subject: Googling Your Own Name and How to Control the Results [print this page] If youre not on the ball as a company or personally when it comes to SEO, you could be in for a surprise the next time you type your own or your businesses name into Google. Why? Because the freedom of the internet means that anyone with a grievance against you or your company with a basic knowledge of SEO techniques could feature prominently on the first page of search engine results when someone types in the name of your business. When a potential customer enters your brand name into Google, the last thing you want them to see is an article or blog post bad mouthing your business, as that may very well put them off visiting your website, which was probably their original intention. Recent research suggests that over 70% of us now type in the name of the person or business were doing business with in relation to a large purchase or contract. So what can you do about this? Well, you have two options; Be reactive Be proactive A reactive approach If youve only recently become aware of bad online publicity when you Google yours or our companies name, then you need to take a reactive approach, as the damage has already been done; Read all the information to see if its accurate If not, contact the owner of the website with the facts Make sure the facts are published on the blog/website as soon as possible Put a link to the offending article in your own blog with your response Once youve taken these necessary steps, you need to keep on top of the search engine results for your name. A proactive approach Whether youre trying to redress the balance on Google with positive news about your company or are a brand new company starting out, SEO is the key to controlling the search results for your company name. The strategy you need to adopt is simple; optimise all of your digital output. This should include all of the following; Blog posts Press releases Videos & images Audio Social media By optimising everything you put online correctly, you will in effect dominate the search engine results when someone Googles your name. This means that its far less likely that a disgruntled ex-employee, customer or competitor will be able to deflect attention away from the positive things your business is doing via Google or any other search engine. Your aim should be to directly control the first thirty listings related to your or your companies name. Only a few people who are doing basic research will look deeper then page three, so youll head off all but the most persistent information gathers. Youll need to keep on top of the listings as Google likes new content and by continuing to submit and write new copy and keeping on top of profiles and business listings youll continue to keep on top of the search engine results pages.
Googling Your Own Name and How to Control the Results
