Remove negative search results from Google, Bing & Yahoo

Removal at the source vs. de-indexing

Source removal takes a page down from the website hosting it. De-indexing removes or limits its appearance in a search engine, while the original page can remain accessible. Copies and republication require separate checks. We assess each result individually and recommend the outcome most likely to last.

The right approach depends on the content, the site hosting it and where you are. Bring the affected URLs and any previous replies you have received. We set out the expected scope and outcome for each result in writing before work begins, so you know exactly what to expect.

What actually determines your timeline

Search result removal timelines vary because every case is different. Some results, such as exposed personal information, explicit imagery or content already deleted at the source, tend to clear quickly. Results on cooperative platforms move on the platform's review clock. The slow end of the range belongs to complex cases involving publishers, where a careful case simply takes time.

Three factors move your timeline more than anything else: how the hosting site behaves (a major platform versus an anonymous site built to ignore complaints), the nature of the content, and how much of the groundwork already exists. A client who arrives with dates, screenshots and a clear account of the harm shortens the evidence phase considerably. We give a realistic range per URL in the assessment rather than one blended promise, because a five-day takedown and a five-week negotiation shouldn't be averaged.

Why one bad result costs more than it appears to

A negative result doesn't need to be read to do damage. It needs only to be seen on the page. Recruiters, loan officers, prospective clients and journalists all scan results and form conclusions from titles and snippets alone. Worse, a negative result that attracts clicks teaches the algorithm that it satisfies searches for your name, which strengthens its position over time. This is why waiting rarely works: dilution by new content is slow and uncertain, while the damaging result compounds.

That is why we assess correction and removal before deciding whether additional content is appropriate. Search results take time to reflect changes, and the next step depends on what remains visible and what the reader actually needs to know.

When the work is finished: and when it isn't

A completed engagement gives you a per-URL outcome report: source removed, search result removed or limited, request declined, pending, or not removable. We record what was checked and any remaining visibility. A changed search result does not prove source deletion, and one search engine's decision does not establish the outcome in another.

Whether the work is truly finished depends on your threat model. A single stale article, once removed, tends to stay removed. A determined detractor, a complaint-site listing, or a name that attracts press coverage calls for the monitoring layer of a Protection Plan, where re-appearances are caught and dealt with before they climb back onto your first page.