Reputation Attack Sites Have Plummeted in Google Rankings but Can Still Cause Harm

Reputation-harming sites have long promoted themselves as venues for consumer complaints while hosting unverified content that can seriously damage organizations and individuals. Thankfully, the most notorious of these websites saw a significant drop in their Google rankings in 2018 and have not recovered since. However, sites like Ripoff Report, Pissed Consumer, and Complaints Board still occasionally appear prominently in search results, potentially harming reputations. Here is an update on the situation and some tips on mitigating their impact.

Legal Loopholes and Content Removal Challenges

Ripoff Report, Pissed Consumer, and Complaints Board have capitalized on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which states that internet publishers of third-party content are not liable for that content. As users write the reviews on these sites, the websites are not legally required to remove harmful content, with some exceptions, such as copyright infringement.

Ripoff Report’s Business Model

RipoffReport.com has long been infamous for its damaging impact and refusal to remove complaint reviews. Even though it presents itself as a protector of consumer speech, it does not allow complaints to be removed. Instead, it offers to post editorial comments around defamatory content if you pay their “corporate advocacy” fees, which often feels like an extortion scheme.

More Flexible Sites: Pissed Consumer and Complaints Board

Pissed Consumer and Complaints Board are somewhat more flexible, removing content when presented with a court order or when their user policies are violated. However, using these sites to resolve consumer complaints is not recommended for a few reasons:

1. Negative Domain Names: Simply having a page from these sites appear in search results creates a bad first impression.
2. Optimizing Negative Content: Responding to negative reviews on these sites can make the pages rank even higher.
3. Financial Support: Paying these sites helps sustain the companies that are harming you.

Decline in Google Rankings

Both Pissed Consumer and Complaints Board saw significant drops in overall rankings from 2018 onwards. Despite the drops, these sites remain a threat as their pages can still appear prominently in certain search results.

What Caused the Decline?

Many people requested Google to demote these sites. For Ripoff Report, activities like URL changes to evade Google’s actions might have contributed to their decline. Ripoff Report’s ranking decline coincided with Google’s Medic Update in 2018. Complaints Board and Pissed Consumer also saw declines following the Medic Update and other core updates.

Ongoing Risks

These sites remain a risk because they can possibly make changes that could reverse their ranking declines. Even now, their pages can show up prominently in search results for some names.

Strategies to Displace Negative Pages

To mitigate the risk and recover from having damaging pages appear high in search results, consider these steps:

1. Website: Create a website optimized for search with the subject’s name.
2. Social Media: Set up and optimize profiles on Twitter and Facebook, ensuring the names match common search terms.
3. YouTube: Create a YouTube channel and post optimized videos.
4. Directory Profiles: Create profiles on business or professional directories.
5. Google Search Console: Use this tool to expedite the indexing of your website.

Continued Efforts and Long-Term Strategies

Iteratively developing online assets helps displace negative pages and improve reputation management over time. Even after success, it’s recommended to continue these practices to protect against future attacks.

In conclusion, while reputation attack sites have weakened, they still pose a risk. Building and maintaining a strong online presence is crucial to mitigating and managing potential reputational damage.