How to Make a Name for Yourself on Google
Posted Friday, June 5, 2009 · CommentsNeed a quick and easy way to enhance your brand?
Ensure that your name appears in Google searches by creating a Google Profile.
- First, you need a Google account.
- Once you’ve got that set up, edit your profile.
- Enter your first and last name and check the box, “Display my full name so I can be found in search.”
- If you have a decent photo of yourself, upload it, because it’ll appear next to your listing (see image of my Google profile below):
You can include lots of other info about yourself:
- The places you’ve lived
- Schools attended
- Companies worked for
- Contact info
- An extended bio, packed with keywords
- Links to your Web site(s) and social media
- …and more!
Normally, it takes a while for Google to begin indexing a site. Not so with your Google profile. As soon as I updated my profile, it immediately appeared as the #10 listing for the search term, Laura Christianson. I’m going to monitor it over the next few days to see whether it moves up in the rankings.
You should also create a profile for yourself at Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing and at Yahoo, so you cover the major search engines.
Related articles:
- Part 1 – Google Your Name. You’ll Learn a Lot About Yourself
- Part 2 – How to make Google love your Twitter profile
And in the June issue of Bright Ideas Blogzine:
- Dos and Don’ts for creating your social media profiles
View Comments Comments
June 10th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Hi, Laura. Thanks for this push. I’ve been trying to create my Google profile for several months, now, and always ended up frustrated because I would update one piece of information, and some other piece would disappear! or revert back to a former state! I *finally* today, after reading your post went in to try again– and, again, had the same problems . . .
BUT, today, I stumbled across a solution that may come in handy for other readers: USE INTERNET EXPLORER TO CREATE YOUR PROFILE !! As a “professional surfer” who practically lives on the Web, I never use IE. But, evidently Google (and a few other entities, which is what prompted me, at last, to experiment) doesn’t know a better world exists beyond Microsoft.
Anyway, if anyone else has issues with building a Google profile and any other browser, switch to IE just for this one mission– it worked like a dream (I’m not necessarily finished, but at least I could add and edit)! Too bad I didn’t think to try that months ago . . .
June 10th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Twitter: bloggingbistro
Thanks for the tip about using IE, Stephen. I created my profile using Firefox and didn’t have any trouble. I have heard from others that there are glitches in the system; hopefully, Google is getting the kinks worked out.
June 11th, 2009 at 8:48 am
> Hope you’ll comment again with the URL to your Google profile, so we can check it out.
Sorry– I forgot to leave my link:
> > http://www.google.com/profiles/ImYourEditor
I still need to locate an online photo (or post one to my Web site that I can link to), and I want to tweak the text a bit to be more searchable, but at least it’s live! Thanks for asking.
June 11th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Twitter: bloggingbistro
Stephen,
Nice profile. The Google eyes image is cute, but you’re right; you do need to find a decent mugshot of yourself to pop into your profile. Our minds are geared to connect emotionally with people’s faces.
Since you’re promoting your services, it’s important that prospective clients see you; it helps them feel as if they know you.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Twitter: bloggingbistro
Forgot to mention one thing in my previous comment. While you’re adding your smiling face to your Google profile, you might want to create a Gravatar, as well (that’s the universal avatar that accompanies comments you make on people’s blogs — so you don’t get stuck with the default “mystery man.”)
I wrote a blog post about how to create your own gravatar:
http://www.bloggingbistro.com/how-to-set-up-a-gravatar/