Google Thinks I’m Dead
Google Thinks I’m Dead
“Generally, all you can do is write more content that is more accurate and have that content rise to the top of Google’s search rankings.”
One option, Mr. Matta explained, is to create an entirely new webpage about myself and hope
that I eventually become more famous than the other Rachel Abrams, so that my Knowledge Graph card may one day shove hers out of the way.
Here’s how that goes:
First, the spokeswoman writes back with a link to a publicly available help page for a Knowledge Graph panel — which is the name for the box of information
that sometimes appears at the top right of Google search results.
“I think they probably do have some phone number somewhere, but they do push everyone heavily through the web and online channels,” said Rich Matta, the chief executive of ReputationDefender, a company
that people pay to correct inaccurate or misleading information about themselves on the internet.
“It’s probably part of their ethos that everything can be done well or better online.”
Fixing this problem may be a lighthearted trip down a journalistic rabbit hole for me,
but in an era of revenge porn and fake news, companies like ReputationDefender deal with people who face far worse consequences because of digital misinformation — like damaged job prospects or reputations.
The Knowledge Graph panel typically appears for some commonly searched terms, like “Macy’s” or “Brad Pitt.” These cards also appear for local businesses
and other less prominent people, often pulling from Wikipedia.
“Generally, all you can do is write more content that is more accurate and have that content rise to the top of Google’s search rankings.”
One option, Mr. Matta explained, is to create an entirely new webpage about myself and hope
that I eventually become more famous than the other Rachel Abrams, so that my Knowledge Graph card may one day shove hers out of the way.
Here’s how that goes:
First, the spokeswoman writes back with a link to a publicly available help page for a Knowledge Graph panel — which is the name for the box of information
that sometimes appears at the top right of Google search results.
“I think they probably do have some phone number somewhere, but they do push everyone heavily through the web and online channels,” said Rich Matta, the chief executive of ReputationDefender, a company
that people pay to correct inaccurate or misleading information about themselves on the internet.
“It’s probably part of their ethos that everything can be done well or better online.”
Fixing this problem may be a lighthearted trip down a journalistic rabbit hole for me,
but in an era of revenge porn and fake news, companies like ReputationDefender deal with people who face far worse consequences because of digital misinformation — like damaged job prospects or reputations.
The Knowledge Graph panel typically appears for some commonly searched terms, like “Macy’s” or “Brad Pitt.” These cards also appear for local businesses
and other less prominent people, often pulling from Wikipedia.