Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
Sometimes things don’t pan out, or you want to try a new direction. In those cases, the last thing you want is for old mistakes to haunt you around the Internet. Though the saying may be that once it’s up, it’s there forever, that isn’t always the case. Sure, there may be other articles talking about your old business, but so long as there are not any old social media profiles, websites, product pages, or listings your old company will simply fade away.
Don’t let your new endeavors be held back by a business idea that just didn’t pan out. Instead, wipe the slate clean.Why Would You Want to Dismantle a Business?
If the company in question is no longer in business then it makes complete sense to try to wipe as much of it away from online as possible. This can clear up confusion from previous customers, is essential to stop ongoing costs (like the cost of the web hosts) and of course can help you move on with your life.
Steps to Take to Dismantle a Business
There are a few steps that you will want to take to successfully dismantle your business from the Internet.
With Social Media
Social media is a great place to start because it is often where people will have the most contact with you. You have a few options on how you can do this:
If You Want to Just Delete Your Account
If you want to simply get rid of it all, then you can delete old accounts. This can be done by visiting the settings for Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Reddit. You may need to follow a few guides in order to find this option, as these social media sites don’t really want you to leave. With Facebook, however, the process is different. It’s different because you don’t actually delete your account, just your page.
If You Want to Switch Back to Personal
If you worked hard on creating a community online, then you can put that community to use. If you plan on creating content in the same niche, then by all means simply switch your social media accounts back to personal. You will want to disconnect your social media accounts from your Facebook page by following this guide on HTTP-COM, and then switch back to a personal account. Change your name, your bio, and even your profile image. If you want, you can also go through and hide or delete old posts to give yourself a clean slate, but as this takes time you are often better off just posting personal content without worrying about old posts.
With Your Website
You will want to contact your web host and other subscription services and cancel your contract with them. Alternatively, you could change the domain name.
With Local Listings
Local listings on Google, online marketplaces, and other digital phonebooks will need to be deleted.
Dismantling an old business from the Internet takes time, but it is worthwhile. Deleting old accounts is a great way to start from scratch if you are looking to work in another industry, but if you are looking to start a new business in the same industry you might want to consider just switching to your new name.
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