Data Shows Which Negative Search Results Can Actually Be Removed

This publish was sponsored by Erase. The opinions expressed on this article are the sponsor’s personal.

Say a consumer sends you 5 hyperlinks. There’s a Google overview, a Yelp overview, a republished court docket report, a Reddit thread, and an area information story. Which of them can come down?

Going by our 2026 knowledge, an eligible Google overview and a republished court docket report normally can. The Yelp overview, the Reddit thread, and the information story are harder.

Adverse content material may seem in AI-generated solutions. Our Could evaluation for SEJ discovered AI Overviews exhibiting adverse evaluations in searches that didn’t ask for them. That makes it helpful to know which sources are prone to take away content material and which require a distinct method.

Adverse Search Outcomes: What 2026 Removing Information Exhibits

We checked out 22,620 hyperlinks purchasers despatched to Erase.com between January 1 and September 21, 2026. They got here from about 1,650 web sites, and the outcomes break up sharply by web site.

On this evaluation, a profitable removing might imply taking a web page down, de-indexing it, or eradicating the consumer’s identify or picture. De-indexing retains a web page out of Google’s search outcomes with out taking it offline.

What Folks Requested To Take away: Google Evaluations Led

Google evaluations made up about half of the hyperlinks within the class breakdown. That breakdown excludes the image-heavy case described within the methodology.

• Google evaluations: 52%
• Photos and video: 13%
• Evaluations on different websites: 11%
• Information articles: 6%
• Social media posts: 6%
• Court docket information: 4%
• Mugshots: 2%
• Boards, largely Reddit: 2%
• Folks-search listings: 1%

Greater than 1,000 web sites confirmed up solely as soon as within the knowledge. Information hyperlinks alone got here from 708 totally different retailers, every with its personal editors and guidelines.

Simpler To Take away: Eligible Google Evaluations

Google evaluations got here down extra reliably than virtually anything we dealt with.

Google lists the evaluations it should take away in its prohibited and restricted content material coverage. The listing consists of faux evaluations, impersonation, harassment, off-topic posts, and private data. When a overview clearly suits a kind of, Google normally takes it down.

Quickest To Take away: Court docket Information, Mugshots & Folks-Search Listings

Republished court docket information, mugshots, and people-search listings have been probably the most dependable classes and the quickest to take away. The median removing in every took lower than two weeks.

Tougher To Take away: Yelp Evaluations, Reddit Threads & Information Tales

Evaluations on Yelp, Trustpilot, Certainly, BBB, and Glassdoor not often got here down. Reddit threads and information tales have been additionally more durable to take away.

How Lengthy Profitable Content material Removals Took

For profitable outcomes, the median time was 18 days. Of these, 71% have been confirmed inside 30 days and 91% inside 90 days. These figures describe how lengthy profitable outcomes took, not the chance {that a} submitted hyperlink could be eliminated.

Full removals have been sooner than de-indexing, at a median of 14 days versus 21.

Some profitable Google overview removals took for much longer. About one in 10 took greater than 90 days, so don’t hand over on a report after a month.

How To Take away Adverse Search Outcomes By Supply

Use these findings to set expectations, then comply with the removing route that matches every supply.

Step 1: Group Adverse Search Outcomes By Supply

Group your adverse hyperlinks by web site, then test every web site’s guidelines and removing choices. Begin with the websites that transfer quick, like court-record and people-search websites. If removing or de-indexing isn’t obtainable, plan to push the hyperlink down in search as an alternative.

Select the route that matches every hyperlink’s supply: Google evaluations | Yelp and different evaluations | Court docket information | Mugshots and people-search | Social posts | Information, Reddit and authorities pages.

Step 2a: How To Take away Google Evaluations

Earlier than reporting a Google overview, test the platform’s insurance policies and the authorized limits on removing requests. The FTC’s Shopper Evaluations and Testimonials Rule took impact in October 2024. It bars companies from utilizing threats, intimidation, or false accusations to get a overview eliminated.

Examine Whether or not The Google Overview Violates Coverage

1. Discover the coverage the overview breaks. A overview that’s not based mostly on a real expertise can qualify. A harsh however trustworthy overview normally doesn’t. This web page covers which Google evaluations may be eliminated.

Report The Google Overview, Then Enchantment If Wanted

2. Report it in Google’s Evaluations Administration Instrument. If Google says no, you possibly can enchantment in the identical device and add supporting particulars.

Step 2b: How To Take away Yelp Evaluations

Google evaluations accounted for 82% of our overview work. Yelp made up about half of the remainder, with greater than 1,000 hyperlinks throughout its U.S. and Canadian websites. Only a few of these Yelp evaluations got here down.

Examine The Overview Towards That Website’s Guidelines

Evaluate the overview with that web site’s guidelines. In our knowledge, overview websites aside from Google left evaluations up much more usually.

Reply Publicly If The Overview Stays Up

If a Yelp or Trustpilot overview breaks no rule, a brief, factual public reply is normally the higher transfer.

Step 2c: How To Take away Republished Court docket Information

Court docket report websites corresponding to Trellis, UniCourt, Justia, CaseMine, vLex, and CourtListener normally eliminated or de-indexed the information we dealt with. These websites copy filings from court docket web sites. De-indexing means Google stops exhibiting the web page, however the web page nonetheless exists. Greater than 1 / 4 of profitable court-record instances concerned de-indexing quite than full removing.

Discover Republished Court docket Information, Then Request Host Removing

The court docket’s personal report not often adjustments, so begin with the copies. Right here is how removing from court docket report websites works.

Step 2nd: How To Take away Mugshots Or Choose Out Of Folks-Search Listings

Ask The Mugshot Website To Take away Its Itemizing

Mugshot websites, together with Mugshots.zone, Arrests.org, RecentlyBooked, and BustedNewspaper, normally took listings down. We preserve a information for every of those websites.

Choose Out Of Folks-Search Websites, Then Recheck

Folks-search websites listing dwelling addresses and telephone numbers. Choose-outs on Whitepages, TruePeopleSearch, Radaris, Spokeo, and FastPeopleSearch normally labored. As our August SEJ article defined, listings can come again when a web site refreshes its knowledge.

Step 2e: How To Take away Social Posts That Break Platform Guidelines

Instagram posts got here down most frequently, adopted by posts on Fb and X. TikTok and YouTube have been the toughest social platforms in our knowledge when there wasn’t a transparent copyright or dangerous content material concern.

Establish Which Social-Platform Rule Was Damaged

Examine the publish towards the platform’s guidelines on impersonation, harassment, or sharing non-public data. For pictures, test whether or not the publish raises a copyright or privateness difficulty beneath that platform’s guidelines.

Report The Social Publish Or Plan A Fallback

If a social publish breaks a platform rule, report it beneath that rule. A publish that solely criticizes somebody or incorporates commentary lined by truthful use is far more tough to take away. If removing isn’t an choice, plan to push it down in search as an alternative.

Step 2f: What To Do About Information, Reddit Or Authorities Pages

Information tales, Reddit threads, and authorities pages have been the toughest to take away, together with most overview websites aside from Google.

Information hyperlinks got here from 708 retailers, and most retailers left the story up except there was a fabric purpose for removing or a change in circumstances since publication. When an outlet did act, it usually stopped wanting deleting the story. About one in 4 profitable information outcomes was a reputation removing, a photograph removing, or de-indexing. It helps to know what information retailers will normally comply with earlier than you ask.

Authorities web sites not often took something down.

Ask Information Shops For A Title Edit Or De-Indexing

If full removing isn’t doable, ask for much less. A information web site could comply with take your identify out of a narrative or preserve Google from indexing the web page. Both change impacts what individuals see once they search your identify.

Report Reddit Posts That Break Website Guidelines

Reddit made up 260 hyperlinks, and threads not often got here down. Moderators take away posts that break subreddit or web site guidelines; being unflattering alone just isn’t a rule violation. See when a Reddit thread may be eliminated.

Vet Content material-Removing Providers: Ask About Websites, Outcomes & Timing

In case you choose to rent a supplier quite than deal with these requests your self, ask these 4 questions.

1. Which internet sites do you get content material faraway from? A great reply names websites. Google evaluations and court docket report websites are real looking. Yelp and information websites are lengthy pictures, and a supplier who says in any other case ought to clarify how.
2. Will this be eliminated, de-indexed, or pushed down in search? These are totally different outcomes. Full removing takes the web page off the net. De-indexing hides it from Google, and pushing it down solely adjustments the place it ranks.
3. What rule does this content material break? If the supplier can’t identify one, ask how they plan to get it eliminated. The FTC rule bans threats and false accusations geared toward getting evaluations taken down.
4. How lengthy ought to this take? For profitable removals, anticipate weeks for court docket information and people-search websites. Information removals usually take a month or extra.

If you would like a second opinion, ship us your hyperlinks. We’ll let you know which of them are prone to come down and the way lengthy every ought to take.

About The 2026 Content material-Removing Information

Erase.com analyzed 22,620 of the hyperlinks despatched to us for removing, with work beginning between January 1 and September 21, 2026. We counted a hyperlink as eliminated if it was taken down, de-indexed, or had the consumer’s identify or picture taken out. Hyperlinks the consumer paused or canceled have been excluded from end result comparisons.

This knowledge doesn’t cowl all of our work. It excludes work for purchasers on subscription and retainer-based removing plans corresponding to knowledge dealer removals and our copyright takedowns for delicate photographs, which we run as separate applications.

One case with about 3,500 picture hyperlinks is a part of the 22,620 whole, however we left it out of the class numbers so it wouldn’t skew them. Timing figures cowl 13,482 hyperlinks eliminated in that interval, together with some work that began in late 2025. They’re measured from the beginning of labor to the confirmed end result.

Picture Credit

Featured Picture: Picture by Erase. Used with permission.

In-Publish Photos: Photos by Erase. Used with permission.