Remove Search Results from Google – Expert Assessment
Remove Search Results from Google – Free Expert Assessment
If something damaging is appearing in Google search results — whether it is a news article, a conviction record, an embarrassing image, a forum post, or anything else — you are not without options. Cohen Davis Solicitors are specialist internet lawyers who have been helping individuals and businesses remove search results from Google since 2008. We have successfully removed over 1,000 pages from Google's index and secured deletion from source across hundreds of cases.
Removing a search result from Google is not simply a matter of filling in an online form. Google's own removal tools are limited in scope, and the vast majority of requests submitted without legal support are refused. Our solicitors understand both the legal frameworks — including the UK GDPR right to erasure, the European right to be forgotten, defamation law, privacy law and the specific rules that apply to sensitive personal data — and the practical strategies that produce results. We pursue both delisting (removing the result from Google's index so it no longer appears in search) and deletion (removing the content from the source website entirely), and in many cases we achieve both.
We work across every category of search result: links to news articles and press coverage, images appearing in Google Images, video thumbnails in search results, autocomplete suggestions, knowledge panel entries, snippets and sitelinks, social media posts, forum threads, review site content, data broker listings, and more. Whatever is appearing in your Google search results and causing you harm, we will conduct a thorough assessment and give you honest, expert advice on your realistic options.
Your initial consultation is completely free — a 15-minute expert assessment with a qualified solicitor, protected by legal professional privilege from the moment of first contact. Call us on 0800 612 7211 or complete the form below to request your free assessment today.
Proven Results: Search Results We Have Removed from Google
Our track record speaks for itself. The cases below represent the breadth of search result removal work we undertake — from large-scale Google delisting campaigns to individual high-priority results and regulatory proceedings before the ICO.
These results represent real people whose search results we have permanently removed from Google. We cannot promise identical outcomes — every case turns on its own facts — but we will give you a candid assessment of your realistic prospects from the outset.
About Cohen Davis Solicitors
Cohen Davis Solicitors is one of the UK's leading internet law firms, founded and led by Yair Cohen, an internet law solicitor who has practised in this specialist area since 2008. Yair Cohen is widely recognised as a pioneer of the right to be forgotten in the UK and has been instrumental in developing the legal landscape for Google search result removal.
The firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which means every client benefits from the full protections of the solicitor-client relationship — including legal professional privilege, confidentiality, and the conduct standards enforced by the SRA. When you speak to us, your communications are protected from the very first contact.
We have represented clients from across the UK, the United States, Europe and beyond. Our clients include private individuals, business owners, professionals, public figures, and organisations seeking to protect their reputations from harmful Google search results. We handle every case with discretion and a clear focus on achieving results.
Unlike reputation management agencies or online removal services that operate without legal authority, we are qualified solicitors who can bring legal proceedings, engage with the ICO, issue legal notices, and represent our clients in court where necessary. This legal authority is often the decisive factor in achieving removal when other approaches have failed.
What Google Search Results Can Be Removed?
We are regularly asked whether a particular type of content can be removed from Google. The honest answer depends on the specific result, the legal basis for removal, and the nature of the underlying website. Our solicitors assess all of the following categories, and we have successful removal experience across every one.
News Articles & Press Coverage
Links to newspaper articles, online news features, archived press stories and editorial content that appear when someone searches your name. Removal may be possible under the right to be forgotten, privacy law or defamation law depending on the content.
Conviction Records & Criminal History
Search results relating to past criminal convictions — including spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act — can in many cases be removed from Google, particularly where the conviction is old, minor, or the result has become disproportionate to the public interest.
Images in Google Images
Personal photographs, mugshots, intimate images, deepfakes, paparazzi shots, and screenshots that appear in Google Images search results. Image delisting and source deletion can often be pursued simultaneously.
Videos & Video Thumbnails
YouTube videos, social media video content, and video thumbnails appearing in Google Search. We handle YouTube takedowns, DMCA claims, and direct legal engagement with hosting platforms.
Social Media Posts
Posts on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit and other social platforms that are indexed by Google and appear in search results. We can pursue removal from both the social platform and Google's index.
Personal Information
Results revealing your home address, phone number, email address, date of birth, national insurance number or other personal data. UK GDPR and the right to erasure provide strong grounds for removal in many such cases.
Autocomplete Suggestions
Google's autocomplete feature may suggest damaging or false phrases when someone begins typing your name. These can sometimes be challenged and removed through Google's autocomplete removal tools or legal channels.
Knowledge Panel Entries
Inaccurate or harmful information appearing in a Google Knowledge Panel associated with your name or business. We advise on correction requests and, where appropriate, legal routes to challenge panel content.
Forum Threads & Discussion Boards
Posts on Reddit, Mumsnet, The Student Room and other forum platforms that rank highly in Google for your name. We assess removal both from the hosting forum and from Google's index.
Review Sites
Damaging, false or defamatory reviews on Trustpilot, Google Reviews, Glassdoor, Yelp and similar platforms that appear prominently in Google search results. We differentiate between legitimate reviews and those that are fake, malicious or defamatory.
Data Broker Listings
Websites that aggregate and publish personal data — including Spokeo, Whitepages and UK equivalents — and index that data on Google. Subject access requests and right to erasure demands are our primary tools here.
Defamatory & Malicious Content
Websites or posts that contain false statements of fact causing reputational harm. Defamation law, including the Defamation Act 2013, provides grounds for removal notices, injunctions and damages claims in appropriate cases.
Do Any of These Situations Apply to You?
Our clients come to us with a wide range of situations. If any of the following scenarios reflects your position, we can help.
Damaging content appears at the top of your Google results
When someone searches your name, the first result is something harmful — a news article, a forum post, a review or other damaging content that is defining how people perceive you online. We regularly achieve removal or delisting of top-ranking results through a combination of legal and practical strategies.
Multiple different results all referencing the same past event
A single incident from your past has generated multiple Google results — several articles, a forum thread, social media posts, and a data broker listing — all pointing to the same event. We build comprehensive removal campaigns targeting every indexed result simultaneously.
A result that was accurate once but is now outdated and misleading
The search result was factually accurate at the time of publication but no longer reflects your current situation — a conviction that is spent, a business dispute that resolved, a professional matter that concluded. Outdated content is one of the strongest grounds for right to be forgotten claims.
You have already tried the Google removal form and been refused
Google's own removal tools are limited and Google refuses the vast majority of requests submitted without legal support. A refusal from Google is not the end of the road — we frequently succeed where self-help attempts have failed, using legal authority that individuals alone do not have.
The result is on an obscure site but ranks highly for your name
An old, low-quality or niche website has published content about you that — for reasons of Google's algorithm — ranks highly when someone searches your name. The obscurity of the source does not prevent removal; we engage directly with hosting companies and pursue Google delisting in parallel.
Google is showing an old address, phone number or personal detail
Your home address, former address, phone number, date of birth or other personal information appears in Google search results. UK GDPR provides strong grounds for removal of this type of personal data, particularly where publication serves no legitimate public interest.
A competitor or ex-partner has posted damaging content that indexes
Someone who wishes you harm — a business competitor, a former partner or an aggrieved individual — has published content online that now indexes on Google. Depending on the content, defamation law, harassment law, or data protection law may provide the route to removal.
Results about a criminal case, professional discipline or old business dispute
Google results relate to a historical criminal matter, a regulatory or professional disciplinary proceeding, or a business dispute — all of which may have resolved years ago. These are among the most common and most successfully removed categories under the right to be forgotten.
Why We Succeed Where Others Fail
Many clients come to us after attempting DIY removal or engaging a non-legal reputation management company, without success. There are structural reasons why solicitor-led removal produces better results:
- Legal authority that others lack. As solicitors, we can issue legal notices, commence proceedings, engage with the ICO as a regulator, and — where needed — apply to court. This legal authority fundamentally changes how Google, website operators and hosting companies respond.
- Knowledge of applicable law. UK GDPR, the right to be forgotten, defamation law, privacy law, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the specific rules on sensitive personal data all interact in complex ways. Our solicitors understand which legal basis applies to each result and deploy the strongest available argument.
- Dual-track strategy. We pursue both Google delisting and source deletion simultaneously. Removing a result only from Google's index leaves the original content live and potentially re-indexable. Removing from source gives permanent protection.
- ICO proceedings experience. Where Google or a website operator refuses to comply, we have experience bringing complaints and proceedings before the Information Commissioner's Office — as demonstrated in Diego's case. The ICO route is often decisive in forcing compliance.
- Established relationships and reputation. We have engaged with Google's legal teams, hosting companies, press publishers and website operators on many cases. Our reputation as a specialist law firm carries weight in negotiations that an individual acting alone does not.
- Honest advice from the outset. We will tell you clearly at assessment stage what we believe is achievable and what is not. We do not take on cases we cannot advance, and we do not charge fees for work that is unlikely to produce results.
- Legal professional privilege. Everything you tell us is protected. Unlike a reputation management agency, our communications with you are legally privileged — they cannot be disclosed in legal proceedings and are protected from the moment of first contact.
Why Use a Solicitor — Not a Reputation Management Agency?
Not all Google removal services are equal. The table below sets out the key differences between instructing Cohen Davis Solicitors and using a non-legal reputation management or online removal service.
| Capability | Cohen Davis Solicitors | Typical Agency / DIY |
|---|---|---|
| Can issue formal legal notices to websites | Yes | No |
| Can bring claims for defamation, privacy or data protection | Yes | No |
| Communications protected by legal professional privilege | Yes | No |
| Can bring proceedings before the ICO | Yes | No |
| SRA regulated — subject to professional conduct standards | Yes | No |
| Expertise in UK GDPR and right to be forgotten law | Yes | Unlikely |
| Can pursue both Google delisting and source deletion | Yes | Delisting only (typically) |
| Can apply for court injunctions where urgent | Yes | No |
| Honest, regulated advice on realistic prospects | Yes — SRA obligated | No regulatory obligation |
| Free expert assessment before committing to fees | Yes — 15 minutes free | Varies |
Frequently Asked Questions
Removing Search Results from Google
About the Free Expert Assessment
What Our Clients Say
We are proud to have helped hundreds of clients remove damaging search results from Google. Here is what some of them have said about working with us.
How the Process Works
Removing search results from Google with Cohen Davis Solicitors follows a clear, straightforward process. Here are the three key stages.
Free Expert Assessment
You request a free 15-minute consultation. A specialist solicitor reviews your search results, identifies the applicable legal grounds, and gives you an honest assessment of your prospects and the likely approach — at no charge and with no obligation.
Strategy & Instruction
If we believe we can help and you choose to instruct us, we develop a tailored removal strategy for your specific results. This will include the legal basis we will rely on, whether we pursue Google delisting, source deletion or both, and a clear fee agreement before any work begins.
Removal & Confirmation
We pursue removal through the appropriate legal and procedural channels — engaging Google, website operators, hosting companies and the ICO as required. We keep you informed throughout and confirm once results have been successfully removed from Google.
Our Fees
The initial 15-minute expert assessment is completely free of charge. There is no obligation to instruct us and no hidden costs associated with the consultation.
If you go on to instruct us, our fees depend on the number and complexity of the search results to be removed, the legal strategy required, and whether the matter becomes contested. We will provide you with a clear written fee estimate before any work begins.
We offer both fixed-fee arrangements for straightforward cases and hourly rate arrangements for more complex or contested matters. In some cases, we may be able to advise on conditional or alternative funding arrangements. We will discuss all options with you during or after your free assessment.
We do not charge fees for work we do not believe is likely to achieve results. Our approach is to give you honest advice about what is achievable and to fee that work appropriately — not to take on every case regardless of prospects.
To find out what it is likely to cost to remove your specific search results, request your free expert assessment today.
Request Your Free Expert Assessment
Complete the form below and a specialist solicitor will contact you to discuss removing your Google search results. All enquiries are confidential and protected by legal professional privilege.