All of the suggestions in the article linked below are great–and they work well. However, most search engine reputation management firms are capable of doing far more than any individual can by himself. Furthermore, since this is what they do for a living, they can devote far more time to it. They are also likely to have developed proven strategies to help push down negative websites.

http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2007/10/google-reputation-management.html