How to deal with an old, wrong or damaging result about you on Google

Updated 3 October 2026 · 8 min read

Search for your name and you may find something you don’t like: an old listing with a former address, a page that no longer says what Google shows, your home phone number on a directory, or a critical article. The right response depends on what kind of problem it is, because each has a different remedy, and some cannot be removed at all. This guide sorts the problems, shows the tool or route for each, and explains how to push down what you cannot remove by building a stronger set of results of your own.

The short answer

First decide what kind of result it is: out-of-date information, a page that has already changed, your personal contact details, content that breaks the law, or true but unflattering coverage. Each has a different route.
Fix it at the source whenever you can. Removing a page from the site that publishes it is the only fix that lasts; Google only reflects what is on the web.
Google has tools for outdated pages, for personal contact information, for legal removals and, in the EU, UK and Switzerland, for delisting under data-protection law. They apply in limited cases and a request can be refused.
True and lawful information, especially about a professional’s work or conduct, is usually weighed as public interest and is hard to remove. In that case the answer is to respond well and to build better results.
Beware anyone who guarantees removal. Nobody outside Google decides what Google lists. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Step one: what kind of problem is it?

Types of unwanted result and where to start
What you see	What kind of problem	Where to start
An old listing with a former address, phone number or title	Out-of-date information	Correct or remove it at the site that publishes it, or claim the listing
A search result showing text that is no longer on the page	Google’s copy is out of date	Google’s outdated content request, after the page itself has changed or gone
Your home address, personal phone number or email on a directory or other page	Personal contact information	Google’s Results about you tool, and ask the site to remove it
A page that defames you, infringes your copyright or breaks the law	Illegal or policy-violating content	Ask the site to remove it, then Google’s legal removal form
A page about you, in the EU, UK or Switzerland, that you believe is inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant	Data-protection delisting	Google’s form for removal requests under European data-protection law
A true, lawful article, review or report that is unflattering	Reputation, not removal	Respond well, correct anything wrong, and build stronger results

Out-of-date information

This is the commonest and easiest case. A directory still shows your old address, or a former employer’s page still lists you. Search results simply reflect what those pages say.

Find every place the old information appears. Search your name, practice name, phone number and old address, and note the results. See why AI gets your details wrong for an audit method.
Claim the listing if you can, or use the site’s “report an error” or “contact us” link.
Ask for a correction or removal, quoting the page address and the correct details.
If the site will not respond, ensure the correct information is easy to find elsewhere, and keep trying for a while.
Wait for search engines to re-read the page. This can take days or weeks.

When Google shows text that is no longer on the page

Sometimes a page has been changed or deleted, but Google’s result still shows the old words. Google offers a way to request that out-of-date results be refreshed or removed. It works for any site, not just your own, in Search Console’s outdated content request. Google will check the live page, and it will only act if the page really no longer contains that content or no longer exists. It will not remove a page that is still live and still says what Google shows. The usual order is to fix or remove the page first, then make the request.

Your personal contact information

If your home address, personal phone number or private email is on a page you did not intend to be public, Google’s “Results about you” tool can help. You add the details you want to monitor, such as your name, address, phone number and email, and opt in to notifications. Google checks for results that show them and tells you what to review. For a result you want gone, use the three-dot menu next to it and choose to remove the result. Google considers each request against its policies.

Two cautions. Removing a result from Google does not remove the page from the web, so also ask the site to delete the information. And the tool concerns personal contact details, not a professional business phone number or address that you chose to publish for your practice.

Content that breaks the law

If a page defames you with false statements, infringes your copyright, or breaks other laws or Google’s policies, you can ask Google to remove it using its form for reporting content for legal reasons. The best order is to ask the site’s owner or host first, in writing, with the page address and why it is unlawful. If that fails, use Google’s form and be specific. Keep screenshots showing the page address and the date.

Defamation law differs a great deal between countries, and a statement that is true, or an opinion, is generally not defamatory. A lawyer can tell you whether a statement is actionable. Do not threaten legal action you are not prepared to take, and do not file a request containing claims you know are false; that can backfire.

Data-protection delisting in Europe

Under data-protection law, people who live in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland can ask Google to remove results about their name that are inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive. Google provides a form, asks you to identify the web addresses and give your reasons, and may ask for identification. It balances your privacy against the public interest in the information, and its published guidance says relevant factors include whether the information is out of date and whether it concerns matters such as financial fraud, professional malpractice or criminal convictions.

The consequence for a professional is important. Information about your professional conduct is the kind that can be treated as public interest. A request about an old, minor, inaccurate or irrelevant item is more likely to succeed than one about a legitimate report of your work. Even when Google agrees, the page remains on the web and stays visible in searches that do not use your name.

True but unflattering: respond and push down

If a result is accurate and lawful, such as a fair news report, a regulator’s published decision or a genuine critical review, you generally cannot make it disappear, and the attempt often draws attention to it. What helps is to answer it calmly and to outweigh it.

Respond

On a review site, reply briefly and professionally. See how to get Google reviews and reply to them.
Correct genuine factual errors with the publisher, politely and with evidence. Many publishers will add a correction.
Where appropriate, add a short factual statement on your own page, such as what you changed. Do not argue.
Take legal or regulatory advice before saying anything about a formal complaint or decision.

Build better results

Search results are crowded; the more good, relevant pages you have for your name, the less visible a single bad one becomes. Over weeks and months:

Make your own website clear, current and well titled, with your name, profession and city. See how to show up first when people search your name.
Complete your Google listing and your main profiles, such as LinkedIn and your professional body’s directory.
Earn genuine mentions: a talk, a podcast, an article for a trade publication, a local press feature, or a case study with a client’s consent.
Publish useful writing on your own site that answers clients’ questions.
Keep your details identical everywhere, so your results reinforce each other.

This takes time and no one can promise exactly how far a result will fall. But it is honest, it helps your whole business, and it does not risk penalties.

What not to do

Do not pay a company that guarantees removal. Be especially wary of anyone who says they have a “contact at Google”.
Do not create fake sites, profiles or reviews to bury a result. Search engines treat that as spam, and it breaks consumer-protection laws on fake reviews.
Do not threaten the publisher without a basis, or file requests with false claims.
Do not respond in anger. A calm reply is the one future clients read.
Do not destroy evidence. Keep dated screenshots and copies.

Keep watching

Search your name in a private window each month.
Set up Google Alerts for your name and practice name, so you hear of new mentions.
Use the Results about you notifications if you have set them up.
After you make changes, check again after two to four weeks.

Where BeVisible fits

A clear, current page of your own is the strongest result you control for your name. BeVisible builds one in an afternoon, with your name, profession and city in the title, your facts in plain text and structured data, so it is easy for search engines and AI assistants to read. You can build and preview free, and publish free for 7 days with no card needed; after that one yearly plan keeps a website online, and one plan covers one website. Start from a photo or type your details.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove an old listing from Google?

Correct or remove it at the website that publishes it, because Google only reflects what is on the web. Once the page has changed or been removed, you can ask Google to refresh or remove the outdated result using the outdated content request in Search Console. Google will not remove a page that is still live.

Can I remove my phone number or home address from Google?

Possibly. Google’s Results about you tool lets you find results that show your personal contact information and request their removal, subject to Google’s policies. Also ask the site that publishes it to delete it, since removing a result from Google does not remove the page.

Can I remove a bad review or critical article about me?

Only if it breaks the platform’s or Google’s policies, or the law. A genuine, lawful but negative review or article generally stays. You can reply professionally, correct factual errors with the publisher, and build better results over time.

What is the right to be forgotten?

It is a right under European and UK data-protection law, applying to people who live in those places, to ask search engines to remove results about their name that are inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive. Search engines weigh it against the public interest, including professional conduct, so many requests are refused.

How can I push a negative result down?

Build stronger, genuine results for your name: a clear website, a complete Google listing, up-to-date professional profiles, and mentions on reputable sites. It takes months, it cannot be guaranteed, and it avoids the penalties that tricks attract.

Should I hire a reputation management company?

Be careful. Nobody can guarantee removal or a specific ranking, and some firms use fake content that can make matters worse. Reasonable help includes advice on correcting sources, building your own results and handling legal requests. Ask exactly what they will do.