The ReputationHound Journal

How removal actually works.

Plain answers about reviews, articles, search results, social posts, records and what AI assistants say about you. Written by the people who do the work, not a content team.

Browse by topic

Google reviews
Getting individual Google reviews taken down, what qualifies, and what to do when a review is simply someone's honest bad opinion.
6 articles
Yelp and review platforms
Yelp, Trustpilot, Healthgrades, Glassdoor and the rest. Different policies, different leverage, very different odds.
6 articles
Search results and articles
News coverage, blogs and attack sites on page one for your name, and the difference between removing a result and burying it.
6 articles
Social media and forums
TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit. Where a report works, where it does not, and how fast content spreads before it stops.
6 articles
Defamation and legal routes
When content crosses from unflattering into actionable, and what a legal route actually costs in time, money and attention.
6 articles
Records, mugshots and data brokers
Arrest records, court filings and people-search profiles that outlive the events they describe.
6 articles
AI answers and assistants
What ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and AI Overviews say about you, where they get it, and how that changes when the source comes down.
6 articles
Executives and personal brand
Founders, partners and public-facing leaders, where the personal and the corporate record collide.
6 articles
Physicians and practices
Elective and aesthetic patients decide on page one. What that costs a practice, and which findings actually move consultations.
6 articles
Law firms and attorneys
Referral-driven practices where one page-one result changes who calls, and the ethical lines around responding.
6 articles
Restaurants and hospitality
High review volume, thin margins, and the specific reviews that actually move covers.
6 articles
Crisis and corporate
The first 48 hours, what to say, what to never say, and how a response becomes the story.
6 articles
Monitoring and prevention
Finding it early, when early still matters, and what is worth watching versus what is noise.
6 articles

All articles

A single sheet of paper pinned to a board
Crisis and corporate
A crisis communication plan that fits on one page
Long plans are not read at 11pm. Here is the version people actually use.
Tomas Lindgren · 1 August 2026
 An empty conference room with tall windows
Law firms and attorneys
A reputation strategy for a law firm
What to own, what to monitor and what to ignore, for a practice where one page-one result changes who calls.
Priya Raghunathan · 27 July 2026
 A page of newsprint with soft shadow
Executives and personal brand
How to get your name out of a news story
Full removal is rare. Name removal from an otherwise intact article is more achievable than people think.
Priya Raghunathan · 25 July 2026
 A clipboard with a blank form on a desk
Records, mugshots and data brokers
How to correct or remove a background check result
Background check providers are regulated. That gives you a dispute process most online problems do not have.
Claire Bettencourt · 21 July 2026
 A city street at dusk with motion blur
Social media and forums
How to get a post removed from X
Enforcement is inconsistent and the spread window is measured in minutes, not days.
Tomas Lindgren · 16 July 2026
 A hotel corridor with soft morning light
Yelp and review platforms
How to remove a Tripadvisor review
Tripadvisor moderates more actively than most platforms, which cuts both ways.
Marcus Ellery · 14 July 2026
 A wave receding on a flat beach
Crisis and corporate
How long a news cycle actually lasts
Attention fades in days. The search results do not, and that gap is where the real work sits.
Priya Raghunathan · 10 July 2026
 An official seal embossed on plain paper
Law firms and attorneys
When a bar complaint shows up in search
Disciplinary records are public and durable. What you can affect is the copies and the context.
Priya Raghunathan · 8 July 2026
 An empty executive office chair by a window
Executives and personal brand
When Glassdoor reviews name the CEO
Named criticism of leadership is largely protected. The productive response is rarely the legal one.
Daniel Osei · 4 July 2026
 A blank sheet of paper on a desk
Records, mugshots and data brokers
Expungement does not clear the internet
The legal record changes. The copies made while it was public do not change with it.
Daniel Osei · 1 July 2026
 A camera on a tripod in an empty studio
Social media and forums
How to remove a YouTube video about you
Video ranks in Google as well as YouTube, which doubles the damage and the reason to act early.
Marcus Ellery · 26 June 2026
 An empty open-plan office at dawn
Yelp and review platforms
How to remove a Glassdoor review
Employee reviews are protected more than most, and the grounds that work are narrow and specific.
Daniel Osei · 24 June 2026
 An empty staff break room
Crisis and corporate
When an employee video goes viral
Two problems at once: the incident, and the employment decision everyone is now watching.
Claire Bettencourt · 19 June 2026
 A telephone on an empty desk
Law firms and attorneys
How online reviews break a referral practice
The referral still happens. The call does not, and nobody tells you why.
Claire Bettencourt · 17 June 2026
 A boardroom table with empty chairs
Executives and personal brand
Reputation due diligence before a funding round
Assume the diligence team runs the searches you have been avoiding. Run them first.
Tomas Lindgren · 12 June 2026
 Rows of archive boxes on shelving
Records, mugshots and data brokers
How to remove court records from Google
Court records are public by default. The realistic levers are sealing, the aggregator layer, and what ranks instead.
Priya Raghunathan · 8 June 2026
 An empty meeting room with stacked chairs
Social media and forums
How to remove a Reddit post about you
Reddit ranks well, moderates by volunteers, and rewards exactly the wrong instincts.
Daniel Osei · 6 June 2026
 A quiet medical waiting area with empty chairs
Yelp and review platforms
How to remove a Healthgrades review
Physician review sites have narrower removal grounds and a confidentiality trap most practices walk straight into.
Claire Bettencourt · 3 June 2026
 A closed door with light beneath it
Crisis and corporate
Should you respond publicly at all?
A framework for the decision that determines whether an item stays small.
Daniel Osei · 28 May 2026
 A directory card index drawer
Law firms and attorneys
How to remove an Avvo review
Legal directory profiles rank strongly for attorney names, which raises the stakes on a single review.
Marcus Ellery · 26 May 2026
 Two overlapping circles of light on a wall
Executives and personal brand
When the founder's name is the company's reputation
For founder-led businesses these are one asset with two failure modes.
Claire Bettencourt · 23 May 2026
 A tangle of network cables on a plain surface
Records, mugshots and data brokers
How to remove yourself from people search sites
Dozens of brokers, most fed by a handful of sources. Work the sources and the rest follow.
Claire Bettencourt · 19 May 2026
 A community noticeboard on a plain wall
Social media and forums
How to remove a Facebook post about your business
Local groups are where this does real damage, and they are the hardest part to reach.
Claire Bettencourt · 16 May 2026
 A receipt and pen on a clean counter
Yelp and review platforms
How to remove a Trustpilot review
Trustpilot will ask the reviewer for proof of purchase. That single mechanism is your best route.
Daniel Osei · 12 May 2026
 A blank notepad and pen on a table
Crisis and corporate
What to say when a story breaks
A holding statement that buys time without conceding anything, and the phrases that create the next headline.
Tomas Lindgren · 8 May 2026
 A gavel resting on a plain wooden surface
Law firms and attorneys
The ethics of responding to a client review
Several state bars have already disciplined attorneys for this. The safe reply is shorter than you think.
Daniel Osei · 5 May 2026
 A microphone on a stand in an empty room
Executives and personal brand
Removing negative press about a CEO
The hardest category in this work, and the one where the wrong move creates a second story.
Priya Raghunathan · 1 May 2026
 A filing cabinet drawer slightly open
Records, mugshots and data brokers
How to remove an arrest record from Google
The record and the search result are separate problems, and clearing one does not clear the other.
Priya Raghunathan · 27 April 2026
 A blank picture frame on a pale wall
Social media and forums
How to remove a defamatory Instagram post
Instagram's reporting is narrow. Knowing which category to choose decides the outcome.
Daniel Osei · 23 April 2026
 A sorting tray of plain paper cards on a desk
Yelp and review platforms
Why Yelp reviews disappear: recommended vs not recommended
The filter that decides which reviews count toward your rating, and why you cannot appeal it.
Claire Bettencourt · 21 April 2026
 An empty office at night with one light on
Crisis and corporate
The first 48 hours of a reputation crisis
What to do in order, and the three things that turn a bad day into a bad year.
Tomas Lindgren · 18 April 2026
 A row of law books on a shelf
Law firms and attorneys
How to remove a negative review of a law firm
Attorneys have the narrowest response options of any profession, and the highest cost per lost enquiry.
Daniel Osei · 15 April 2026
 A tidy desk with a closed notebook
Executives and personal brand
How to clean up your online presence as an executive
A sequence that starts with what you control, because that is where the fastest visible progress is.
Tomas Lindgren · 11 April 2026
 An empty corridor with institutional lighting
Records, mugshots and data brokers
How to remove a mugshot from the internet
Mugshot sites republish across networks. Removing one copy without mapping the rest achieves nothing.
Marcus Ellery · 6 April 2026
 A phone on a tripod in a plain room
Social media and forums
How to remove a defamatory TikTok video
TikTok moves fast in both directions. What you do in the first few hours matters more than on any other platform.
Daniel Osei · 3 April 2026
 A restaurant table set in soft evening light
Yelp and review platforms
How to remove a Yelp review
Yelp is the hardest of the major platforms, and knowing why changes what you should attempt.
Marcus Ellery · 30 March 2026
 A notebook with a pen beside a screen
Monitoring and prevention
How to track what AI says about your brand
There is no feed to subscribe to. You have to ask on a schedule and keep the record yourself.
Tomas Lindgren · 27 March 2026
 A clipboard hanging on a kitchen wall
Restaurants and hospitality
When a health inspection score follows you online
Official records are public and durable. The copies are where the visibility problem lives.
Priya Raghunathan · 23 March 2026
 A calm treatment room with soft light
Physicians and practices
Reputation for aesthetic and elective practices
The highest-stakes category in healthcare reputation, because the entire decision happens before contact.
Claire Bettencourt · 20 March 2026
 A single thread being pulled from woven fabric
AI answers and assistants
Does removing content change what AI says about you?
Usually yes, and faster than most people expect, with one important exception.
Tomas Lindgren · 17 March 2026
 A blurred figure behind frosted glass
Defamation and legal routes
Suing an anonymous online poster
Unmasking is a separate legal fight before the actual case begins, and courts protect anonymity by design.
Daniel Osei · 13 March 2026
 A closed door in a plain corridor
Search results and articles
How to remove a Ripoff Report listing
Ripoff Report has a stated policy of never removing posts. That changes the strategy entirely.
Marcus Ellery · 9 March 2026
 An empty chair at a plain table in soft light
Google reviews
Can a business owner delete Google reviews?
No, and understanding exactly why explains which routes are left and which are dead ends.
Daniel Osei · 7 March 2026
 A barometer on a plain wall
Monitoring and prevention
The early warning signs of a reputation problem
What shows up before the review, the article or the video, and what it usually means.
Tomas Lindgren · 4 March 2026
 A crowded street scene blurred in motion
Restaurants and hospitality
When a bad review goes viral
The review stopped being the problem. The response is now the story.
Tomas Lindgren · 26 February 2026
 A stethoscope resting on a plain surface
Physicians and practices
Removing a malpractice article about a physician
The article may be immovable while the copies are not, and the copies are usually what ranks.
Priya Raghunathan · 24 February 2026
 A control desk with plain unlabelled dials
AI answers and assistants
AI reputation management: what it actually involves
A real discipline with real mechanics, and a category filling rapidly with vendors selling nothing.
Tomas Lindgren · 20 February 2026
 An hourglass on a plain surface
Defamation and legal routes
The limitation period for online defamation
Shorter than most people expect, and the clock usually starts at first publication rather than discovery.
Priya Raghunathan · 18 February 2026
 A stack of smooth stones balanced on a plain surface
Search results and articles
How to push down negative search results
Suppression is the fallback when removal is impossible. Here is what it really costs and how long it really takes.
Priya Raghunathan · 12 February 2026
 A laptop open on a quiet desk with a cup of coffee
Google reviews
How to respond to a negative Google review
Your reply is not for the reviewer. It is for the next person reading, and it is permanent.
Claire Bettencourt · 10 February 2026
 A radar-like circular pattern on a dark surface
Monitoring and prevention
What brand monitoring tools can and cannot see
Useful, expensive, and blind in the places that matter most. Know the gaps before you buy.
Priya Raghunathan · 6 February 2026
 A tablet on a host stand in a restaurant
Restaurants and hospitality
Managing reviews on booking platforms
Verified-diner reviews are harder to remove and more trusted, which changes the whole approach.
Marcus Ellery · 2 February 2026
 A row of identical white cups on a shelf
Physicians and practices
How many reviews does a practice actually need?
Enough that any single one stops mattering, and recent enough that the profile reads as live.
Claire Bettencourt · 29 January 2026
 An open reference book on a plain table
AI answers and assistants
How to get cited by Perplexity
Perplexity shows its sources, which makes it the best place to learn what answer engines actually reward.
Tomas Lindgren · 28 January 2026
 A sealed envelope on a plain surface
Defamation and legal routes
Cease and desist letters for online defamation
Sometimes the cheapest thing that works. Sometimes the reason a small problem becomes a public one.
Daniel Osei · 22 January 2026
 An empty courthouse corridor with tall windows
Search results and articles
Is there a right to be forgotten in the United States?
No general right exists. Several narrower mechanisms do, and they cover more than people assume.
Daniel Osei · 21 January 2026
 A wall clock in a bright minimal room
Google reviews
How long it takes to remove a Google review
Realistic timelines for each stage, and why the first answer you get is usually not the final one.
Claire Bettencourt · 15 January 2026
 A wall calendar with blank squares
Monitoring and prevention
How often should you check your online reputation?
Frequency should track how fast you could act, not how anxious you feel.
Claire Bettencourt · 13 January 2026
 A reservation book on a host stand
Restaurants and hospitality
How reviews actually affect restaurant bookings
Rating thresholds, recency, and the specific point where diners stop considering you.
Claire Bettencourt · 8 January 2026
 An empty appointment book on a desk
Physicians and practices
What negative reviews actually cost a practice
The damage is rarely where practices look for it, and the fix is usually not removal.
Claire Bettencourt · 6 January 2026
 A single spotlight on a plain stage
AI answers and assistants
How to appear in Google's AI Overviews
The pattern behind what gets pulled into an overview, and why most pages are structurally unsuitable.
Tomas Lindgren · 1 January 2026
 A plain document folder on a desk
Defamation and legal routes
How to prove online defamation
What you need to have gathered before you speak to a lawyer, and why most of it degrades within days.
Daniel Osei · 29 December 2025
 Server racks in a cool dim room
Search results and articles
How to de-index a URL from Google
De-indexing is a technical action with specific prerequisites. It is not a complaints process.
Priya Raghunathan · 27 December 2025
 A magnifying glass resting on a plain white surface in soft light
Google reviews
How to report a fake Google review
How to tell a fake from a bad one, and how to build the case that gets it taken down.
Marcus Ellery · 22 December 2025
 A wall of small identical windows
Monitoring and prevention
What to actually monitor online
The full surface list, in priority order, and the ones almost everybody misses.
Claire Bettencourt · 20 December 2025
 A clean stainless steel kitchen surface
Restaurants and hospitality
When a review claims food poisoning
The single most damaging review a restaurant can receive, and the response window is hours.
Claire Bettencourt · 16 December 2025
 A closed medical file on a desk
Physicians and practices
HIPAA and responding to patient reviews
The single most expensive mistake a practice can make online, and the four sentences that avoid it.
Claire Bettencourt · 12 December 2025
 A cracked pane of glass catching light
AI answers and assistants
Why AI says something wrong about your business
Four causes, and they need four different fixes. Guessing which one you have wastes months.
Tomas Lindgren · 10 December 2025
 Two identical glasses on a plain table
Defamation and legal routes
Defamation vs opinion: how courts actually tell them apart
The tests judges apply, and why context can turn the same sentence from protected to actionable.
Daniel Osei · 5 December 2025
 A quiet library aisle with rows of shelves
Search results and articles
How to remove your name from Google search
You cannot remove a name. You can act on the specific pages behind it, one at a time.
Priya Raghunathan · 3 December 2025
 A printed policy document on a desk beside reading glasses
Google reviews
What actually qualifies a Google review for removal
The specific policy grounds Google will act on, ranked by how often they succeed in practice.
Daniel Osei · 27 November 2025
 A small bell on a plain surface
Monitoring and prevention
How to set up Google Alerts for your name
Free, useful, and missing most of what actually matters. Worth setting up anyway, with eyes open.
Priya Raghunathan · 25 November 2025
 An empty restaurant dining room in morning light
Restaurants and hospitality
How to remove a bad restaurant review
High volume, thin margins, and one specific category of review that is worth fighting.
Marcus Ellery · 21 November 2025
 An empty consultation room with a window
Physicians and practices
How to remove a patient review
Narrow grounds, a confidentiality trap, and one thing practices consistently get backwards.
Claire Bettencourt · 18 November 2025
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AI answers and assistants
How to remove false information about you from ChatGPT
You cannot edit the model. You can change what it reads, and for most cases that is the whole job.
Tomas Lindgren · 13 November 2025
 A set of brass scales on a plain desk
Defamation and legal routes
Is a negative review defamation?
Almost never. The line sits between a false statement of fact and an opinion, and most reviews land firmly on the wrong side of it.
Daniel Osei · 12 November 2025
 A folded newspaper on a plain surface in soft light
Search results and articles
How to remove a news article from Google
Two separate problems: the article itself, and the search result pointing at it. They need different approaches.
Priya Raghunathan · 6 November 2025
 A phone showing a business listing on a cafe table in daylight
Google reviews
How to remove a Google review
The actual sequence that gets a review taken down, and the point at which flagging stops working and something else has to happen.
Marcus Ellery · 4 November 2025