I know many people never get to periodically Google their names; something that you should do. I periodically Google my name to see what pops up in the search results. For me, it is always interesting because I have lots of content online. I get to see where my name is cited and all. It also gives me an overall picture of the digital profile that others would see if they Google my name. What appears online under your name can open or close doors for you. That is why you need to optimize at least the search results that come under your business name.
Current Search Results – Your Starting Point
This is obviously your starting point so that you get an idea of what they are about. You simply have to Google your Business name and check all the search results. This means you have to check all the categories other than just the search results, i.e. images, videos and news. Once you do that, you will notice if there are damaging search results you would not want there. It is smarter to Google your business name under the Incognito Mode. That way, you will expand the search beyond just your Google account digital footprint.
You Have Some Room To Change Things Yourself
Granted, you cannot dictate everything about how you appear online. However, there are certain things that you can actually determine or change. For starters, you can do something about any content based on social media platforms if you do not like it. For example, if it is a post you made, you can simply delete it. If you were tagged on some content, you could remove yourself. Another way is to alter your business name on your social media accounts. For example, I can change from Clive Masarakufa to Clive The Consultant. This can go a long way in sanitizing search results under my business name.
Diversify Your Social Media Presence
Whilst we are still on social media, let us look at another strategy. Usually, most people are not active on other social media platforms. Someone can just be active, maybe on one or two platforms alone. Try getting active on a number of social media platforms. For example, seek to have an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. If you do that and you regularly post good content, it will positively influence your search results.
Upload As Much Content As Possible
This is one of the best ways to influence your business name’s search results. Doing this builds a mass of content that pushes back or away any other possible damaging content. Especially if you appreciate search engine optimization (SEO), you can use it. Develop content primed for effective SEO so that it ranks higher in Google searches. That is why it is advisable to have your own website – it can be a blog or just a personal profile website. Such sites will typically rank higher whenever your business name is Googled. You can also explore doing copywriting on other people’s websites.
Engage Site Owners
We explored how you can delete your own content or untag yourself from other people’s content on social media platforms. How about when your business name is included in some damaging content on a website? You cannot simply delete or untag yourself. You would have to engage the owner of a site to get your name removed. It could also be videos or images about you that you might want to be removed. This can also be applicable to YouTube videos as well. Obviously, this might not be as easy as it sounds; some site owners might not comply. You can engage Google Support to help you if it gets to that.
You can go further to get the assistance of professionals that deal with areas such as personal brand management or reputation management. In fact, this is a promising business area that is not yet that active in Zimbabwe. I am referring to providing online personal brand management or reputation management services as a business. Doing all these things we discussed should be a regular effort since your reputation can be damaged in seconds. Thus, you must be ahead of what is coming up under your business name in online searches.
