Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team
Personal reputation management
The short answer
Personal reputation management is the work of changing what people find when they search your name. Audit the first 2 pages of Google, then give each result 1 of 3 routes: remove it through the site, Google’s free forms or the law; suppress it with accurate pages that outrank it; or respond with a correction or reply.
Checked on 3 Nov 2026 against Google’s help pages, the FTC, the EDPB, California’s privacy agency and US and UK lawWritten by the Essentras editorial team
Essentras sells removal and reputation services, priced on this page. Every free route here works without them.
Free decision table
Find what your search turned up, then click the first step. Rules come from the official pages cited below, read on 3 Nov 2026; prices are Essentras list prices that day.
| What you found | Route | Free first step | Who decides | If you want help |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your home address, phone or email | Remove | Results about you | Name removal, $1,650 | |
| ID numbers, bank details, medical records, doxxing | Remove | Google’s personal information form | Name removal, $1,650 | |
| Intimate images of you, real or fake | Remove | Google’s form and the site’s form | Google; US platforms within 48 hours | Free: file it yourself today |
| A people-search profile | Remove at the source | The site’s opt-out; DROP in California | The site, then Google | Personal information removal, priced after a free scan |
| A deleted or changed page that still shows | Remove | Refresh Outdated Content | Part of name removal, $1,650 | |
| An old news story | Respond, then remove or suppress | Ask the publisher for an update | The publisher; Google under EU law | 1 article, $2,200 |
| A false statement of fact | Law | When you need a lawyer | A court, then Google | A lawyer first; then 1 article, $2,200 |
| Your photo or text, copied | Remove | A copyright notice, if you own it | Google and the host | Free if you own the copyright |
| A Reddit or forum post about you | Remove if it breaks the rules; else suppress | Report it under the site’s rules | Reddit or the forum | Reddit removal, $1,250 |
| A Google review that names you | Respond; remove only a rule break | Reply, or report the rule it breaks | Google review removal, from $499 | |
| A true story that will stay | Suppress | Build pages that can outrank it | Google’s ranking | A plan priced after a free assessment |
| A namesake, or almost nothing about you | Suppress (build) | Your own site and profiles | Knowledge Panel for a person, $650 | |
| AI assistants repeating wrong facts | Respond at the source | Fix the pages they cite | Each AI assistant | AI Visibility Tracker Pro, $49 a month |
Send us the links. A specialist replies by email with an honest read of each result: removable and how, or lawful and staying. Free, with no obligation.
Get a free assessmentNobody can delete a lawful news story, a court record or an honest review on request, or make Google rank a page by a date. Google says nobody can pay it to rank a page higher. Treat any offer that says otherwise as a red flag.
Google removes some personal information on request: your address, phone or email, confidential ID, bank and card numbers, private records, confidential passwords, and doxxing.
Removing a result from Google does not delete the page: Google says people can still find it through links, social media or other search engines.
Results about you alerts you within a few hours of a match, but offers no remove option for government, educational, newspaper or business websites.
Refresh Outdated Content works only for pages that are gone or significantly changed; an approved request expires after 180 days.
Right to be forgotten delisting covers searches for your name where European data protection law applies. Google says reviews of professional services are likely to stay of interest to future clients.
Crawling a new or updated page can take a few days to a few weeks.
California residents can send 1 free deletion request to over 600 registered data brokers through DROP.
Covered platforms must remove intimate images, real or AI-made, within 48 hours of a valid TAKE IT DOWN Act request.
Step 1
Do this before you pay anyone or file anything. You need a private browser window, Google’s free Results about you and 1 sheet.
| Search | What it surfaces | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| “Full Name” (in quotes) | Pages with your exact name | Web, pages 1 and 2 |
| Full Name + city | Local news, people-search, court pages | Web and News |
| Full Name + employer or job | Staff pages, profiles, press | Web |
| Full Name + reviews, or + complaint | Reviews, complaint sites | Web |
| Full Name + lawsuit, or + arrest | News and record pages | Web and News |
| Past or maiden name | Results tied to a former name | Web and Images |
| Full Name, Images tab | Your photos, and others shown under your name | Images |
| “Who is Full Name?” to an AI assistant | Its answer and the pages it cites | 2 or 3 assistants |
People cards no longer exist
Some ranking guides still say to create a Google people card. Google ended people cards on 7 Apr 2024, per its notice to card owners. What you can still shape: your site, your profiles and a knowledge panel you claim.
The source pages:Google: how Search ranks resultsGoogle: Results about youGoogle: create an alert
The 3 routes
Choose the route per URL, not per problem: 1 name often needs all 3. The deciding question: does a site rule, a Google policy or the law cover this result?
Remove
When a site rule, a Google policy or the law covers the result: contact details, ID numbers, doxxing, intimate images, copyright you own, a court order, EU delisting.
Suppress
When the result is lawful and will stay: a fair story, a public record, an honest review. Accurate pages about you push it down; nothing is deleted.
Respond
When a reply or correction does more than removal: a publisher’s update, a reply to a review, your side on your own pages.
| Question | Remove | Suppress | Respond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who decides | The site owner, Google or a court | Google’s ranking systems | You, the publisher or the platform |
| Free route | Ask the site; Google’s forms; a copyright notice; EU delisting | Your own site and profiles | Owner replies, correction requests |
| Essentras price | Name removal $1,650; 1 article $2,200; Reddit $1,250; Google reviews from $499 | Placements at catalog prices (median $2,167); a plan after a free assessment | Free: the templates below |
| Clock | A few days for outdated pages; no stated timeline for most Google forms | Crawling takes days to weeks; ranking has no stated clock | A Google review reply is usually checked within 10 minutes |
Route 1
Removal is narrow, and every route below is free when you file it yourself. Start at the source, because Google’s tools only change Google; then Google’s policy forms; then the law.
| Route | What it covers | Clock, in the source’s words | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|
| The site owner or host | Anything the site agrees to change or delete | The site’s own schedule | Google: contact a website owner |
| Results about you | Results showing your phone, home address or email | Alerts within a few hours; review time not stated | Google: Results about you |
| Google’s personal information form | ID, bank and card numbers, images of your signature or ID, private records, passwords, doxxing | Not stated; Google emails you if it removes the URL | Google: remove your private info |
| Google’s sexual content form | Intimate images of you, real or fake | Not stated; Google also looks for duplicates | Google: remove personal sexual content |
| Pay-to-remove sites | Content about you on a site that charges for removal | Not stated | Google: sites that charge for removal |
| Refresh Outdated Content | Pages or images that are gone or significantly changed | Pending: a few days; approval lasts 180 days | Search Console Help |
| Reddit’s rules | Posts that break Reddit’s rules, such as revealing someone’s personal information | Not stated | Reddit Content Policy, rule 3 |
| Copyright notice (DMCA) | Copies of photos or text you own | Not stated | Google: legal reasons to report content |
| Court order or defamation | Content a court has found unlawful; content that defames you | Not stated | Google: legal removal requests |
| Right to be forgotten (EU) | Results for your name that are inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive | Not stated | Google: right to be forgotten |
| California DROP | Your data at registered data brokers (California residents) | Every 45 days since 1 Aug 2026; status up to 90 days | CalPrivacy: DROP |
| TAKE IT DOWN Act (US) | Intimate images, including AI-made, on covered platforms | Within 48 hours of a valid request | FTC: TAKE IT DOWN Act |
Google reviews only the URLs you submit, so list every URL where the content appears.
From the European Data Protection Board’s June 2026 factsheet. Delisting hides a result for your name; the page stays online.
| Request | What the EDPB says |
|---|---|
| A staff directory still lists someone who left 10 years ago | Delist: outdated and no longer necessary |
| An adult asks to delist a forum post written at 14 | Delist, unless an exception applies |
| A senior official asks to delist a recent corruption story | May refuse: the public interest can outweigh privacy |
Never file a copyright notice for something you do not own
US law makes anyone who knowingly misrepresents that material is infringing liable for the resulting damages and fees.
Every Google route, step by step
Our name removal page has 15 official routes, a free route finder and letter templates.
The source pages:Google Search Help: remove your private infoGoogle Legal Help: right to be forgottenEDPB factsheet: search engine delisting (June 2026)
Route 2
Suppression publishes accurate pages about you that can rank above an unwanted result. It deletes nothing, and Google’s ranking decides where each page lands.
Why it takes time
Google says crawling a new page takes a few days to a few weeks. Ranking comes after that, on no stated clock.
Why money cannot shortcut it
Google says nobody can pay it to rank a website higher. Money buys pages, not positions.
What breaks the rules
Buying links that pass ranking credit and mass-producing thin pages are spam under Google’s policies.
When it is the wrong route
If a result qualifies for removal, remove it first: suppression costs more and leaves the page online.
Unit costs, not a quote: the number of pages a name needs depends on what ranks for it. Catalog figures: list prices of 3,886 priced outlets on 14 Oct 2026.
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your own site and profiles | Your time and a domain name | No provider needed |
| A press placement in our catalog | 25% list at $752 or less; median $2,167 | Essentras price index, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Outlets marked as indexed by Google | 3,661 of 3,886 (94%), shown on each listing | Essentras catalog, 14 Oct 2026 |
| A knowledge panel for a person (Essentras) | $650, refunded if the panel does not go live | Essentras Knowledge Panel service |
| A personal website (ReputationDefender) | $995, paid once | ReputationDefender, read 3 Nov 2026 |
| DIY software (BrandYourself) | Free, or $99 a year for Premium | BrandYourself FAQ, read 3 Nov 2026 |
The full suppression playbook
Our push-down guide covers triage, placement budgets by authority level and what fails.
Route 3
Some results get better with a reply, not a removal request. Responding is free, often quick, and it is what readers see while any request is pending.
Ask the publisher for an update
Ask the editor for an update, an editor’s note or, for a private person, removing your name. Send proof if the facts changed. Template 2.
Reply to reviews as the owner
A verified Google Business Profile can reply in public; Google checks replies, usually within 10 minutes, sometimes up to 30 days. Template 4.
Say it on your own pages
Update your site and profiles with current facts and, where a story needs context, a short statement.
Fix what AI assistants repeat
When an assistant cites a page, the fix is on that page. Correct the source, then ask again a few weeks later.
What not to put in a reply
No threats and no accusations you cannot prove: the FTC rule bans unfounded legal threats, intimidation and knowingly false accusations used to get a consumer review removed. Never post reviews about yourself or ask staff to.
Cost
Every official route in the removal table is free when you file it yourself, and so are Google Alerts and claiming a knowledge panel; CalPrivacy says it will never charge you for DROP. You pay for time, expertise or scale.
| Service | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Remove your name from Google | $1,650 flat | No removal, no fee: if the content is not removed, you get every dollar back. A refund is not a promise of removal: Google and publishers decide. |
| Remove 1 specific article | $2,200 flat | No removal, no fee: if the content is not removed, you get every dollar back. A refund is not a promise of removal: Google and publishers decide. |
| Reddit content removal | $1,250 flat | No removal, no fee: if the content is not removed, you get every dollar back. A refund is not a promise of removal: Google and publishers decide. |
| Google review removal (Google reviews only) | $499 for 1 review; 3 for $1,350, 5 for $2,000, 10 for $3,500 | Google decides every removal. The refund is ours to make. Pro-rata refund, per review: if Google does not remove a review you paid for, that review’s share of the fee comes back. Reviews that do not qualify in the free check come off the order and are refunded before anything is filed. |
| Google Knowledge Panel | $650 for a person; $1,200 for a business; $1,395 for both | Pay today. If we take you on and your panel does not go live, you get every dollar back. |
| Personal information removal | A price for your case after a free scan | You see the price before you pay |
| Online reputation management | Free assessment, then a price for your case | Single fixes keep their fixed prices |
| AI Visibility Tracker | Free (3 questions, public dashboard) or $49 a month (Pro, private) | Tracks what 7 AI assistants answer, with their sources |
| Provider | Published price | Terms worth reading | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrandYourself | DIY software free or $99 a year; Concierge typically from around $599 a month | Premium renews automatically; no refunds | BrandYourself FAQ |
| ReputationDefender | $995 once for a personal website; no price for core services | Fees nonrefundable; no removal assured | ReputationDefender |
| NetReputation | No price: a free assessment and custom quote | Ask for the terms first | NetReputation FAQ |
| Erase.com | No price: a free quote | Says you pay only when results are delivered | Erase.com |
| Status Labs | No price: bespoke, no fixed tiers | Ask for the terms first | Status Labs |
| Minc Law (a law firm) | $5,000 to $10,000 without a lawsuit; $20,000 to $60,000+ with a lawsuit | Exact price after a call | Minc Law |
Only prices each provider publishes itself. Verify at the source.
An estimate for your own case
Our cost guide has a free estimator that prices removal and suppression item by item from these list prices and the catalog.
Timelines
Few official routes publish a timeline. Where the source states a clock, it is below; where it states none, we say so.
| Step | Clock | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Results about you finds a match | A notification within a few hours | Google: Results about you |
| Google’s removal forms and legal requests | No timeline stated | Google: legal removal requests |
| A right to be forgotten request | No timeline stated | Google: right to be forgotten |
| Refresh Outdated Content | Pending: a few days; approval expires after 180 days | Search Console Help |
| A Google review report | Typically several days; 1 appeal allowed | Google Business Profile Help: report reviews |
| An owner reply to a Google review | Usually 10 minutes; sometimes up to 30 days | Google Business Profile Help: manage reviews |
| California DROP | At least every 45 days since 1 Aug 2026; status up to 90 days | CalPrivacy: DROP |
| TAKE IT DOWN Act request | Within 48 hours of a valid request | FTC consumer alert |
| An EU data protection complaint | A response within 3 months | Your Europe: data protection |
| A new page about you is crawled | A few days to a few weeks | Google Search Central |
| That page ranks for your name | Nobody can state it in advance | Google: how Search ranks results |
Treat fixed suppression timelines as estimates
No official or measured public source states how long suppression takes. Vendor ranges are estimates; never accept a date for a ranking.
Legal
Most of this page is free paperwork you can do alone. A lawyer is worth it when the law, not a site rule or a Google policy, is the route. This is general information, not legal advice.
| Situation | Why the law is the route | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A false statement of fact about you | Defamation law differs by state and country; opinion is generally protected, provably false facts may not be | Cornell LII Wex: defamation |
| You want Google to act by law | Google’s legal form lists court orders and defamation as reasons | Google: legal removal requests |
| The website will not act | In the US a site is generally not treated as the publisher of users’ posts; claims usually target the author | 47 U.S.C. 230, Cornell LII |
| You are in England or Wales | A statement is not defamatory unless it caused or is likely to cause serious harm | Defamation Act 2013, section 1 |
| A copyright dispute | Knowingly false notices create liability for damages and fees | 17 U.S.C. 512(f), Cornell LII |
| A criminal record to seal | Courts decide sealing; for EU delisting, Google weighs whether a conviction is spent or expunged | Google: right to be forgotten |
In the EU, if a data protection request is refused, you can complain to your national data protection authority or go to court.
Threats and extortion are a police matter
If someone threatens you, or demands money to remove or not publish something about you, keep the evidence and contact the police. The free removal forms still apply at the same time.
The source pages:Cornell LII Wex: defamation (reviewed Aug 2026)Your Europe: data protection and online privacy
Copy-ready
Replace everything in [brackets]. Keep each message short and factual, and send it from your own email.
Before you send anything
When to use it: Step 10 of the audit: 1 row per result.
Sheet columns
Date checked | Search used | Position | URL | What it says | True, false or outdated | Who controls it | Route | Free step taken | Date filed | Status
Paste it into a spreadsheet and split the columns on the | character.
When to use it: An old or incomplete story about you.
Email to the editor
Subject: Update request: [article title] Hello [editor's name], Your article "[title]" ([URL]) names me in connection with [the event, in neutral words]. Since then, [what changed, for example: the case was dismissed on (date)]; [the document] is attached. Would you consider [adding an update / removing my name]? Thank you, [Your name], [phone or email]
If the story is false, talk to a lawyer before you write.
When to use it: A page that shows your home address, phone number or email.
Email to the site owner or host
Subject: Removal request: my personal details on [site] Hello, The page [URL] shows my [home address / phone number / email]. I did not publish it there; please remove it and confirm. Thank you, [Your name]
For these details, Google’s Results about you does not need the owner’s agreement.
When to use it: A real review of your business or services.
Public reply
Thank you for writing this. I am sorry your experience with [service] fell short. [1 sentence on what you changed, or the fact that is wrong, stated neutrally.] Please contact me at [business email or phone] so I can put this right. [Your name], [role]
Never confirm private details about a client or patient in public.
When to use it: Before you ask anyone, including us, for a price.
Brief
Name searched: [full name, other names] Country and city: [where you live and work] Results to change: [URL] | [what it says] | [route] (1 line each, from your audit sheet) Already filed: [requests and dates] Budget and deadline: [amount], [date] Questions: Which route for each URL, and who decides? What happens to my fee if a request is refused? Will I approve anything published in my name?
Mistakes
Each mistake, with the official page or law behind it.
| Mistake | What the source says | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Paying anyone who promises to delete lawful content | Google, publishers and courts decide | Ask who decides each URL |
| A copyright notice for content you did not create | Liability for knowingly false notices (17 U.S.C. 512(f)) | Use the route that fits |
| Posting fake reviews, or asking staff to | Banned for businesses (16 CFR 465.2); up to $53,088 per violation (16 CFR 1.98) | Ask real clients for honest reviews |
| Threatening a reviewer with a groundless lawsuit | Banned as review suppression (16 CFR 465.7) | Reply once, factually |
| Buying links or mass pages to push results down | Spam under Google’s policies | Fewer, useful pages |
| Refresh Outdated Content on a live page | It will not remove an unchanged live page | Ask the site first |
| Assuming a Google removal deletes the page | The page stays reachable elsewhere | Ask the site too |
| Results about you for a newspaper page | No remove option for those sites | Ask the publisher |
| Creating a Google people card | Ended on 7 Apr 2024 | Build your own site |
The source pages:16 CFR 465.2, fake reviews (eCFR)16 CFR 1.98, civil penalty amounts (eCFR)Google Search Central: spam policies
Optional
Optional. Each does 1 specific job; none is needed for the free routes above.
Optional
Start with the free steps.
FAQ
Managing what people find when they search your name: removing what a site rule, Google policy or law covers, pushing lawful results down with accurate pages, and responding where a correction or reply helps. Most of it uses free official tools.
Audit your name and log every result. Ask sites to remove or update pages, use Google’s free forms for contact details, ID numbers, doxxing and intimate images, and use the law where it applies. For lawful results that stay, build accurate pages that can outrank them.
No setting erases a name from Google. You can get specific results removed when a Google policy or the law covers them, and push lawful results down. Google says a page it removes can still be found through links, social media and other search engines.
The official routes are free. At Essentras, name removal from Google is $1,650, 1 article $2,200 and a Knowledge Panel for a person $650; suppression is priced after a free assessment. Many providers publish no price.
Results about you alerts arrive within a few hours and outdated-page requests can pend for a few days; Google states no timeline for its other forms. New pages take days to weeks to be crawled, and nobody can predict when they rank.
Only the publisher can delete an article. Google can remove a result when a policy or the law covers it, or delist it for your name under EU data protection law. A lawful, newsworthy article usually stays; then the options are an update, suppression, or both.
Not for Google’s policy forms, Refresh Outdated Content or a right to be forgotten request in your own name. A lawyer helps when the law is the route: a false statement of fact, a court order, a copyright dispute. This is not legal advice.
Mostly, yes: every free route here is built for the person affected. Paid help makes sense for many URLs, a legal route, or suppression content you cannot produce. Ask any provider what happens to your fee if a request is refused.
Search your name in quotes in a private window, then with your city, employer and past names, through pages 1 and 2, Images and News. Turn on Results about you and a Google Alert, and ask 2 or 3 AI assistants who you are.
No. Google applies these delistings where European data protection law applies, not to services for countries outside the EU. In the US, use Google’s policy routes, the site owner and legal routes; California residents can also use DROP.
Sources and method
Checked on 3 Nov 2026
Official pages are paraphrased; vendor prices are what each company publishes on its own site; Essentras prices are the list prices our checkout uses.
What we could not read, so this page does not claim it
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source. Report an error
General information, not legal advice. Essentras is not a law firm and is not affiliated with Google. Google, publishers, platforms and courts decide every request; nobody can promise an outcome or a ranking. Prices are list prices on the date shown.
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