Erase.com analyzed 22,620 links between January 1 and September 21, 2026, establishing that specific types of negative search results—primarily Google reviews and court records—are reliably removable or de-indexable. The study found a median success time of 18 days for all successful outcomes, which matters to anyone attempting to clear a digital reputation or manage brand safety.
Is this for you?
If you manage a digital reputation, the 18-day median success time helps you set realistic expectations for removing negative links.
- If you are a reputation management consultant, the 18-day median figure allows you to set realistic SLAs for clients.
- If you are a growth engineer, you should use a push down strategy for news links that do not meet removal criteria.
- If you are legal counsel, you should evaluate the legal limits on removal requests for high-profile clients.
- Skip this if you are a beginner SEO student as this is a data-heavy analysis.
- Skip this if you are a social media influencer seeking viral growth.
What you can do now
- Compare your client's removal timeline against the 14-day median for full removals or the 21-day median for de-indexing.
- Check the Google Reviews Management Tool to verify if a specific review has been removed.
- Verify that your removal strategy complies with the FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule before contacting platforms.
Key figures
- Median time for successful outcomes
- 18 days
- Median time for full removals
- 14 days
- Median time for de-indexing
- 21 days
- Success rate within 30 days
- 71%
- Google reviews share
- 52% of links
The Hierarchy of Removability by Source Type
Source categorization dictates the feasibility of removal more than any other variable in reputation management. Erase.com found that Google reviews accounted for 52% of the links analyzed, and these were among the most predictable targets for removal because they often fall under Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy. Conversely, news articles (6% of links) and Reddit threads (2% of links) are significantly harder to remove because they are hosted by outlets with independent editorial rules or community moderation guidelines.
Court records, mugshots, and people-search listings represent the highest-velocity targets for removal. (people-search listings: online directories that provide personal information and records about individuals.) Erase.com reports that the median time for removal in each of these categories was less than two weeks. Because these sites often act as repositories rather than content creators, they are more responsive to host-removal requests than news outlets, which may only agree to name or photo removals.
De-indexing vs. Full Removal Timelines
De-indexing—the process of keeping a page online but removing it from search engine results—is a distinct outcome from full removal, which involves taking the page down entirely. Erase.com data shows that full removals achieved a median outcome of 14 days, while de-indexing took a median of 21 days. This distinction is critical for managing client expectations, as de-indexing helps ensure the link is no longer visible in Google Search results while the content remains accessible via a direct URL.
Court records provide a specific example of this technical split
Court records provide a specific example of this technical split, as more than a quarter of successful court-record cases involved de-indexing rather than full removal. Google reviews also present a variance in timing; while 71% of successful outcomes were confirmed within 30 days, about one in 10 Google review removals took more than 90 days. This highlights the need for a long-tail strategy for even the most predictable targets.
The Push Down Strategy for News and Reddit
Push down strategies—the practice of improving the ranking of positive content to move negative results out of visible positions—become the primary tactic when removal is impossible. (Push down: the practice of improving the ranking of positive content to move negative results out of visible positions.) News links and Reddit threads rarely come down because they often do not violate the specific host policies required for deletion. For these cases, the focus shifts from deletion to search visibility management.
News outlets often refuse full deletion
News outlets often refuse full deletion but may agree to a name removal or de-indexing. Erase.com notes that about one in four successful news outcomes resulted in a name removal, a photo removal, or de-indexing. When a source like Reddit or a news outlet remains static, practitioners must pivot to a push down strategy to ensure the negative content does not occupy the top visible results for a target’s name.
FTC Rule and Policy Compliance
Legal compliance limits the tactics available to reputation managers, specifically regarding review removal. The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, which took effect in October 2024, prohibits businesses from using threats, intimidation, or false accusations to force a review’s removal. Practitioners must ensure that any removal request remains within these legal limits to avoid regulatory action.
Google's own prohibited and restricted content policy serves as the primary mechanism
Google’s own prohibited and restricted content policy serves as the primary mechanism for successful review removal. Reviews that are not based on a genuine experience, or those involving impersonation or harassment, qualify for removal. If a review is honest but harsh, it usually does not qualify for removal, meaning the practitioner must prioritize cases that clearly violate these specific platform rules.
Data for Reputation Consultants and Growth Engineers
Reputation management consultants should use the 18-day median figure to set realistic SLAs, checking the Google Reviews Management Tool to verify if a review has been removed or requires an appeal. Growth engineers should switch to a push down strategy for news links that do not meet removal criteria, monitoring the de-indexing status to confirm the link is no longer appearing in search. Legal counsel for high-profile clients should evaluate the legal limits on removal requests and track the mediation time for news removals to advise on settlement timelines.
Exclusions for Beginners and Influencers
Beginner SEO students should skip this data-heavy analysis and instead read a general guide on how Google’s ranking algorithm works. Social media influencers seeking viral growth should ignore this report and instead focus on a guide to social media engagement and community management.
Anjali’s Court Record Scenario
Anjali runs a local bakery and finds a court record regarding a minor licensing issue appearing on UniCourt. She identifies the source as a republished court record and recognizes it as a high-velocity target with a median removal time of less than two weeks. Anjali requests a host removal or de-indexing from UniCourt, and within 14 days, the record is hidden from search results.
If the record had instead been a news story, the outcome would have shifted significantly. Because news links are harder to remove, Anjali would likely have to settle for a name removal or a push down strategy, as the news outlet would be less likely to delete the story entirely.
Application Table for Search Strategy
Removal Feasibility and Strategy
| Source Category | Relative Ease | Typical Outcome | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews | High | Removal/De-indexing | Reputation Consultants |
| Court Records | High | De-indexing/Removal | Legal Counsel |
| Mugshots/People-Search | High | Removal | Growth Engineers |
| Other Reviews (Yelp, etc.) | Low | Public Reply | Small Business Owners |
| News Articles | Low | Name/Photo Removal | Growth Engineers |
| Reddit/Social | Low | Push Down | SEO Practitioners |
Replacing Guesswork with 2026 Data
Guessing on removal success rates is replaced by the 2026 data from Erase.com, which is better because it provides specific median timeframes for full removal (14 days) and de-indexing (21 days). This allows practitioners to move from speculative promises to data-backed service level agreements.
Negative Search Results: what to check, compare and watch
- FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule
- The FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule governs how practitioners can request the removal of negative reviews without using illegal tactics. Effective date: October 2024. Reputation management consultants: verify that the removal strategy complies with the FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule before contacting the review platform.
- Republished court records
- Republished court records are easier to remove from search results compared to news stories or Reddit threads. Removal speed: less than two weeks. Reputation management consultants: compare the removal success rate of republished court records against news stories to set client expectations.
- 30-day confirmation window
- The 30-day confirmation window is a metric used to manage client expectations for successful removal of negative search results. Reputation management consultants: inform the client that 71% of successful removals are confirmed within a 30-day window.
- Fair use
- The ability to remove a social post depends on whether the content is protected by fair use. Legal counsel for high-profile clients: assess if the content is protected by fair use before initiating a formal removal request.
Negative Search Results: questions the original report leaves open
- Which update is it, and has Google confirmed it?
- The original report did not say which update it is or if Google confirmed it.
- When did the rollout start, and when did or will it finish?
- The original report did not say when the rollout started or finished.
- Which kinds of sites, queries or languages are affected?
- The original report did not say which kinds of sites, queries or languages are affected.
- What does Google say site owners should do?
- The original report did not say what Google says site owners should do.
- How can a site owner check whether they were affected, and against which date range?
- The original report did not say how a site owner can check if affected or the date range.
- How long does recovery take, and what should not be done in the meantime?
- The original report did not say how long recovery takes or what should not be done.
- Can you remove a news article from Google?
- The original report did not say if you can remove a news article from Google.
- Does this content qualify for fair use?
- The original report did not say if this content qualifies for fair use.
Original reporting: Data Shows Which Negative Search Results Can Actually Be Removed via @sejournal, @EraseDotCom (Search Engine Journal), on 6 October 2026.