Lately I've been talking a lot about making sure your Google Profile is complete and up to date. After hearing me talk about it on a recent teleseminar, I got an email from a colleague asking how to dominate the "name" search results (vs. keywords for your niche).
As you know, it's becoming more and more common to do searches on people to check them out ... before you do business with them... after meeting them at networking events ... if you're considering hiring them... the list goes on.
So what do people find when they search on your name? If you've got a common name, they may not find YOU.
Back to my colleague. His name is common enough that several people around the world come up on the search results for his name. He wanted to know why his blog wasn't showing up on a search for his name since he's an active blogger.
This is where a little bit of search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
For example this blog is called Biz Tips Blog but on the name in my blog set up I use keywords instead: Internet Marketing Tips by Denise Wakeman. This is what shows up in the title bar on your browser and is indexed by the search engines. My blog posts are configured so the content that shows up in the title bar includes the blog post title and the blog name. So my name is indexed every time a post is indexed.
I also include my name in the blog description in the settings.
The key to coming up in the name search results is to have your name in as much of the content you create as possible. Here are some examples:
When you create a channel on YouTube, use your REAL name as your user id AND in the description for your channel. When you post videos, put your name in the tags and if it makes sense, in the title and/or description of the video. This applies to all the other video distribution sites as well.
Set up profiles on sites like Posterous and Tumblr and complete your profile including YOUR name. If possible use your name as your id. Set the sites up to pull content from your blog and twitter feeds so you don't have to worry about adding new content.
On twitter, make sure you use your REAL name when you set up your profile. It shows in the title bar of your profile and is indexed by the search engines. If at all possible, use your name as your twitter ID. Every tweet creates it's own unique URL and is indexed by Google.
Can't forget this. When you comment on other blogs and use your REAL name, not an alias, when you fill in the comment fields.
Only use an alias when you don't want people to know your name. If you're a professional or business owner who wants to be found online, use your real name.
I could go on and on. The bottom line is that the more content you create across platforms, the better you will dominate the search results for your name. Period.
No doubt the SEO experts will have suggestions for other ways to get your name in the top search results and I would love to hear about them in the comments!
Related Posts:
Is Your Google Profile Up to Date?
What's Your Biggest Challenge Around Creating an Online Presence?
