**Remove Google Profile Visibility

A user may reach out to ask to remove any mentions of themselves from web searches like Google.  They can find Upwork-related information about themselves online and would like this removed.

If a user is seeing themselves in Google Search and wishes to not be found: 

1. Users should update their profile visibility on their account by following the steps here: Set Your Profile Visibility   
   • It may take up to 1 week for a profile to stop appearing in search engine results if profile visibility settings were changed. 
2. If the user is already private, search the user by email address/name in OBO, checking for duplicate accounts using the same name.
3. If you can’t locate the information needing to be removed, ask the user for the link they want removed and search for it in OBO.  
4. The user can utilize the Google Removal Tool. The tool can be used for the following:

• • Remove outdated or missing web pages
  • Remove information or images
  • Report inappropriate content appearing in SafeSearch filtered results
    • Google will investigate and provide an update on the status of the request as soon as possible. Removals are usually effective and can take several days, but there are occasional delays/errors due to Google bugs or time required for propagation across server networks

Important: Users should submit Google Removal Tool requests themselves. If they are adamant about receiving help doing so, you may complete the task for them. Be sure the profile visibility is set appropriately before submitting the request. 

For agencies: 

• TS must make an agency private. If a user requests that an agency be made private, ask TS to follow these steps. 

If a client wants to remove a job post from Google: 

1. Ask the user which job post they’d like removed.
2. Search keywords in Google to locate the right job post. 
3. Copy the URL of the job post and search for it in OBO. 
4. Search for the job post in OBO.
5. Check if the job post has been set to private. If not, set it to Invitation Only or Only Upwork Users. This visibility status is called “Only Upwork Users" in the UI for clients. In OBO, it is called "Public (Upwork.com only).”
6.  If they don’t want it to be Invitation-Only, you can ask the client if they want to delete the sensitive information in the job post. 
7. If changes are made,  allow 24 hours or for Google to index the changes before retesting the search.

Example: 

• Zendesk example
• In this example, keywords Suraj Rajwani upwork / contractor agreement services upwork were used to locate the right job post. 
• The job post was searched in OBO.
• The visibility was updated. 
• The job description was updated.

Important:

• There is no company profile privacy setting. 
• If any agency member has a public profile, Google can find and link the agency.
• Urge clients not to include sensitive information in job titles. Titles of private jobs are shown in profiles and cannot be hidden.

Macro: If a user is seeing themselves in Google Search and wishes to not be found

Hi [Firstname], 

Thanks for reaching out! We can definitely help you remove your Upwork information from Google search results. 

To start, please check your profile visibility. To prevent your Upwork profile from appearing in a Google search, you’ll need to have a private profile.  Profile visibility may be set to either “Upwork Users Only” or “Private.” If you choose “Private,” keep in mind your profile also will not show up in search results on Upwork.  

To switch to a private profile:

1. Go to Find Work 
2. Click the ✎ icon next to Visibility in the My Profile panel
3. Choose a Visibility option and select OK
4. You may need to wait up to 7 days before this change takes effect in Google. 

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks for using Upwork! 

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