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Publishing regular online content is a improbable way to be sure that your enterprise receives traffic and generates leads, but when that content paints a bad picture of your enterprise, it’s easy to feel a great sense of despair.
We live in a digital age where your online status can make or break your enterprise. When Google decides your content isn’t adequate to rank high on the search engine results pages (SERPs), the excellent news is that each one is not lost.
Why You Should Block Negative Search Results
Before we discuss how to do this, let’s briefly explain why maintaining a positive online status is so vital.
Advanced Web Rankings statistics show that over 30% of users Click on the first resultwhich drops to 2% for the tenth result. Reducing negative search results in Google is essential for proper online status management.
When search engines like google rank bad articles highly, the following can occur:
- Your company will lose its status.
- Nobody will trust you.
- You may miss key opportunities.
- Your business is not going to generate as many leads.
- Business sales will decline.
Let’s look at an example that can enable you to understand this higher.
Imagine you own a restaurant and a waiter makes a mistake that gets caught by a customer and spreads throughout the web in negative reviews. This can have a negative impact on your enterprise’s status. However, by promoting positive content, it becomes possible to promote bad content.
How to promote negative search results
Now that you just know why it’s so vital to block negative articles, let’s discuss key strategies for achieving personal and skilled success.
Focus on positive content
Hiding negative search results starts with publishing positive content, equivalent to news articles, blog posts, and more. Use SEO to be sure that your latest or existing content appears on the first page of the SERPs.
Make sure your content is optimized for relevant keywords and includes engaging content equivalent to videos, infographics, images, and more.
Be patient. It may take some time for search engines like google to rate your latest content highly and reduce negative results.
Make improvements to your website or social media accounts
Another great strategy is to take a close look at your site to see if there is room for improvement. Make sure all pages are mobile-friendly and have fast load times.
Check the orientation of menus and other features on your site to make sure they are user-friendly. Update your enterprise information to provide potential customers with the information they need.
It’s also a good idea to use backlinks on these pages, as Google uses backlinks as a rating factor. If you have old blog posts that contain outdated information, consider updating them to improve your site’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 do business with you if they see negative Google search results.
We recommend encouraging current customers to write positive reviews and testimonials to turn things around. This will help users see that while you might have made mistakes in the past, you have improved your behavior and your enterprise is ready to provide excellent services.
These actions will help increase the authority of your website and make you gain more visibility and attention from search engines like google.
Here are some of the tools I exploit at my website positioning firm to enhance our online status management (ORM) strategy:
- Google Analytics
- Backlink Checker
- Google Search Console
- ReplyThePublic
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
Learn about legal remedies
If someone is illegally filming your enterprise or posting defamatory content about your enterprise, you may seek legal motion to have negative search results removed. You can use an attorney to file a stop and desist letter or take motion under copyright or infringement laws.
You can even contact the owners of third-party web sites directly and ask them to remove the content.
Obsidian Financial Group filed a lawsuit against an independent investigative blogger named Crystal Cox. She wrote quite a few negative blog posts criticizing the company and Kevin Padrick, its co-founder, for misconduct and fraud. The corporation received quite a few negative reviews as a results of these posts, which affected its status. In response, she filed a defamation lawsuit, and the defamatory posts were removed.
Publish content on high authority sites
As mentioned, backlinks are essential for search engines like google to see your site as authoritative. To get these backlinks, you may post on high-authority domains. If you create content that finally ends up being published on these sites, Google and other search engines like google may even see your site as relevant and authoritative.
Here are some practical examples of web sites we’ve used to help combat negative content:
- Mediocre
- HuffPost
- Quora
- WikiHow
Take the problem directly
The truth is, all of us make mistakes. No one is perfect, so when bad things occur and your enterprise fails, it is best to address the problem head on. By issuing a public apology, you may help restore your lost status and work to rebuild it.
Taking responsibility shows customers and prospects that your organization is responsible and trustworthy. We also recommend discussing the corrective actions you have taken and any positive changes you have made to prevent the same incident or performance from happening again.
In 2017, United Airlines faced backlash after news of a passenger being forcibly removed from a flight went viral. Instead of backing down or ignoring the issue, the company issued a public apology. It also conducted an internal investigation and implemented corrective measures to regain public trust.
Final thoughts
If you are struggling with the effects of harmful content, the excellent news is that there is hope. You can restore your organization’s status by exploring the key strategies listed above.