CleanSlate
Bury Outdated News Coverage — Permanently
One article from five years ago shouldn't control what every employer, investor, and client thinks of you today. We outrank it with accurate, current, positive content.
Why old articles keep ranking
News domains are some of the strongest sites on the internet, and Google trusts them. A story about a lawsuit that was dropped, a dispute that was settled, or a business stumble from years ago can hold the top spots for your name simply because of the domain it lives on — not because it reflects who you are today.
What we do about it
We publish accurate, positive professional content — your work, your credentials, your real record — across our publishing network. Each piece competes for the same queries the old article ranks for. Over time, the positive content rises and the outdated coverage drops off the first page, where it stops influencing decisions.
The process
- Free scan. See every piece of coverage ranking for your name — news, dockets, and web results — in about five minutes.
- Plain-English report. You get a prioritized list: what's hurting you, where it ranks, and what to do first.
- Suppression plan. We generate positive content, build your professional profiles, and track positions monthly.
Who this is for
- Business owners and founders raising money or selling a company
- Executives and professionals in hiring or partnership conversations
- Anyone whose old legal dispute or news cycle still follows them
Why one old article keeps ranking
When an older article about you appears at the top of search results, it's often because the news outlet has a strong domain authority. This means their website is seen as trustworthy and important by Google.
- The article matches your name query exactly, making it highly relevant for searches about you.
- There are few other pages competing in the same search space about the exact person's name and location.
What suppression actually looks like
Our service doesn't remove old articles but adds new, positive content to the web. Over time, this approach pushes older negative coverage down the rankings.
- We create professional profiles and publish accurate articles about your current work or achievements.
- New links between these pages reinforce their importance, helping them rank higher than older, less relevant information.
When the article is accurate vs inaccurate
Even if an old news story is factually correct, it can still be overshadowed by newer, more positive content. We focus on building a strong online presence with recent achievements and professional profiles that compete for top rankings.
- If coverage is inaccurate, you may have additional options like requesting corrections from the publisher or seeking legal advice for further action.
How CleanSlate plans fit this
Every plan starts with the same free scan and plain-English report. From there, plans scale by how much positive content gets built and how closely your results are tracked. See the plans and compare what each one includes — monitoring, content generation, professional profiles, and monthly position tracking.
Why one old article keeps ranking
One old article may continue to rank high in search results even if it's outdated or negative because of several factors that influence how Google and other search engines display content. First, the domain authority of the news outlet publishing the article plays a significant role. News sites with strong reputations and established histories tend to have higher domain authority, which means their articles are more likely to rank well in search results.
- Exact match: If the article is about you or your business by name, it will often appear when someone searches for that exact name.
- Fewer competing pages: When there aren't many other relevant pages about you online, this single article can dominate the search results because it's one of the few pieces of information available about you.
What suppression actually looks like
Suppression doesn’t mean deleting or removing content. Instead, it involves creating new positive pages that outrank negative coverage over time. This includes building professional profiles on LinkedIn and other platforms where you can share your achievements, skills, and recent projects. Additionally, writing articles or blog posts about your expertise and accomplishments helps to diversify the information available online.
- New positive content: As more accurate, up-to-date pages about you get published and indexed by search engines, these newer pieces of content start to appear higher in search results than older negative coverage.
- Link building: By creating links between your new positive content and professional profiles, you reinforce the relevance and authority of this information, making it more likely that search engines will show these pages over outdated or inaccurate ones.
When the article is accurate vs inaccurate
Regardless of whether an old news article is accurate or inaccurate, the goal of suppression through positive content generation remains consistent. Accurate articles that are no longer relevant can be pushed down by newer, more recent and pertinent information about you.
- Publishing new, relevant content: By consistently adding fresh, high-quality material such as professional profiles, blog posts, or press releases, you gradually shift the focus away from outdated coverage.
- Inaccurate articles: If an article contains false information, consider reaching out to the publisher for a correction. However, legal action regarding inaccuracies can vary by jurisdiction and may not always be viable; an attorney specializing in defamation law should provide guidance on such matters.
How CleanSlate plans fit this
Every plan starts with the same free scan and plain-English report. From there, plans scale by how much positive content gets built and how closely your results are tracked. See the plans and compare what each one includes — monitoring, content generation, professional profiles, and monthly position tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Will the article disappear from Google?
The article itself may remain indexed. Our goal is that it stops ranking where people actually look. Most decision-makers read page one and stop — your monthly position report shows the negative coverage moving down and the positive content moving up.
What does the free scan find?
The scan searches the open web for your name, checks federal court dockets, and flags anything that could hurt you — with plain-English explanations. No account or payment required.
Can this help before a transaction?
Yes — we routinely work with owners preparing for a sale, a raise, or a senior hire. Starting six to twelve weeks ahead gives the positive content time to rank before the other side does their search.
Can you get a news article taken down?
We don't remove articles but work on publishing positive content to outrank them over time. For any other actions, speaking with an attorney might be necessary.
How long before the article moves down?
There's no set timeline; results depend on how quickly we can build a strong online presence with new, relevant information that competes for top rankings against older coverage.
Does this work for business owners?
Yes, our service helps business owners manage their online reputation by creating professional profiles and positive content to compete with any negative coverage found in search results.
Can you get a news article taken down?
We don't remove articles from the internet. Instead, we work to suppress negative coverage by creating new positive content that ranks higher in search results than old news articles.
How long before the article moves down?
There's no fixed timeline for when an older article will drop out of top search positions; it depends on many factors like the quality and relevance of new positive content you publish. The process can take several months as newer, more relevant information accumulates.
Does this work for business owners?
Absolutely, our services are designed to help both individuals and businesses manage their online reputations by creating a robust presence with accurate, positive content that reflects current achievements and activities.
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