7 Tips to Remove Negative News Articles
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Managing your business online can be tricky at times but add reputation management to the mix and it can quickly become overwhelming. Trying to remove negative news articles, specifically, can feel like an uphill battle at times.
But with a few simple tips, you can start cleaning up your online presence and improve your business’s reputation.
Read on to discover seven easy ways to remove negative news articles.
7 Quick Tips to Get Negative News Off Google
1. Contact the website or publication where the article is published.
There’s a good chance that the website or publication will remove the article if you ask nicely. Remember to be polite and professional in your correspondence.
2. Write a rebuttal article.
If you feel like the negative news article is inaccurate or unfair, write a rebuttal to straighten the record. This can help clear up any misconceptions and improve your reputation.
3. Use Google reverse image search.
If you see a negative news article with a picture of your business, use Google reverse image search to find the photo’s original source. Once you have the source, you can contact them and ask them to remove the photo from their website.
4. Contact the author of the article.
If you have an issue with something the author said, contact them and explain your side of the story. Chances are, they’ll be more likely to revise or remove the article if you provide them with new information.
5. Use Google Alerts to track mentions of your business.
Google Alerts is a free tool that notifies you when your business is mentioned online. This can help you track negative news articles and take action as soon as possible.
6. Use an Online Reputation Management firm.
If all else fails, you may need to bring in the big guns and hire a PR firm to help remove the negative news articles for you.
7. Keep a positive attitude.
Ultimately, the best way to remove negative news articles is to have a positive attitude and stay focused on your goals. Remember that bad publicity is still publicity and try not to let it get you down.
How to Handle Authors and Publications Specifically
In some cases, you may need to contact the article’s author or the publication where the negative news content was published. When contacting an author, be sure to:
– Remain polite and professional
– Be clear about what you’d like them to do (revise, remove, etc.)
– Provide any relevant information or documents that support your case
When contacting a publication, be sure to:
– Remain polite and professional
– Explain the issue in detail
– Provide any relevant information or documents that support your case
When you email the author, you can follow this email script. It may or may not work, but it’s best to keep this level of professionalism and politeness.
Email script:
“Hi (author name),
How are you? Hope all is well. I’m (your name), (your title if you have one), and (company name).
I’m a regular reader of your content at (blog name) and I’ve always loved the value in your posts. Thanks for giving your audience, including me, insightful content.
However, in a recent post you mentioned (state the inaccuracy about your business here). This is incorrect and gives our company a bad reputation and name.
(Place the URL of the blog post here)
I’m kindly asking and hoping you will edit your blog post and remove the false information that I just highlighted above. Or you could remove the blog post completely. If you rather, you could add a special tag to it that will ensure Google will skip the blog post, but still allow your readers to see it. The tag I’m referring to is called NoIndex tag; your webmaster can add it in seconds.
I’m more than happy to discuss this with you in further detail if you have any questions.
I’d really appreciate if you can make this change quickly as it’s really hurting our company.
Thanks,
(your name)
(company name)”
Try not to ever be overly aggressive in your first contact with the author. You can change the script based on your needs. Keep in mind that some publications won’t allow their contributors to edit or remove posts once they have been published so you may need to contact the editor or even publisher.
If you have to contact the editor to remove the content:
If the author refuses, doesn’t respond, or simply doesn’t have the authority to make these changes then you will have to contact the editor. You can almost always find the editor’s contact information on the contact page of the website. You can also find them via their social media pages. Be sure to remain polite with the editor.
If you have to contact the publication
If you try to contact the author and editor, and either they don’t respond or aren’t able to make the change, you can take legal action against the publication that published incorrect and negative news stories about your company.
If you decide to go ahead with this approach, you’re going to need documented evidence to prove your case, which can be complex to achieve. You may also need legal assistance when it comes to this type of case.
There is usually a sensible approach you can take; you can work with an online reputation management company that can take on the hurdle so you can focus on the business side of things.
In most cases, threatening the publication with some sort of legal action usually works. However, it can also make the situation worse.
If you follow these tips, you’ll have a better chance of getting negative newspaper articles online removed from the web. Remember to stay positive and focused on your goals, and you’ll be on your way to a better reputation.
Why You Should Try to Remove Negative News Articles About You
Most business owners know that having a negative article about you is bad for business. Not only can it hurt your reputation, but it can also lead to decreased sales and fewer customers. But why should you go to all the trouble of removing them? Here are four reasons:
1. It’s the right thing to do.
If you’re running a legitimate business, you should want to do everything in your power to clear your name and protect your reputation. Negative news articles can damage both of these things, so it’s in your best interest to remove them.
2. It can help improve your search engine rankings.
If you have a lot of negative news articles about you, it’s going to be difficult for people to find your website on Google. But by removing them, you can improve your rankings on search engines and make it easier for potential customers to find you.
3. It can help improve your customer perception.
When potential customers see negative news articles about you, it can create a negative perception of your business. You can show your potential customers that you’re a credible and trustworthy business by removing them.
4. It can help boost your sales.
Negative news articles about your business can have a severe impact on your bottom line. By removing them, you can potentially see an increase in sales as people start to trust you again
4 Options to Monitor all News Articles About Your Business
It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the news articles published about your business online. That’s why it’s important to use a tool and some tips that can help you monitor them.
Option 1. Create Google alerts
A google alert is a handy tool that will send its users an alert when a certain keyword appears in a Google search. This tool is free and simple to set up. You will be able to decide which keyword(s) to monitor. Some ideas could be your real name and your business name. You can also change the settings for how often you want to receive alerts.
All you have to do is enter a topic you want to follow in the bar, click the gear symbol, and it will customize your alert preferences.
Option 2. Check yourself out on Google in Incognito Mode
If you Google your business or yourself, it can be an easy way to see if there are any negative reviews, embarrassing mugshots, or even news articles about you.
You can search for this by using the incognito mode on your favorite browser. Incognito mode means that the search ends up being private, and it will not save your history, cookies, or cache.
Option 3. Use SocialMention
SocialMention is a free online tool that allows you to monitor user-generated content across the web. This includes blogs, microblogs, comments, bookmarks, etc. You can use this tool to track your business or your name.
You can also use it to track other keywords related to your business. This is a great way to see what people are saying about your business online.
Option 4. Keep up on your social media presence
One of the best ways to keep track of any negative news articles about your business is to keep up with your social media presence. This includes Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
If you’re using social media for your business, you should be following your company name as well as any other keywords that are related to your industry. This will help you stay up to date on any negative news articles that might be published about you.
How to Contact Google if You Need Negative Articles Removed
If you have attempted to remove negative articles from the internet yourself and have not had any success, you can contact Google.
There are two ways to do this:
1. You can fill out a form on their website.
2. You can email them at [email protected].
In order to increase your chances of having the article removed, you will need to provide as much information as possible. This includes the URL of the article, the title of the article, and why you believe it should be removed.
It’s important to keep in mind that Google is not responsible for content on the web, and they will only remove articles if they violate their terms of service.
Will Google Even Remove a Negative News Article from Search?
Google is not responsible for content on the web. This means that they will not remove an article from their search results just because you ask them to.
In order to have a negative news article removed from Google, it must violate their terms of service. This includes being untrue, malicious, or spammy in nature.
If you feel like an article about your business violates Google’s terms of service, you can contact them and provide as much information as possible. They will review the article and decide if it should be removed from their search engine results pages (SERPs).
When It’s Time to Work with a Lawyer to Remove the Negative News Article from Google search results
If you have tried to remove a negative news article from Google yourself and have not had any success, it might be time to work with a lawyer.
There are two main reasons why you would need to work with a lawyer:
1. The article is damaging your business and you need it removed immediately.
2. The article is causing you emotional distress and you would like it removed.
In both of these cases, a lawyer can help you remove the article from Google’s search results. They will be able to send a cease-and-desist letter to the website owner or to Google themselves.
It’s important to keep in mind that this is not an easy process, and it can be expensive. You will need to provide the lawyer with as much information as possible, including the URL of the article and the title of the article.
If you are considering hiring a lawyer to help you remove a negative news article from Google, it’s important to do your research first. There are many lawyers who claim to be able to do this, but not all of them are experienced in this area. You should ask the lawyer for references and contact those references to see if they were happy with the results.
What Type of Lawyer Can Help to Remove Negative News Articles on Google?
There are many different types of lawyers who can help you remove a negative news article from Google. This includes libel lawyers, defamation lawyers, and intellectual property lawyers.
It’s important to work with a lawyer who has experience in this area and knows the best way to proceed. If you’re not sure which type of lawyer you need, you can contact a law firm and ask for advice. They will be able to recommend a lawyer who is experienced in removing negative news articles from Google.
Wrapping It Up
Removing a negative news article from Google can be a difficult process. If you have tried to do it yourself and have not had any success, you might want to consider working with a lawyer.
Keep in mind that this is not an easy process, and it can be expensive. You will need to provide the lawyer with as much information as possible, including the URL of the article and the title of the article.
If you are considering hiring a lawyer, it’s important to do your research first. There are many lawyers who claim to be able to do this, but not all of them are experienced in this area.
Don’t give up on the process to get the negative news articles removed from Google. If you have the time and resources, it’s best to try and do it yourself first. But if that doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to reach out for help.
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