Maximize The Value Of Google Profiles

In the spring of 2009 Google launched a very handy tool that can help you establish your persona on the Web, Google's Profile Pages.

A Google profile is a description of yourself that you develop which allows you to control how you present yourself on the Internet. With a Google profile you can include, for example, links to your blog, online photos, and other profiles such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.

You have control over what others see. Your profile would not display any private information unless you have explicitly added it. You can also allow people to find you more easily by enabling your profile to be searched by your name. Simply set your existing profile to show your full name publicly.

Why is this useful? Well, have you ever done a Google search on yourself and found lots of people with your name that have nothing to do with you and your business? That is a problem for several reasons. You want people who are searching for you to find not just you but also find their way to your website.

If your profile is not acting as a draw to your website, it is not helping you.

Secondly, what if some of the people or stories that come up associated with your name are not the sort of things, people and places that you want people to associate with your name? People may not take the time to notice that John James of JJs Sports Gear is the not the same JJ James as the one whose felony convictions keep popping up, usually ahead of your info. Google solves the problem by giving you a controllable profile that it will defer to in a search.

A new Profile results section will appear at the bottom of a Google search page, when it finds a strong match in response to a name based search. Up to four profiles will be shown based on Google's assessment of which profiles have the most to offer.

Building Your Profile Page

You will need a Google account if you do not already have one. Go to Google Profile Pages and set up your page. You will be provided the opportunity to fill in a lot of information about yourself. If you already have a profile, you may want to revisit it since the options for information keep expanding. You have the option to leave out information that you do not want to share or is not useful for your purposes. You can also add links to your profile and a short bio.

Remember that unlike social media applications where you can choose what to share, your entire profile is made available. Consequently, you may want to think about how much information you want out there on the Internet about yourself.

Verifications

If you choose to, you can have your name verified. This verification assures viewers that you are indeed the person who si controlling the content on the page. Go to Google's Knol for name verification; you can not do it through Google Profiles. If your email is associated with a paid domain name, you can have the mail verified. Google will not verify an email that emanates from a free site like Hotmail or Gmail. Right now those verifications do not add to your profile rank but they may in the future.

Vanity URLs for Profiles

Your profile URL is a set of numbers. If you choose, you can make your Gmail name become your Vanity URL. Just remember that since everyone knows that, you will be providing your Gmail address to everyone if you create a vanity URL.

Used correctly, Google Profiles should be a major help in connecting you with your marketplace.

by: Jane Dawson

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