Google and Your Personal Brand

Just before I sat down to write this article, I decided to do a little research.  I thought to myself, what will I see if I Google my own name? It was an interesting experiment because I found out that my website came up as the number one hit with my name. I was pleased to see this as I have spent a great deal of time working to elevate awareness of my brand. 

However, I did notice a few old links and posts that were very outdated appeared in the top results also. The good news is that it gave me an opportunity to contact certain career-related websites and ask them to kindly update my information. I want all of my messaging to be the same and so should you. This will help you establish a unique and consistent brand. 

I then Googled my Director of Client Services to see how she would fare.  Interestingly, an image popped up that was several years old. I know she has recently updated her photo (and a lovely one at that!) The lesson learned here is that you must keep your information current. Experts in professional branding strongly recommend using the same photo on all social media sites so that you become recognizable. When you change your photo on one site, change it on all sites where you are affiliated. I know – this can be daunting, especially if you have a heavy online presence.

The other thing that you should address is your Facebook page.  If it is easy for others to Google your Facebook page and your personal life is out there for the world to see, you should change your privacy settings.  If you have a company or a blog site with a unique title, you can create a separate Facebook page.  This will allow you to keep personal things personal while you continue to brand yourself professionally.

Google is taking a new stab at developing a comprehensive social media site called Google+.  It will allow you to add people to various “circles” and target the content you send depending upon your audience. The ‘sparks’ feature will help you build a brand presence as a subject matter expert in your field.  The initial feedback on Google+ has been positive and I have put it on my to-do list to join as soon as the initial test phase of the Google+ Project is complete. I will keep you posted on the usefulness of this potentially new social media tool for branding.

On a final note, be sure to complete your LinkedIn profile as this is another surefire way to gain personal brand exposure on Google.  LinkedIn profiles get high search engine ranking. If you have not already done so, go into your settings and be sure to create a unique URL. LinkedIn typically assigns one to you that is fairly lengthy. If you can get one with your name or your name and middle initial, this is best.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, Google is a verb in addition to being a company name. Talk about effective branding!!