Googling your own name on a regular basis may seem egotistical, but it’s as essential as an annual physical to the health of your online reputation. Like a cancer, misinformation and harmful information, once posted to the Internet can spread uncontrollably. We’ve got 4 steps you can take to lay a groundwork for desirable SEO of your name, detect negative content early and address misinformation aggressively.

Step 1: Google your name, your name and city, your name and company, common misspellings of your name

Carefully review both the items about you and items about someone who shares your name. Go at least three or four pages deep on the initial review. Answer the following questions:

• What percentage of the articles are about you?
• What percentage of the articles are something you’d want a future client or employer to see?
• Is there someone out there who shares your name who is a liability to your online reputation?
• Are you a liability to your online reputation?

Step 2: Stack the Deck
The best way to make sure there is plenty of flattering, professional information about you on Google is to put the information out there yourself.

• Set up and optimize popular Social Networking profiles
  • LinkedIn
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Twitter
  • Full list
• Comment on Blogs, Start a Blog, Contribute to Blogs
  • Putting out a few insightful comments on some popular blogs is a surprisingly effective way to stack the deck.
  • Never, ever rant on a blog using your real name. It WILL come back to haunt you.
• Purchase YourName.com
  • Google gives a lot of weight to domain names.
  • Point it at your blog, Web site, LinkedIn profile, anything. The important part is to maintain control of it.
  • You never know what someone who shares your name might set up at that domain someday. Consider it a $9/year reputation insurance policy.
• Get Stories Written About You
  • Participate in events that are promoted online like sports, theatre, or music and play a role that will get you listed in the credits.
  • Let a journalist quote you and make sure they spell your name correctly
  • Hire a PR firm to get major media to write stories about you, or who can quote you occasionally as an expert in your field.
• Link your name to sites you want to come up in a search for your name

Step 3: Monitor New ContentContinued monitoring is essential to maintain good returns and to address incorrect, embarrassing or negative content immediately when it is posted online.

• Set up Google Alerts
• Set up a couple alerts if you often use your maiden/married name, a common nickname, etc.
• For common names (e.g. John Smith), set up combinations of your business or city name
• For more advanced monitoring tools, check out this article.

Step 4: Addressing Incorrect, Embarrassing or Negative ContentAddressing negative content quickly is essential in the online world. The only way you can impact what people are saying about you is to join the conversation while it is happening. But being polite, sincere and transparent is essential in keeping things from “blowing up” – your reaction to negative feedback is often more important than the negative comments.

• Ask friends to take down embarrassing content – they are often the worst offenders and the easiest to address.
• If a third party site posts incorrect or negative content about you…
  • Be sure to join the conversation so that you can set the record straight.
  • Be polite and calm.
  • If you have made a mistake try to fix it or make amends.
• Though you usually can’t afford to delay long enough to sleep on it, do have a friend or colleague review your comments before you post, especially if you feel emotionally involved in the situation.
• If they cannot be reasoned with, consider creating your own (calm, polite, rational) counterattack, like the online videos the Obama Administration created to counter the Healthcare Reform rumors.
• You can also attempt to “bury” the information deep in Google by creating your own content (see “Stack the Deck” above).

A Note For All You “John Smith’s”If you have a very common name, or share a name with a celebrity, you may not be able to control your Google return. This is both a blessing and a curse.

Most people are most concerned about damaging content that might be found by potential clients, employers or new acquaintances when someone Googles their name. You don’t really need to worry about that since most people who want to learn more about you won’t be able to find much specific information about you just by Googling your name.

However, most internet users are savvy enough to narrow their search results using additional keywords. For instance, if you are a real estate agent named John Smith who sells condos in Chicago, someone who was looking for your contact information might search for [“John Smith” Chicago real estate] or [“John Smith” Chicago condo]. Try to Google your name with a few “personal keywords” and see if those combinations return results more specific to you. Ask your friends and co-workers what they might add to a Google search if they were trying to find you online – the answers may surprise you.

If you have a common name and you feel it is important that people are able to find you through a Google search, choose 2 or 3 words that someone might use to narrow their search returns when they are trying to find you that you’d like to be known for. For instance, John Smith from our example above might choose “real estate,” “condo” and “Chicago.” Then:

• Set up profiles and comment on blogs using your keyword phrase as part of your name, (e.g. First Name: “John” Last Name: “Smith, Real Estate Agent”)
• When setting up profiles, always include a good photo so people know they have found the right person.
• When writing online, commenting on blogs, etc., be sure that you use your keywords in close proximity to your name whenever possible.
• Whenever you have the chance, link “your name, favorite keyword” to your LinkedIn profile or your contact/bio page on your Web site.
• If you have a blog, make the name you write under “your name, favorite keyword” and have your name link to your contact/bio page.

This post was featured in ePiphany, Astek’s Monthly Newsletter | Other ePiphany Articles

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Katie Hawkey Categories: How To, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web, ePiphany Featured Story