Note: This post is from many years ago 😱. The content was edited in March of 2025 to remove dead links, improve clarity, or fix formatting, but no other edits were made. Enjoy this time capsule into the past.
As a business owner when I do a web search for my phone number many of the results are from directory services that post information on my business. For some businesses this may be fine, however, for me there are a few problems with this.
- The information is just wrong, I changed the name of my business and moved locations but the listings keep the old information.
- I work from my home and don’t love the fact that a few dozen sites think is okay to post my personal information on line
- This is done without my consent, I have NO IDEA where these services are getting my information My best guess is from the public directory of registered businesses. The public directory clearly states “FOR NO COMMERCIAL USE ONLY” meaning that the information shouldn’t be used for these listings
- I would rather have my company come up in search results rather than them.
Removal Instructions:
To remove your site you first need to find all the places you are listed. yext and google are both good tools for this.
I’ve had good luck with calling and requesting removal as well as email customer support. This can be tedious and time consuming but for me it’s worth it.