Manage your Online Profile
Ever wonder what people find when they search for you online? This article discusses some things to consider in this online world, where your online profile is becoming increasingly relevant. Like it or not, your online profile is a representation of you. It is how others (eg, prospective employers, clients, vendors) begin to learn about you and form opinions. While much of your online information is outside of your immediate control, we'll talk about that which is within your control.
With sites like pipl.com, Yahoo people search, zoominfo.com, jigsaw.com, and Google, a large amount of information is available about you. In addition, there are the numerous social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others that perhaps contain very detailed information about you including photos. Plus, there are the fee-based websites that perform extensive background checks for a nominal fee. This is just a fact of life these days. When someone performs a search on your name, what do they find? The search results are what we'll refer to collectively as your online profile.
So, how can we manage our online profile? Here are five simple things to consider.
Publish Content
Take control of your online profile by publishing information. Your online profile is created by web pages that contain your name. When someone searches for your name, web pages that contain your name are displayed thus forming your overall online profile. If you publish nothing, then your online profile is created by others. If you publish content however, you are contributing to your online profile. Getting your name on your company website, writing articles, blogging, doing press releases, and so on all help to shape your profile. There are many free services like ezinearticles.com, articlebase.com, prlog.com, free-press-release.com, blogger.com and wordpress.com that allow you to submit content easily.
Directories
If you want to be associated with certain types of businesses or industries or associations or your profession, get your name listed in the related web pages. Associate yourself with your industry by getting your name on the relevant websites. For example, if you are a CPA, get your name listed in various CPA related websites and directories. This will show searchers that you are affiliated with that community. Get your name on as many affiliated web pages and directories as possible. That way, when a searcher types your name in Google, all of the related websites show up on the first page and it is easy for the searcher to quickly identify you with your profession and gain trust. If you are listed in your industry websites, you will have instant credibility.
Google Profile
Take a minute to create your Google Profile. Once you create a Google account, simply go to your account settings and click the Edit Profile button. Here you have an opportunity to upload a photo of your choosing, and fill out some additional information. This profile will appear on the first page of a Google search of your name as seen below.
Social Networking
Social networking is fun, and a great way to connect with friends and colleagues. But what is powerful about these sites is your ability to control your public profile combined with the high Page Rank. If you have a profile in a site like Facebook, since Facebook is such a highly regarded site (ie, has high "Page Rank") it shows up high in search results. Thus, when someone does a search on your name, one of the first few search results will be your Facebook public profile page, which you control. Same with LinkedIn. Same with Twitter. Since you post stuff to the social networking sites, your are controlling your online profile. You post the tweets, status updates, photos, etc. You are also in control of who you link or connect to. Control and mange your online profile by creating a social networking account and posting the things you want to be seen and read about you.
Domain Name
Register a domain name that contains your first and last name. Domain names that contain the search keywords rank very highly with search engines, and will thus likely appear on the first page of search results. In my case, jefflenning.com has a Page Rank of 0 (very low) but is listed before LinkedIn (Page Rank 8) and Facebook (Page Rank 9). Perhaps, start by just putting your basic contact information on your personal website. Since it is a site that you control, you control the content of the site. Thus, you have the ability to shape what people find when they search for you.
Remember, you can contribute to your online profile. Each web page or website that contains your name contributes to your profile. Trying to manage your online profile is important if you want to have any influence on what people find when they search for you.