In today’s digital age, protecting your brand online is more crucial than ever. Unauthorized use of your intellectual property can cause significant damage to your brand's reputation, lead to loss of revenue, and waste advertising budgets on sites hosting counterfeit or pirated versions of your content. One way to combat this is through Google delisting — a process by which Google removes infringing or harmful websites from its search results. This not only protects your brand but also redirects traffic to legitimate sources, saving you money and safeguarding your reputation.

What Is Google Delisting?

Google delisting is a process that involves removing URLs from Google's search index so that they no longer appear in search results. While the most well-known example of delisting involves complying with copyright takedown requests under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), delisting can also occur due to privacy requests (such as the Right to Be Forgotten) or to remove malicious or harmful content.

In the case of intellectual property infringement, Google delisting serves as a defense mechanism for companies, creators, and brands. By removing unauthorized content — such as counterfeit products, pirated media, or stolen content — from Google’s search results, it helps ensure that customers only find legitimate versions of your product or content when they search online.

How Google Delisting Works

• Identify the Infringing Content: The process begins by identifying infringing content that violates your copyrights or intellectual property. This could be counterfeit products, unauthorized reproductions, or websites impersonating your brand.
• Submit a Request: Once the infringing content is identified, you (or a trusted partner like BranditScan) submit a removal request to Google. You need to provide specific URLs and evidence of the infringement.
• Google’s Review Process: Google then reviews your takedown request. If the content is indeed infringing, Google delists the offending URLs from its search results, ensuring they won’t appear in searches for your brand.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Content can reappear or move to different URLs, so it’s important to continuously monitor for new instances of infringement.

How Google Delisting Can Save You Money

Online counterfeiters and intellectual property thieves can divert significant traffic away from legitimate websites. This can harm your business in multiple ways:

• Lost Sales: When potential customers end up on unauthorized sites selling counterfeit versions of your products, you lose revenue that would otherwise have been captured by your legitimate site.
• Wasted Ad Spend: If your advertising campaigns drive traffic to pirated or counterfeit sites, you’re essentially paying for ads that benefit someone else. Delisting ensures your ads lead to legitimate websites, optimizing your ad spend.
• Brand Reputation: Unauthorized content can damage the perception of your brand, especially if counterfeit products are of lower quality or if pirated content lacks the integrity of your official offerings.

How BranditScan Can Help

BranditScan is a trusted partner in Google’s Trusted Copyright Removal Program, meaning it has been recognized as a reliable entity for submitting delisting requests. BranditScan works proactively to help protect your intellectual property by identifying and removing infringing content across the web, and its inclusion in the Trusted Copyright Removal Program ensures that Google processes delisting requests from BranditScan efficiently.

• Comprehensive Monitoring: BranditScan uses advanced tools to monitor the web for counterfeit products, unauthorized use of your brand, or pirated content, ensuring continuous protection.
• Simplified Delisting Requests: BranditScan streamlines the process of submitting DMCA or other copyright takedown requests, enabling faster action from Google and quicker removal of harmful content.
• Protection Across Platforms: Beyond Google, BranditScan helps identify and remove infringing content from social media and marketplaces, ensuring broad protection for your brand.
• Customized Solutions: BranditScan tailors its services to meet the specific needs of your business, whether you're an eCommerce brand, content creator, or software provider.

The Bottom Line

Google delisting is a powerful tool to safeguard your brand, protect your revenue, and optimize your ad spend by ensuring customers only find legitimate versions of your products and content. With a trusted partner like BranditScan, you can leverage the full power of Google delisting and enjoy peace of mind, knowing your brand is being actively monitored and protected.

By taking swift action to remove counterfeit or pirated content from search results, you ensure that customers trust your brand, and you save money by redirecting traffic to legitimate websites. Let BranditScan handle the complexities of delisting, so you can focus on growing your business and engaging your customers.