Neutralizing a coordinated SERP attack on a surgeon’s name
The problem
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Threat type
A coordinated reputation attack: two Reddit threads plus a dedicated subreddit created specifically to defame the client.
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Primary keyword on Google
The attack subreddit ranked number two for the client’s main search term, beside another Reddit thread holding number one.
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Severity
No AI Overview, no owned infrastructure and no entity signal: the accusations sat raw and uncontested at the top of the page.
Anyone searching the surgeon’s name next to the word “scam” was met with two Reddit attack results and zero counterweight. The space that should introduce a respected clinician was instead owned by an anonymous campaign.
A coordinated SERP attack only holds while there is nothing credible to rank against it. So the work was never about a single takedown: it was about rebuilding an owned presence Google could trust, then letting the attack threads lose the page they once controlled.
Methodology
Full SERP audit. We mapped every controlled and uncontrolled result across page one, so we knew exactly what we were ranking against.
AI Overview strategy. Structured content and a citation plan designed to activate a positive Google AI Overview for the client’s name.
Directory profiles. Between forty and sixty profiles built and optimized across high-authority platforms to strengthen the entity.
Authority articles. Branded articles published across Medium, Vocal.media, Substack and other trusted publishing platforms.
Counter-signal subreddit. A branded subreddit created as a direct counter-signal, targeting Google’s Forums and Discussions section.
Ongoing monitoring. Continuous monitoring and follow-up actions to prevent reuploads and protect the result over time.
Outcome:
Google’s AI Overview now debunks the scam narrative before the first organic result, and the dedicated attack subreddit no longer holds any visible position for the surgeon’s name. A branded video carousel and controlled assets mean seven of the ten page-one results are now brand-owned.
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