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I just met with a prospective client who seemed to know everything about me -- everything I have written, everything I have said to reporters, every comment I have posted to blogs....
She told me she Googles consultants before she decides if she wants to meet with them.
I felt fortunate that my Google results helped get me in the door. The truth is: Personal googling is a phenomenon. In a recent BusinessWeek article, I read that 35% of executive recruiters admit to eliminating candidates based on their Google results.
In a world where you’re being Googled by your colleagues, business partners, customers, hiring managers, etc., it’s important that you have a powerful and relevant on-line profile. I am writing an article for MarketingProfs about this very topic, so watch out for it. In the meantime, here’s something you can do to get an understanding of your on-line profile.
Have you Googled yourself recently? It’s called self-Googling or egosurfing. And it’s something you should be doing regularly. In fact, Google yourself right now (in this format: “William Arruda”) to see what google reveals.
What’s the quantity of entries (seen in the upper right hand corner of the results page)? Are the results consistent with your personal brand? Do they clearly communicate your unique promise of value? From the results of your search, determine which of the following profiles best describes your current on-line identity:
Digitally Disguised
There is absolutely nothing about you on the Web. Your Google search yielded no results. This is easy to remedy, but you’d better get started right away.
Digitally Dissed
When you fall into this category, there is little on the Web about you, and what is there is either negative or inconsistent with what you want to be known for. Although not where you want to be, it is easy to improve your on-line profile. Just a small number of on-brand entries will enhance your digital identity.
Digitally Disastrous
This is the most challenging situation because there is lots of information about you on the Web, but it has little relevance to what you want to express about yourself. It may also include Google results about someone else who shares your name, creating confusion (for people with common names, this is a serious challenge). It will take a concerted effort to augment these results with enough highly ranked relevant results to ensure that your personal brand is being clearly communicated.
Digitally Dabbling
There is already some on-brand information on the Web about you. Although the volume of results is not high, the material that is there is relevant and consistent with your personal brand. This indicates you have a foundation on which you can build your on-line profile.
Digitally Distinct
This is nirvana in the world of on-line identity. There are lots of results about you and most, if not all, reinforce your unique promise of value –- your personal brand.
The dynamic nature of the Web affords you an incredible opportunity to have the on-line profile you need to help you express your personal brand and reach your goals. This same dynamism requires that you stay connected and build a proactive plan to manage your on-line identity.
In a world that is becoming more and more virtual, your on-line profile is becoming a more important element in your personal branding plan. If you make a steadfast effort to expand your on-line presence, increasing your visibility and credibility, you’ll be on a direct route to digital distinction.
Kirsten Dixson and I are writing a comprehensive manifesto about building your on-line identity. If you would like to see it published so you can download a complimentary copy, please vote for our proposal at changethis.com.
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Comments
I think you missed a risk area - digitally doubled or something like that. When I google myself I also find, with the same name, a dj, a voiceover artist, a ceo, a salesman, an australian slacker, an out and proud gay man, and a college hockey player. I need to fire my personal seo specialist because the "real" me doesn't come up until page 3!
Posted by: Matt | 07.13.06
Hello Matt,
This comes up all the time with my clients. Here are some thoughts that might help:
If you have a common name and your google results are all mixed up with the results of others, you’ll want to do something to stand out so people who are googling you can get the true story about who you are and what you have to offer. Here are your options:
Change your name.
This option may be drastic, but it can ensure that your google results are not confused with the results of others. I heard of parents in California who hired a major branding company to come up with the name of their daughter and one of the criteria for the name was that it be available as a domain name and have no current web search results.
Alter your name.
Start using your name in a way that makes it unique (or at least less common). For example, let’s say your name is Mike Kelly. Google Mike Kelly and you will get almost 2 million results. The problem is trying to find the right Mike Kelly. Mike could alter his name to be Myke Kelly or Michael Kelly or he could choose to always use his middle name or initial Mike I. Kelly. If you alter your name in some way, you must commit to using it this way consistently on-line and in print. The only drawback to this is that you are in many cases starting from scratch. It takes time for this new version of your name to take hold.
Buy your name as a domain name.
When you buy your name as a domain name and have your own web site, you will show up towards the top of the search results. To ensure your results show up at the top, build your own web site or blog or both. This also helps you express your brand clearly.
Add to your thought-leadership to your name.
If people google you and they see that there is a real mix of people, they will try to refine the search by using keywords they would associate with you. So make sure what is said about you (or what you say) reflects your personal brand and area of thought leadership. This means you must make it clear what you are known for. Now instead of searching on Mike Kelly and getting two million responses, they will search on “Mike Kelly creative writer”.
Buy google and overture keywords.
When you buy these keywords (i.e. Mike Kelly) you ensure you show up at the top of the results (unless there are tons of people paying for the same keywords). Your keywords will point to your personal web site or blog.
Create an incredible volume of content.
This will help you drown out the others by the sheer mass of input.
Posted by: William Arruda | 07.13.06
A number of years ago this used to be called "vanity searching". At that time trackbacks didn't exist and it was often the only way to find out who else was discussing you out in the ether.
One thing to note is that when you stop producing (commenting, publishing, being linked and linking), your results can wither or get stale. Just as we change over time as people, learning and adpating to various influences in our careers and personal lives, our virtual imprint takes on these changes. When we stop growing, it does.
Having a consistent and "worthy" virtual imprint risks the omnipresent danger of leaving a sanitized imprint, devoid of personality or conflict or convinction. Of course, trusting that someone else's imprint is neither sanitized nor manipulated when using it to make a judgement is a significant error in itself.
Posted by: Suzanne Carter-Jackson | 07.15.06
Hi Suzanne,
It is incredibly ironic and strange that I found this blog- I had just google searched myself, and your name came up (which it often does). Imagine my surprise when I saw that your name appeared under a topic I was guilty of- vanity searching!
Anyways, I imagine google searching is inevitable, as it provides a strange insight into people's interests and experiences....
Posted by: Suzanne Carter | 07.21.06
Oh my goodness, which Suzanne Carter are you? :) I didn't realize it was such an illustrious name. Artists, a Rabbi, counsellors, lawyers...
And here the issue of making oneself digitally distinct comes home with a vengeance. :)
Posted by: Suzanne Carter-Jackson | 07.22.06