Have you ever looked yourself up in Google? More importantly, have your clients ever looked you up in Google? Would they be happy with what they find?
If you’ve got a common name, like Tony Wong or Joe Smith, you may not be worried about Google results for your name. However, what if you have a unique name? Will your online history haunt you?
Fortunately, with a little work, you can promote "good" results to the top of the search engines. Here’s how.
5 ways to push good search returns to the top of search engines
- Get your own website — and be sure to include your name.
- Submit articles to online directories, such as ezinearticles. As an article author, you’ll receive a profile page and your name will show up in search returns for the articles, too.
- Sign up for LinkedIn and other business networking sites and set up a public profile. (Here’s mine.)
- Set up a business blog — again, include your name. And keep it professional, so that you don’t have to go back and hide search results from that site.
- Contact any sites that contain embarassing or private information about you. They *may* be willing to remove it. It never hurts to ask.