The Google Results About You feature is out and it is here to help you protect your personal information. It is useful indeed, but how do you use it and what benefit can you get from it? In today’s article, we will show you everything you need to know about it!
What is Google Results About You?
The introduction of this feature in August was a major changer, giving consumers greater control over their online profiles. What is the major goal? To assist users in identifying where their personal information appears in Google searches and provide a straightforward method to remove them.
This feature allows users to guide their digital footprints, at least within Google‘s domain, by supplementing Google’s privacy settings and hinting at more planned features.
How to activate “Google Results About You”
To begin commanding this feature, make sure you’re logged into your Google account. Here’s a little primer to get you started:
- Access Results About You: Head to the Results About You activity page, your gateway to activating this safeguarding tool.
- Set Up the Feature: Click “Get Started” and follow the simple on-screen instructions that pop up.
- Add Your Contact Info: Input any names, addresses, phone numbers, or emails you want flagged.
- Choose Notification Preferences: Pick your poison for receiving alerts – either through your Google-associated email or push notifications on your synced devices.
- Await the Scan: Let Google do its thing. It automatically hunts for your personal details in search results and alerts you if it spots any. Bear in mind, that the initial scan might take a few hours.
- Tweak and Tidy Up: Feel free to revisit the Results About You page at any time to tweak or update your contact information.
For more information, you can go and check out the official Google page.
How to remove your info from Google Search About You
While Google can’t play wizard and delete data from non-Google sites, it can certainly assist in zapping your personal contact info from its search pages. Here’s how you can make that happen:
- Via Results About You:
- Head to the Results About You activity page.
- Select “Results to review.”
- Mark the results you want to be nixed by ticking the relevant boxes.
- Send in your removal request.
- Google’s team evaluates each request based on its policies and keeps you posted on the status via the Results About You page. You even get the option to undo any removals.
- Through Google’s Help Center removal form:
- Visit Google support’s personal content removal form.
- Fill in the necessary details, specifying the type of content for removal. You might need to provide screenshots, URLs, and specific search terms used to generate the result.
- Submit the form for review.
The Google Results About You feature gives you a robust tool to manage what the online world knows about you. By following these steps, you can take charge of what pops up in Google’s search results regarding your personal information.
