Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Negative online content can feel like a scar that never fades. Whether it’s a bad review, a defamatory article, an outdated news story, or a personal blog post, unflattering search engine results have the power to impact careers, relationships, and businesses.
If you’re wondering how to bury negative search results, you’re not alone—and you’re not powerless. This comprehensive guide will show you proven strategies to suppress harmful links, improve your online reputation, and reclaim control over what people see when they Google your name.
Table Of Content
Why Negative Search Results Matter
- First Impressions Are Formed Instantly: Studies show over 90% of people never click past the first page of Google results.
- Credibility Is at Stake: Negative links in your top 10 results can damage trust with employers, clients, or peers.
- Online Reputation Is Your Resume: It doesn’t matter whether the information is false, outdated, or misleading—if it ranks, it can hurt you.
“Online reputation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.” — Pew Research Center
Can You Remove Negative Content from Google?
In some cases, yes.
Content can be removed if it violates:
- Google’s content policies (e.g., explicit content, financial scams)
- Local privacy laws like Europe’s Right to Be Forgotten
- Copyright or defamation laws
You can file a request through Google’s Removal Tool, but many forms of content—such as bad press or personal blog posts—don’t qualify for removal. That’s where suppression becomes the smarter strategy.
The Science of Suppression: How It Works
Burying negative search results means pushing unwanted links off the first page by outranking them with positive, relevant, and authoritative content.
It’s part content strategy, part SEO, and part brand development.
Google’s algorithm prioritizes:
- Relevance
- Authority (backlinks)
- Engagement (click-through rates and time on page)
- Freshness and frequency of updates
By targeting these signals, you can build a fortress of positive content that overtakes negative results over time.
Step-by-Step Strategy to Bury Negative Search Results
- Identify and Audit the Negative Content
- Build a Branded Web Presence Start owning your SERP (Search Engine Results Page):
- Create your personal or business website with an exact-match domain
- Publish SEO-optimized bios and service pages
- Ensure it’s fast, secure (HTTPS), and mobile-friendly
- Leverage High-Authority Platforms Google trusts well-established domains. Build profiles and publish content on:
- Medium
- Crunchbase
- YouTube
- WordPress.com
- About.me
- Publish Long-Form Evergreen Content Blog posts and articles should:
- Be 1,000+ words
- Include keywords relevant to your brand
- Link to authoritative sources
- Be updated regularly
- Create Multimedia Assets Diversify the types of content:
- YouTube videos
- Podcasts or interviews
- SlideShare presentations
- Infographics
- Get Backlinks to Your Positive Content Authority is everything. Secure backlinks through:
- Guest blogging
- HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
- Press releases
- Niche directories
- Sponsorship mentions
- Engage on Social Media Social signals influence rankings indirectly. Maintain active, public profiles on:
- Twitter (X)
- Facebook Pages
- Reddit or Quora (if appropriate)
Post regularly, use hashtags, and link back to your owned content.
Why Some Negative Results Are Harder to Bury
Certain platforms—like high-authority news sites or government databases—are naturally favored by Google. They are difficult to outrank without a sustained, multi-pronged effort.
However, even these can be displaced over time with consistent publishing and off-page optimization.
Factors that influence difficulty:
- The age of the negative post
- Whether it’s getting backlinks or traffic
- If it’s been syndicated across other platforms
What NOT to Do
- Don’t click on the negative link repeatedly
- Don’t spam Google with low-quality content
- Don’t pay for black-hat SEO tactics
These approaches can backfire, making the situation worse.
How Defamation Defenders Can Help
Defamation Defenders specializes in professional strategies to bury negative search results and protect reputations.
We offer:
- Custom content strategies
- SEO-optimized asset creation
- Authority profile building
- Press and backlink development
- Ongoing monitoring and suppression
With a results-driven process, our experts ensure negative results are pushed down—and stay there.
Get your free reputation assessment now
Proactive Reputation Management Tips
- Register your name as a domain (e.g., JohnSmith.com)
- Create a Google Business Profile (if applicable)
- Claim your knowledge panel
- Monitor search engine trends regularly
- Use tools like Google Alerts
FAQ: Burying Negative Search Results
No. Google does not accept payments to remove or suppress content.
It can take weeks to months, depending on the authority of the negative content and the strength of your suppression efforts.
Yes—but it requires technical SEO knowledge, high-quality content creation, and time. Professional services like Defamation Defenders accelerate the process.
No, but it can be pushed to page 2 or beyond, where most users never look.
You may be able to pursue legal action or send a takedown notice. Defamation Defenders can assist with both suppression and legal guidance.
Related Contents:
MLA Citations:
Pew Research Center. “Online Reputation Management.” Pew Internet & American Life Project, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/05/26/online-reputation-management/. Accessed 7 May 2025.
Google. “Remove Outdated Content.” Google Web Search Help, https://support.google.com/websearch/troubleshooter/3111061. Accessed 7 May 2025.
Ahrefs. “SEO Basics.” Ahrefs, https://ahrefs.com/seo-basics. Accessed 7 May 2025.
Moz. “Beginners Guide to SEO.” Moz, https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo. Accessed 7 May 2025.
SEMrush. “How to Improve Your Online Reputation.” SEMrush Blog, https://www.semrush.com/blog/online-reputation-management/. Accessed 7 May 2025.
HARO. “How to Use HARO for SEO.” Help a Reporter Out, https://www.helpareporter.com/. Accessed 7 May 2025.
