Negative press is one of the most common types of negatives and can be particularly difficult to deal with. In this guide, BrandYourself walks you through your options for dealing with negative links online and our 3-step process for suppressing them.

1. THE DO'S AND DON'TS
OF DEALING WITH NEGATIVE NEWS ARTICLES
@BRANDYOURSELF

2. NEGATIVE PRESS IS ONE
OF THE MOST COMMON
TYPES OF NEGATIVES

3. Negative press mentions41%

5. NEGATIVE NEWS ARTICLES CAN BE
PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH:
They are authoritative - tend to rank high
If it is the only piece of content it can take over the first
page of results
News syndication to affiliates & other news sites
Community activity - social sharing, comments, etc.
Accompanying Media - Images, videos

6. the don’ts

7. AVOID COMMENTING ON THE ARTICLE

8. WHY YOU SHOULDN’T COMMENT
Activity keeps the article relevant
helps it rank higher in search results
keeps it relevant on the news source
Builds authority making it more difficult in the long run
when it’s no longer relevant
Run the risk of other news sources picking it up

9. BEING UNREALISTIC ABOUT GETTING IT
REMOVED OR TAKEN DOWN

10. GETTING IT REMOVED
IF THE ARTICLE IS TRUE
Not a good chance that it
will be removed
Time can be on your side
IF ARTICLE IS INACCURATE/
OUTDATED
Better chance of getting it
corrected
Legal documentation will
go a long way
Policies differ
Correct the article
Remove the article
robots.txt in code

11. WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT
GETTING IT REMOVED
Contact the editor directly by phone , if possible
Be polite, clear and concise
Send over any documentation that can reinforce
your case
They don’t have to do anything
It is not a long term solution
Can pop up on another news site
Doesn’t prevent anything else from showing up

12. the legal route

13. the dO’s

14. bury the news
article with positive,
relevant content

15. WHY THIS IS YOUR BEST OPTION
Even if get something removed/edited, it doesn’t help
any other search results
The results can pop up elsewhere (republished, link
from a new relevant story, etc)
Protect against future negative results
Build a more well-rounded online presence - tell your
full story

16. BUILDING A POSITIVE ONLINE
PRESENCE IS A 3-STEP PROCESS
CREATE OPTIMIZE UPDATE

17. BUILD CONTENT FOR THE KEYWORD THAT
THE ARTICLE RANKS FOR
Search for your name multiple ways to see what
shows up and where
Search for location
Select the keyword that the articles ranks for
If it ranks for multiple keywords, get smart about the
content you create
Ex.) If it shows up for “John Smith New York” & “John
Smith”, develop content for both

18. STEP ONE
BUILD HIGH-QUALITY WEBSITES &
PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

20. YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD BE A CENTRAL HUB
FOR INFO ABOUT YOU:
Bio & ‘About Me’ section
Relevant experience & accomplishments
Contact info & best way to reach you
Press, Awards, Accolades, etc.
Interests, hobbies, organizations, etc.

21. GET ON THE RIGHT SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR
YOUR INDUSTRY

22. STEP TWO
OPTIMIZE YOUR SITES & PROFILES TO
RANK WELL IN SEARCH ENGINES FOR
YOUR NAME

23. SEARCH ENGINE ALGORITHMS ARE
COMPLEX

24. SEO BASICS: FACTORS TO UNDERSTAND
ON-PAGE FACTORS
Architecture/ Structure
Keyword/Content
Relevancy: Keep it active
Outbound links
OFF-PAGE FACTORS
Backlinks
Social Sharing

25. @johnsmith @bigjS151
I AM A REAL ESTATE
AGENT IN NYC
JOHN SMITH IS A REAL
ESTATE AGENT IN NYC
SEO FRIENDLY SEO NOT-SO-FRIENDLY

26. WRITING A GOOD BIO
Start with an intro sentence:
“John Doe is a Marketing Executive in NYC specializing in tech startups.”
Highlight accomplishments & achievements from there:
“He has written over 20 publications”
“…was recently recognized by his Alma Mater”
“is co-authoring a book on social media”
Write in the 3rd person
Remember to have several variations for different profiles & sites

27. LINK YOUR CONTENT TOGETHER
JohnDoe.net
Professional
JohnDoe.com
Main
about.me linkedin
slideshare crunchbase
tumblr
twitter
google+
facebook quorapinterest
instagramtwitter

28. STEP THREE
CREATE, MAINTAIN & PROMOTE
CONTENT OVER TIME

29. POST CONTENT REGULARLY
Blog about topics relevant to your industry & interests
Rich media ranks well (images, video, SlideShares, etc.)
Incorporate work you’ve already put in

30. BLOGGING STRATEGIES
Easy-to-use blogging platforms: Wordpress, Medium,
Tumblr
Topics: FAQ’s, industry trends, in the news
250-500 words
Include appropriate title & tags (fill out all information)

31. UPDATE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES
Update social media profiles
consistently (make a schedule)
Follow key influencers in your
industry
Share interesting things posted by
others & your own content
When you can, include a link, image/
video to increase engagement

32. Negative results take
more time than dealing
with your average situation

33. NO ONE HAS THE MAGIC POTION OR SECRET SAUCE

34. Have any quesAons?
Email support@brandyourself.com
or call (646) 863-8226