Ever Googled yourself and found results that have nothing to do with you? Maybe it’s someone with the same name—or worse, someone else’s private information attached to your profile. When your search results get mixed up with someone else’s, it can affect your reputation, career, and even personal safety.
So what can you do?
More DB Insights: How to Remove Google Search Results
Why It Happens
Google’s algorithm sometimes connects similar names, photos, or content. If someone else has the same name or you’ve been linked in a post or tag, it may get indexed under your profile—especially if your online presence is limited.
It can also happen if:
- Someone incorrectly tags you in a photo or article
- A third-party site pulls incorrect public records
- AI-generated pages combine unrelated data
Step 1: Check the Source
Click the search result and look at the content. Ask:
- Is it truly about someone else?
- Is your name or info actually mentioned?
- Is the page factual or generated?
This helps determine if it’s a simple mix-up or something that violates your privacy.
Step 2: Request Removal or Deindexing
If the page includes your name but is clearly about someone else—and is damaging or misleading—you may be able to get it removed or deindexed.
Try These Tactics:
- Contact the site owner: Explain the mix-up and request removal or a “noindex” tag.
- Use Google’s Results About You tool if your private info (phone number, address, etc.) appears.
- Use the Remove Outdated Content tool if the info is no longer live on the original site.
If the content includes personal data or harms your reputation, you can also submit a Legal Removal Request to Google.
Step 3: Strengthen Your Online Identity
If someone else’s content is showing up under your name, it’s often because your own presence is weak.
To fix it:
- Create a personal website using your full name
- Optimise your LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social profiles
- Publish blogs, profiles, or interviews that clearly identify who you are
The more content you control, the more likely Google will show the right results for your name.
ReputationDB Can Help
If you’re constantly being mistaken for someone else online—or your search results show the wrong identity—we can help separate and clean up the confusion.
From suppression and SEO to direct removals, we’ll make sure search results reflect your story—not someone else’s.