How Does Your Name Rank In Google?
What Do People See When They Google Your Name?
Positively Rank Your Name
As a small business owner it is essential that people trust you online – if you ever plan to actually sell online. People buy from people they trust ~ any “negative press” can kill the deal ~ even if the press is not actually about you, but about someone else with your name! It is hard to tell when researching online if you are reading something about the right person. Have you ever researched someone and read something bad about that person just to find out that it was the wrong person ~ with the same name? Something like that can absolutely kill the sell if it happens when someone is researching YOU!
The goal is to get anything bad associated with your name to be somewhere beyond the 2nd or 3rd page of the search results. Everything on the first 2 or 3 pages of the search results needs to be positive, items you have published, and positive feedback from customers.
Strategies That Work
Let me share what I have done to dominate the search engines for my name ~ feel free to use these tactics to help with your name as well.
- Get a BizNik account ~ BizNik is a highly optimized and trusted site. BizNik profiles get ranked in Google ~ my BizNik profile is the first listing for my name. BizNik is only for traditional businesses – if you are in network marketing do not do this strategy.
- Get a Facebook account and have your profile URL be your name ~ mine is facebook.com/dotty.scott
- Make a video and get a YouTube account in your name. Be sure the description of the video includes your name. These can be educational videos, video testimonials, or something entertaining. YouTube ranks well in Google (it is owned by Google).
- Be a guest blogger for someone else’s blog, and sign your name that links to your blog/website.
- Create a LinkedIn profile and fill it out completely.
- Create a MySpace profile
- Post articles on BetterNetworker ~ even if you are not in Network Marketing. This site gets ranked in Search Engines.
- Fill out your Google Profile completely so that it will be displayed on Google when someone searches for your name.
- If you provide trainings, seminars, or any online event have it posted Online at several different sites.
- Set up profiles at places like Naymz.com, fastpitch.com, Ning.com sites, Plaxo.com and any other social media site.
- Put your videos out on other video sharing sites like yahoo, vidler, howcast ect. I use TubeMogul.com to upload videos to more than one video site simultaneously.
- Create testimonials for other people with websites, and link your name to your website.
- Make sure your name in on your website as text, not in an image.
- Post articles at article repositories like amazines.com, ezine.com, and others.
- Twitter reTweets with your name in them will get ranked in the search engines.
- Get a written interview posted online – this can be a transcript of an audio ~ my example: http://renegadeproactive.com/
- Your videos and other content can be picked up by other blogs – very common for video interviews.
- Comment at different places and be sure to include your name.
- Forum posts can get ranked by search engines.
This is a list of strategies I am using to control my name. The last thing I want is for someone looking for a Web Designer to find my site then research my name and find anything negative. I don’t care if it is something talking about a different Dotty ~ people will think it as me and go elsewhere for their business ~ something I just can’t afford.
If you have more ideas for people feel free to add them in the comments section!
November 16th, 2009 at 7:29 am
These are great tips, Dotty. Branding is important and really should be one of the first steps, online marketers should start with.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Awesome post Dotty! You are absolutely correct when it comes to branding our name. I can’t tell you how often I have searched a person’s name before I would purchase something from them.
With so many scams online you can’t be to safe and it would be a shame if a sale is lost because of another person’s bad publicity.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Dotty,
As Marie and John have said, great post. You have clearly explain how someone should Brand their name.
Thanks For Sharing,
Donna Wells
November 17th, 2009 at 8:34 am
I usually search a person’s name before making a purchase online. It is just second nature!
December 6th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Name Branding
Yes Dotty it has become absolutely necessary that we learn how to control the conversations around our names. Not only does it make good business sense but it’s quite impressive when someone Google’s your name and they find you on the first or second page of Google.
There’s no better time than now when it comes to branding your name because it’s going to get a lot more competitive as more and more take there businesses online.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:21 am
I think branding is where it all starts from. Every online marketer should think about building “you inc” before anything else.
Thanks for these tips, Dotty. They make a good check list for us to compare our own efforts with.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:22 am
You make a good point abut controlling what comes up with you name. No need to deal with bad press, especial y when it belongs t someone else.
And thanks for the great tips for controlling google.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Always providing Great Information
Thanks again Dotty,
You always provide us with such great information. Taking control of our information online is so very important, great branding means great business success.
Your list is very helpful and a great reference.