Removing Content Online

Negative online content, images, and videos rank highly in search results and damage your online reputation. But removing negative content online helps to improve your online reputation.

For businesses and brands, negative, defamatory, or libelous content has a devastating effect on customer trust in your business and on your sales. The longer negative content stays online, the greater the damage. And if the site it is posted on is high authority – such as a UK media site – it further increases the number of people who will potentially see it.

It’s a real worry – 1 in 3 businesses say that negative content has damaged their business and almost half are worrying about the impact of negative content on their business and its value in the future.

What content will Google remove from search results?

You can not remove online content simply because you don’t like it. It has to fulfill certain criteria for it to be considered eligible for removal.

But there are always cases where Google and other search engines will remove negative or defamatory content.

• Information that might lead to identity theft, or cause financial harm. 

If this kind of information appears online, it violates the service agreement with Google. Google will remove bank account details, signatures, or credit card numbers.

• Sexually explicit information 

Search engines will remove sexually explicit information when posted without consent if it meets the following criteria;

1. You’re nude, or shown in a sexual act.
2. You intended the content to be private and appears online without your consent, e.g. revenge porn
3. You’re underage
4. You didn’t consent to the act, and the image appears publicity without your consent.

• It falls under the Right to be Forgotten

The right to be forgotten applies in the EU only. And it involves removing old referencing from search engines, such as outdated articles, pictures, videos, or social media content.

The cost to remove articles or images under the Right to Be Forgotten can vary depending on the amount and types of content. Prices start from £750, plus VAT per removal.