Who the Google are you?
When was the last time you Googled yourself?
I was asking around a few months ago for some personal recommendations of a business coach/mentor. One guy came highly recommended from someone who was working with him at present and I was given his name and contact details.
I always like to check someone out online before phoning them to see for myself how they represent themselves. So I eagerly put his name in to Google.
He didn’t have a website, which was a little disappointing as I felt that I needed to work with someone who marketed themselves online. But I decided to have a further look, as he was recommended.
There was a linked-in profile, but not up to date. There was the odd reference on Ecademy but that was all. Then on page 2 on his Google search I found a link to his Christmas letter which he obviously sent out via link to a webpage. Not only could I read his Christmas letter, I could read the past 6 year letters in all their glory – photos, personal references, the full works.
A quick scan and I realised that he wasn’t to be the right personality fit with me.
What is the moral of this story? Check yourself out on Google today and see what comes back. You may not be able to control everything that you find and yes, there may be other people out there with the same name. But if someone out there was to Google you, what would they find out about you and your business?
It’s worth a look!
Got a comment to add? I would love to read your thoughts and ideas.
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- Small Business Owners: Beware the hype of internet marketing!
7 Responses to “Who the Google are you?”
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I always google my new clients, or contacts, – often nothing comes up, but I have found out that one of my clients is a lady – not that she told me that. – For my name, which is rather common, I annoyingly have only been as high as page 12, currently no mentions of me until page 18, and then for a comment I wrote on a gardening blog, – if you type in Claire Brown, plus gardening, plants or Horsley/Guildford, then i’m right up at the top, but any tips for those of us with very common names?
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One trick a lot of authors & bloggers do is to use their middle name or initial as their writing name. This is not because they are being pretentious ;o) but in fact it makes it easier for people to find them on google if they have a common name.
One other way is to do what you have done, Claire and contribute on other blogs or get articles published on sites that are ranked highly by the likes of google. Having profiles on the big networking sites such as LinkedIn & facebook also help, as these pages are more likely to come up higher on the search than your contact page on your website, for example.
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My own persona dominates the first page of Google, various links – my busines, LinkedIn, Ecademy and Facebook – but I am also a body builder and a volleyball coach!
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Karen Skidmore Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
What hidden talents you have Nick HeHe!
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Great advice Karen! I agree that an online presence is pretty fundamental these days. Having a website is a bit like having a business card was a decade or two ago. I too encourage my clients to track their online presence and reputation. As you said, it can be tricky if you’ve got a common name, but not impossible.
I do battle with a famous movie director in the US for the top stops for my name, but I’m getting there and now occupy 3 out of 10 of the top spots on page 1 for a global search and 7 out of 10 for a UK search.
Another thing I’d recommend people do is set up Google Alerts for their name and business name so they can track what’s being said about them online http://www.google.com/alerts
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Karen Skidmore Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Thanks for mentioning that tip, Kyle. Google Alerts is so easy to set up it just make sense to have one running for both your name and any specific business or brands names too.
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I made the decision a few years ago to do business with my own name, and use my married name for other stuff – mainly so everyone in the family would have the ‘same’ name. I sort of wish I’d done it the other way round now, as my married name is unusual, but Google finds millions of me. Not helped by the fact there is a rather conservative US judge with my name, who seems to be reported in the press, and an artist. ho hum. Plus google alerts seems to pick up about 10 obituaries for my name every day, which is vaguely depressing. Is there just a lot of us? Or is it a name that halts longevity???
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