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When another website or blog ranks higher than yours for certain keywords, there may be a quicker way to move up: send threatening emails demanding they remove themselves from Google listings. If they don't, threaten to complain to Google and send your lawyer after them.

Though some have claimed it's a hoax viral marketing stunt, the story is interesting nonetheless, and we're curious if this happened to other webmasters or bloggers. Dean Hunt says it has happened to others, though he didn't know it until he blogged about his own experience.

Hunt withheld the name of the retailer that contacted him, as well as the keyword in question, causing some to think he made the whole thing up. It is, after all, quite silly.

The subject line of the email read: DeanHunt.com Google Removal Request. That's alarming on its own. From the retailer's message:

On Thursday morning I checked our google positions and your site is now above us for this term. I haev checked your blog and it has nothing to do with [edited], so I think it would be best all round if you remove your blog from google for this search term.

If you do not remove yourself from google for this search, then I will call them myself and have you removed.
Incredulous, Hunt sent back a snarky response:

I have never attempted to rank for the search term [edited], I seem to rank fairly well for [edited], which I suppose is fairly similar. But if Google prefers my site to yours then perhaps you should be asking yourself why that is.

Perhaps instead of wasting your time with e-mails like this you could work on improving your web site instead?
That little bit of sass moved the angry retailer to mention lawyers and involving Google directly. Hunt says he hasn't heard from the retailer since, but through his blog found out he was not alone.

"Amazingly," he writes, "I have emails from other webmasters who have had similar threats to this. So it appears that the larger sites are used to using bullying tactics."

If this has happened to you, please let us know about it by clicking the Contact button above, commenting in WebProWorld, or leaving a message at the WebProNews Blog.

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