bad publicity. Ask for case studies that show successful reputation repair work.
Look at their methods and strategies to make sure they use ethical ways to manage online reputations. Their tools and technologies matter too since new social networks pop up often.
Your budget needs careful thought. ORM software costs a few hundred dollars monthly, while full-service providers might charge up to $10,000 based on what they offer. If you have a smaller budget, reputation management tools that link business channels in one place might work better than full-service agencies.
The right partner should be open about their methods and give you regular progress updates. They must also show clear ways to measure success.
Step 6: Consider Legal Action if Necessary
Legal action is your last resort to remove news articles from Google after other methods fail. Notwithstanding that, taking news organizations to court needs careful thought about several key factors.
When defamation or privacy laws apply
You can take legal steps under specific circumstances. A defamation lawsuit might work when:
- The news article has completely false statements
- You have proof the reporter knowingly published false information
- You can show actual damages from the publication
- The content breaks privacy laws or contains expunged information
News organizations have strong legal protection on their side. Your defamation claim must prove they knew statements were false or showed reckless disregard for truth at publication time. This sets an extremely high legal bar.
Time limits also matter—most states give you one or two years from the publication date to act. These legal options disappear once this window closes, whatever the circumstances.
How a content removal attorney can help
Content removal attorneys bring specialized knowledge that general lawyers don’t usually have. These experts can:
- Review your claim’s strength
- Write cease and desist letters that often persuade publications to remove content without going to court
- Guide you through complex defamation, privacy, and intellectual property laws
- Get court orders that force removal when needed
Requests from respected law firms carry more weight than individual requests. Many attorneys know the core team at major publications, which improves your chances of getting content removed.
What to expect from legal proceedings
Legal outcomes vary based on where you file and specific case details. The process usually follows these steps:
- Original case review to check legal merit
- Filing a formal complaint against the publisher
- Discovery phase where both sides exchange evidence
- Potential settlement talks
- Trial if settlement fails
A successful lawsuit could lead to a court order that makes the publisher remove the article or de-index it from search engines. Sites that first refused direct requests often follow formal court orders.
Note that legal action might create extra publicity—possibly causing the exact problem you’re trying to fix. You must weigh this “Streisand effect” against potential benefits before moving forward.
Conclusion
Bad press can hurt your reputation and business prospects by a lot, and this directly impacts your bottom line. You’ve learned from this piece that removing unwanted content needs an integrated approach rather than quick fixes.
Success in managing your online reputation needs persistence. Most people who succeed try several methods before they find what works. The best approach is to start simple – reach out to publishers directly and ask Google to remove content before moving to more complex strategies.
SEO suppression becomes the quickest way when complete removal isn’t possible. This strategy works because positive content pushes negative articles past the first page where hardly anyone looks. Professional reputation management services also offer expert help with complex cases that are beyond your capabilities.
Legal action should be your last option. Going to court costs money and might create more publicity than you want. All the same, knowing how defamation and privacy laws work gives you another tool to protect your online image.
Your digital reputation needs both quick action and a long-term plan. Bad content won’t go away without effort. Of course, the methods shared in this piece have helped many people remove or minimize damaging news articles from Google search results.
Your online reputation shapes how others see you and your business. These strategies, when used regularly, help you control what shows up in search results. This protects your personal and professional interests for years ahead.
FAQs
Q1. How can I remove a negative news article from Google search results? The most effective approach is to contact the publisher directly and request removal or de-indexing of the article. If unsuccessful, you can submit a removal request to Google, though they only remove content in specific circumstances. As a last resort, consider SEO tactics to suppress the negative content by creating positive content that outranks it.
Q2. Is it possible to have old news articles about me deleted from the internet? Complete deletion is challenging, but there are options. Start by contacting the publisher to request removal or anonymization. If denied, you can try submitting removal requests to search engines. For content that violates privacy laws or is outdated, legal action may be an option. Often, suppressing negative content through SEO strategies is more feasible than full deletion.
Q3. How long does it typically take to remove or suppress negative search results? The timeline varies depending on the approach. Direct removal by publishers can be quick if approved, while Google removal requests may take days to weeks. SEO suppression strategies generally take 3-6 months to show significant results, with some difficult cases requiring up to 12 months of consistent effort.
Q4. When should I consider hiring a reputation management professional? Consider professional help if negative content persistently dominates your search results despite your efforts, if you’re dealing with complex reputation challenges across multiple platforms, or if you’re facing a reputation crisis requiring immediate action. Experts can provide specialized tools and strategies beyond what most individuals can accomplish alone.
Q5. What legal options do I have for removing damaging news articles? Legal action should be a last resort, typically pursued only when articles contain false information or violate privacy laws. Defamation lawsuits are possible but challenging, requiring proof that the publisher knowingly published false information. Some jurisdictions have “right to be forgotten” laws that may help. Consult with a content removal attorney to understand your specific options and potential outcomes.