Every August we get calls like this:
"This is Dean Smith calling from State University. When you Google the name "Dean Smith" all the results are MySpace pages talking about what an idiot I am. Fix this please."
Every Christmas a retailer calls and says that when you Google the name of its best product the search engine results show how one angry customer is posting bad reviews everywhere.
Okay, our job is to find out if Dean Smith really is an idiot or if the product really does explode upon opening. Assuming that we're dealing with good people and products, our approach is to look at providing positive content that is likely to be found, indexed and ranked well by search engines-- and create a positive first impression to consumers online.
Another strategy is to try to get the bad stuff removed. We're seeing this service popping up from all corners of the web, including at a site called ComplaintRemover.com.
Two approaches to the same problem...is it better to remove bad content or create good? My thought is that the legal issues and the potential backlash that could occur from trying to get rid of bad publicity makes that option less attractive.
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