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As you are here, you definitely understand the value of your online reputation.
No matter whether you are an individual, professional, business, or brand, your online reputation matters more than ever.
In this case, what if you encounter a rigid negative search result against your brand?
Quite disappointing, right?
Don’t worry, our guide will briefly explain how to push down negative search results on Google.
Let’s begin the guide with some facts!
Interesting Facts You Must Know
- Before making any purchase decision, 93% of consumers read online reviews.
- By 2027, the online reputation management industry will be a $13.23 billion industry.
- 78% of consumers prefer social media channels to learn more about any brand.
- A single negative search result can cost a business up to 30 customers.
- The rise of social media influencers has added another layer to online reputation management. If your brand gets a negative review or comment from an influencer, then it will cause more damage to your brand.
- According to the Clutch report, businesses reported an average ROI of 9,900% on their ORM investments.
Why Do Negative Search Results Matter?
Before we find out what really helps you to push down negative search results, let’s first understand why you must see it as a red flag as soon as you discover it.
First Impressions Count
When your target audience Googles your name or company, top search results help them understand your reputation.
If there is a negative review that is ranking on the top SERPs, then it will completely overshadow your achievements and expertise.
Trust and Credibility
The majority of your audience doesn’t know you personally, and that’s why you are working hard to attract new customers by building trust and credibility using SEO and PPC like digital marketing tactics.
A single negative content about you makes your new customers think twice before trusting you.
Long-Term Impact
Negative content tends to hang around. No matter whether it’s outdated or inaccurate, it keeps haunting your online presence for years.
You will not get rid of it until you actually start working on pushing it down.
What is Pushing Down of Negative Search Results?
Pushing down negative search results refers to the process of decreasing the visibility of any unfavorable type of online content that harms the reputation of a respective business or brand.
The prime goal is to make the negative search result inaccessible for people.
Is it really possible?
Yes! The majority of people consider first-page results when making their decision to go further.
If they can’t find relevant information on the first page, they simply continue their search journey with another set of keywords.
Here are some quick facts to support this claim:
- Why should you be concerned about first-page results? Well, 91.5% of people click on the first five results on the first page.
- Only 0.44% of Google users consider clicking on the second page of results.
- Talking about people going beyond the second page, the number is 6.6%, but hold on, only 6% of those click on result pages.
How to Push Down Negative Search Results on Google?
You are now aware of how a negative word about your business or brand severely affects you.
But the main question is: how do we get rid of this problem?
Well, that will be an easy task if you follow the right procedure without any excuse. Here are some key methods that you can use to get rid of negative search results.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As the negative link appears organically in the top SERPs, you have almost no choice but to follow SEO to push it down.
You need to plan right to outrank the negative search results.
It might take some time, depending on the authority of the respective website where negative content appears.
Meanwhile, if negative content appears on a highly reputed site or a website that has much higher domain authority in comparison to yours, then SEO might not be the ideal choice for you.
The reason is that it takes you several months to outrank the negative results.
Don’t worry, you have another better option! Try the next one.
2. Paid Content
Paid content works like a charm for you if your SEO game is not so strong.
All you need to do is look for higher-authority websites that accept paid content.
Make sure the respective websites have higher authority and reputation in comparison to websites that have negative content.
You need to work on multiple paid pieces of content so that you can successfully push down the negative results, at least to the second page.
While this method is quick and efficient, it may harm your website’s reputation if you are not careful while picking the website.
It needs to be done very carefully without any kind of spam.
Guide to Prepare Yourself in Advance
The above-mentioned methods help you to push down negative search results, but if you don’t want to encounter such a situation again, then you need to prepare yourself in advance.
Following these tactics doesn’t mean you will experience any negative search results again.
But the main advantage is that you can easily get rid of negative search results in no time.
Apart from that, these tips help you establish yourself as a strong and trusted brand.
1. Focus on Creating Insightful Content
Most businesses don’t focus on the blog section, especially eCommerce businesses or service providers.
At the same time, both types of businesses are more prone to getting negative reviews.
Working on a blog regularly gives you more opportunities to rank higher in comparison to working on service or product pages.
When your blog or articles start ranking on the top SERPs, you do not have to worry about negative search results much.
You can outrank them by simply crafting a blog with the respective keywords that the negative search result is ranking on.
If you are thinking about how it works, then know that when you create content around your brand or services, Google starts prioritizing you for specific keywords.
When someone talks negatively about you, you can instantly share your views, and the good part about this is that Google will also show your results.
This helps your user know your point of view as well.
Tasks like SEO and link building further increase your chance of reaching the top position.
2. Leverage Social Media
When you Google your or someone else’s brand or business, what will you generally see?
You will see a website link followed by social media page links.
This shows how intelligently Google shows the information related to the query.
You need to use this algorithm in your favor.
Start working on social media accounts and actively work on growing your organic reach and followers.
If you are not getting luck outranking negative results using blog content, then in the meantime, you can use your social media page to share your concern.
Just make sure you properly optimize the social media content with the right keywords.
This little effort will push down negative search results in no time.
3. Have an Active Presence on Listing Websites
Just with one click, you will find many listing websites that welcome you to list your brand or services.
If you are offering cleaning services in Washington, then you can use keywords like ‘top cleaning services in Washington’ or ‘Washington’s best cleaning services’.
Look for the websites that have listings. Fill out the required details and get listed.
The major benefit of having your presence on such a listing website is that people will use it to express their views about your business.
So, make sure you regularly check reviews and reply to each and every review, whether it is positive or negative.
Meanwhile, if you find any relevant negative reviews that show up in Google results too, then immediately contact the website owner and make a request to delete the respective review.
Obviously, you need to provide the necessary information or other proofs to make things clear.
4. Public Relations and Media Coverage
Sounds like a costly thing, right?
Don’t worry, we are not recommending you hire big media agencies.
Just start out with small players that cover your niche and try to secure positive media coverage in industry publications and online news outlets.
You can even try local newspapers to significantly boost your brand’s reputation and online presence.
Reach out to journalists and provide your insights and share your expertise to become an important point of contact for them to get relevant industry news.
5. Be Quick and Responsive to Online Reviews
Online reviews and ratings are very important. If you don’t take them seriously, then you will miss lots of traffic.
Your potential customers will judge you by the reviews and information they find on the internet.
The first thing they encounter is your business listing on Google.
Apart from getting your business addressed, what they thoroughly see is reviews.
If they found fewer ratings or lots of negative reviews, then they definitely don’t trust you as a good business.
It is recommended to reply to every review, despite its nature.
Meanwhile, your competitors try to destroy your online reputation by leaving low star ratings and bad reviews.
To encounter this problem, you need to encourage your customers to leave positive reviews on your GMB profile.
Hire an Online Reputation Management Company to Get Best Results
The above strategies to push down negative search results on Google sound easy to execute, but when it comes to practicality, it gets complicated with time.
It is not like you have to deal with only one or two negative search results.
As your brand grows, such negative contents are ready to surprise you.
Instead of focusing on this area, you can simply hire an online reputation management (ORM) company.
What is an ORM Company?
An ORM company helps businesses build and maintain their positive online presence.
They just have the right resources and expertise to deal with negative search results on Google.
Here are some notable things:
1. Monitoring Online Mentions
ORM companies have special and advanced tools to track mentions of business.
They can instantly know about all kinds of mentions, and in some cases, they know them even before Google ranks them.
It helps them plan in advance and save businesses from potential harm.
2. Responding to Reviews
They make sure your reviews reflect your concern for your customers.
They continuously keep an eye on new reviews and respond appropriately.
Apart from that, ORM companies push down any negative reviews that are on the GMB profile or any review website.
3. Content Creation
Content creation is the most important part when you need to push down negative search results. Meanwhile, it is quite costly too.
The majority of ORM companies offer content creation services at quite affordable prices.
You can leverage it to create awesome content for your website and social media platforms.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As earlier said, SEO is one of the best ways to deal with negative search results, but SEO is a time-consuming and continuous process.
ORM companies follow the right SEO strategies to give you the desired results in less time.
5. Crisis Management
Some negative content may surprise you without any notice.
ORM companies know how to deal with them. They have a ready-to-action plan that helps minimize damage and restore your reputation.
Benefits of Hiring an ORM Company
Now have a look at the benefits that you will get when you partner with reputed ORM company:
1. Expertise and Resources
ORM companies offer quick solutions when it comes to pushing down negative search results.
Apart from having a set of advanced tools, they also have experts who work on this specific domain.
This ensures you will get results with utmost satisfaction.
2. Time-Saving
Online reputation management requires specific time and resources.
Outsourcing helps you focus on your daily routine work.
Use your free time to develop better strategies for your business growth.
3. Proactive Approach
Online reputation management companies don’t just focus on putting down negative search results.
Meanwhile, they proactively work on brand building.
They ensure to build a strong online reputation for their clients so negativity can be minimized.
Things to Know Before Hiring an ORM Company
As there are tons of ORM companies out there, it is your responsibility to pick the best.
All companies are not the same, and obviously they have different approaches.
To find your best partner, we recommend following the below tips before signing a contract:
1. Clearly Define Your Needs
Apart from just pushing down negative search results, identify what is missing from your side.
As above said, you can pick services like SEO, content writing, etc.
If you think you need these services, they will add them to your list of needs and further define your goals.
2. Research and Compare
You need to do a lot of research, as there are thousands of ORM companies.
Thoroughly research potential companies and compare their services, pricing, and track record.
3. Transparency and Communication
Make sure your potential ORM company clearly answers your queries.
If you encounter any company that sounds a bit arrogant or is trying to suppress you, then feel free to say goodbye to them.
Is Hiring an ORM Company Right for You?
The decision is completely yours. Do not make decisions forcefully.
First, understand your specific needs and resources. Find out whether you can manage your online reputation yourself.
If you are capable of executing all the strategies that we have discussed earlier, then feel free to do it yourself.
Meanwhile, if you think it will disturb your whole routine and things can go out of hand, then it would be a wise decision to partner with a reliable ORM company.
In the beginning, you might find hiring a company costly, especially when you calculate the cost by directly comparing the company with a freelancer.
Obviously, a freelancer is much cheaper, but think again: he can’t match the level of expertise and resources that company offers you right from the first day.
So, the answer is definitely yes!
Conclusion
If you are very serious about building your brand, then you must consider hiring a professional ORM company like Softrix that will not just help you to push down negative search results on Google but also help you to build a strong online presence that can’t be easily challenged by your competitors.
Hiring professionals gives you complete peace of mind. So save yourself from a big headache and immediately hire an ORM agency.
12 replies on “How to Push Down Negative Search Results on Google ?”
This article provides invaluable insights into managing negative search results on Google. Thanks for sharing these effective strategies! 🌟
Very informative blog. 👍👍
Thank you for such an insightful post! Learning effective strategies to manage negative search results on Google is invaluable for maintaining a positive online presence. Your tips are truly appreciated!
Very informative post! Managing negative search results can be challenging, but these strategies offer a clear path forward. Thanks for the valuable tips! 👍 #OnlineReputationManagement
Pushing down negative search results on Google can be challenging but crucial for reputation management! This blog post provides valuable insights and strategies to help individuals and businesses mitigate the impact of negative search results. Thanks for sharing these valuable tips to help manage your online reputation effectively!
Clear and actionable steps for online reputation management. Thank you for the invaluable insights!
Thanks for this helpful guide! Managing negative search results on Google can be challenging, but your tips make it much clearer. #OnlineReputation #GoogleSearch #SEO
Nice blog thanks for sharing .
I’d be interested in learning more about your experience with online reputation management companies
Thanks for sharing! Informative content.
Thank you for sharing these valuable insights on managing negative search results! Definitely going to implement these strategies for my online reputation.
This post is incredibly informative! Dealing with negative search results can be tough, but these strategies provide a clear way forward. Thanks for the valuable tips!