If your name or business appears in an SEC filing, it damages your online reputation.

Getting these records removed or suppressed in Google search results can be tough, since search engines (basically, Google) view SEC and .gov websites as reliable and important sources. Still, here are options I’ve used to minimize the impact of these records in search results.

How Do SEC Records Affect Your Online Reputation?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a U.S. government agency responsible for regulating the securities industry. This includes overseeing stock exchanges, brokers, investment advisors, and mutual funds.

The SEC’s main goal is to protect investors and ensure that markets function fairly and efficiently. As part of its role, the SEC enforces federal securities laws and monitors the information that companies and individuals share with the public.

While the SEC is vital transparency in the financial industry, being mentioned in an SEC filing can almost immediately damage your reputation, even if there was no wrongdoing on your part.

These records often show up prominently at the very top of Google search results, which can leave a lasting negative impression on anyone searching for your name or business. When prospective or current clients see it, they stop calling and move on to working with someone else. Thus the serious nature of this issue.

Steps to Remove or Suppress SEC Records from Search Results

1. Contact the SEC: If the information in the SEC record is incorrect or outdated, you can try asking them to correct or remove it. Reach out to the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance and explain your situation. Although this won’t probably won’t result in the removal of the record, it’s worth trying if the data is wrong. Or, try submitting a correction or deletion request.
2. Reach Out to the Website Hosting the Records: If the records appear on a third-party website, you can contact the site owner and request removal. However, in my experience, they don’t really care, and usually do nothing. Website owners aren’t obligated to remove content unless it violates privacy or legal standards, but if the information is incorrect, they might take it down.
3. Request Google to Remove Specific Information: Google allows the removal of content that includes sensitive personal information, such as financial details or Social Security numbers. If your SEC records include these, you can file a removal request with Google using their content removal tool. Of course, though, this option is only available in very specific circumstances.
4. Promote Positive Content: One of the best ways to counteract negative search results is by creating and promoting positive content. Publish blog posts, professional profiles, and social media updates that reflect positively on you or your business. The more you optimize this content with relevant keywords, the more likely it will rank higher in search results, pushing down the SEC record. But, this can take six to 12 months or longer, and is incredibly time intensive.
5. Consult a Reputation Management Expert: Consider consulting a reputation management specialist. These professionals specialize in improving online reputations and can offer expert guidance or even take over the process for you.

How to Suppress SEC Records on Google Search

I’ll focus a bit more on content suppression, i.e., pushing down the SEC record in search results so it’s less visible. Usually, having it drop off the first page is effective. Although it’s not a guaranteed fix, you can often minimize the impact by boosting the visibility of positive info. Here’s what has been effective in the past for similar clients:

• Audit Your Current Search Results: Start by searching your name or business to see where the SEC records show up. This will give you a sense of how much work you’ll need to do to push them down. If it’s at the top, which is likely, it will take a huge effort; if it’s at the bottom, the process could be much easier.
• Create High-Quality, Positive Content: Develop engaging, positive content—such as blog posts, personal website creation, and social media updates—that highlights your strengths. Make sure this content is well-optimized with keywords related to your business or personal brand to help it rank in search results.
• Focus on Key Platforms: Besides your business and personal sites, be very active on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Quora, Instagram, Google Business Profile and more.
• Optimize Your Social Media Profiles: Ensure your social media profiles are complete and use your real name and relevant keywords. Link to your positive content and personal site where appropriate. This not only helps these profiles rank higher but also establishes a strong, positive online presence.
• Build Backlinks to Your Content: Increase the authority of your positive content by earning backlinks from reputable websites. These links can help boost your content’s visibility in Google searches, which can push down SEC links.
• Monitor Your Search Results Regularly: Keep an eye on search rankings and update your content frequently. ORM is an ongoing effort, so regular updates help maintain and improve your rankings over time. This includes daily updates, and weekly blog posts.
• Consider Professional Help: Suppressing negative content is a long-term effort, and it may take months or even longer to see significant results. If you don’t have the time or know-how to handle this yourself, consulting an online reputation management firm can make the process smoother and more effective.

Bottom Line

It’s important to remember that removing or suppressing SEC records from Google isn’t straightforward. In most cases, it may not be possible to fully remove them. However, by following the steps outlined above and maintaining a consistent online presence, you can work toward minimizing their impact and improving your online reputation over time. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.