Got Some Bad Press? 5 Tactics to Reclaim Your Reputation — and Your Google Search Ranking Do you want to know how to push down negative search results? Click here to read a comprehensive guide with real-life examples and sound advice.
By Scott Keever Edited by Kara McIntyre
Key Takeaways
- Pushing down unfavorable search results is crucial for maintaining a positive online reputation, as over 30% of users click the top Google search result.
- Implementing SEO strategies, enhancing digital presence, leveraging legal options and addressing issues transparently can help suppress negative online narratives.
- Fostering positive content through authoritative platforms and engaging with customer feedback can improve search rankings and rebuild trust in your brand.
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Posting regular web content is a fantastic way to ensure that your business receives traffic and produces leads. However, when this content paints a poor picture of your company, it's easy to feel great despair.
We live in a digital era where your online reputation can make or break your business. When Google determines that your content is not good enough for the top spots in search engine results pages (SERPs), the good news is that all is not lost.
Why you need to suppress negative search results
Before we discuss how to do it, let's briefly discuss why maintaining a positive online reputation is important.
Statistics from Advanced Web Rankings show that more than 30% of users click on the first result, which goes down to 2% for the 10th result. Pushing down negative search results on Google is essential for proper online reputation management.
When search engines rank bad articles highly, the following can occur:
- Your business will lose its reputation.
- No one will trust you.
- You could lose crucial opportunities.
- Your company won't generate as many leads.
- Business sales will drop.
Let's look at an example to help you understand this a little better.
Suppose you own a restaurant and a waiter makes a mistake that is captured by a patron and plastered all over the internet in negative reviews. This could have a poor reflection on your company's reputation. However, by raising positive content, it becomes possible to push bad content.
Related: How to Remove Negative Reviews Online and Protect Your Online Reputation
How to push negative search results
Now that you understand why suppressing negative articles is essential, let's discuss key personal and professional success strategies.
Focus on positive content
Burying negative search results starts with publishing positive content, such as news articles, blog posts and more. Use search engine optimization to ensure that your new or existing content appears on the first page of the SERPs.
Ensure your content is optimized for relevant keywords and contains engaging material, such as videos, infographics, images and more.
Remain patient. It could take time for search engines to rank your new content highly and push down negative results.
Make enhancements to your website or social media accounts
Another great strategy is to look closely at your website to see whether there is room for improvement. Check that all pages are mobile-friendly and have a low loading time.
Look at the orientation of menus and other features on your site to ensure they are user-friendly. Update your company information to ensure you provide potential customers with the necessary information.
It's also a good idea to use backlinks on these pages, as Google uses backlinks as a ranking factor. If you have old blog posts that contain outdated information, consider updating them to improve your website's search rankings.
One area where many businesses struggle is dealing with bad reviews. People searching for your brand or product are much less likely to partner with you if they see negative Google search results.
We recommend encouraging existing customers to write positive reviews and testimonials to turn the tide. This will help users see that although you may have messed up in the past, you have cleaned up your act and your business is ready to deliver excellent service.
These actions can help boost your website's authority and ensure you get more visibility and attention from search engines.
Here are a few tools we use at my SEO company to help with our online reputation management (ORM) strategy:
- Google Analytics
- Backlink Checker
- Google Search Console
- AnswerThePublic
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
Related: Here's the SEO Combination You Need to Win Google's Algorithm
Explore legal measures
If someone films your company illegally or posts slanderous content about your business, you can turn to the law to remove negative search results. You can enlist the help of an advocate to file a cease-and-desist letter or take action under copyright or infringement acts.
It may even be possible to contact the owners of third-party sites directly and ask them to remove the content.
Obsidian Finance Group filed a lawsuit against an independent investigative blogger named Crystal Cox. She wrote multiple blog posts containing negative content criticizing the company and Kevin Padrick, its co-founder, for misconduct and fraud. The corporation received a great deal of bad press as a result of these posts, affecting its reputation. In response, it filed a defamation case, and the defamatory posts were removed.
Publish content on high-authority sites
As mentioned, backlinks are essential for ensuring search engines view your site as authoritative. To obtain these backlinks, you can post on high-authority domains. If you create content eventually published on these sites, Google and other search engines will also see your website as relevant and authoritative.
Here are some practical examples of sites we've used to help push down negative content:
- Medium
- HuffPost
- Quora
- WikiHow
Address the issue head-on
The truth is that we all make mistakes. No one is perfect, so when bad things happen and your company messes up, it's best to tackle the issue head-on. By posting a public apology, you can help to regain your lost reputation and work on rebuilding it.
Taking ownership shows customers and potential clients that your business is responsible and trustworthy. We also recommend discussing the corrective actions you have taken and showcasing any positive changes you have made to prevent a repeat of the same incident or performance.
In 2017, United Airlines faced backlash after the news that a passenger was forcibly removed from a flight went viral. Rather than backing down or ignoring the issue, the company issued a public apology. They also conducted an internal investigation and implemented corrective measures to regain public trust.
Related: 5 Steps to Getting Started with Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM)
