I'm sure anyone using the Internet must have done a search for their name on Google or any search. Not only you, some of your friends and potential employers might also have done the same. May be you did not know it. But if you do not show up on Google, you don't exist, you could lose a business deal or you may turn off your friend. May be that is why I write this post on how to optimize search results for your name as a query. Check this out, Google for nivash kumar, 9/10 results are pages that I've created for myself (as on 12th June). Here are ten steps that I would suggest to build your personal brand.
10. Buy a domain name which is exactly your name - If its already used, get a closer one which contains your full name and create few pages, to include information about you, display your portfolio or write your missions statement, who you are. Set up a blog at yourname.com/blog
follow the step 9 also in setting up the same. This could be your best personal brand strategy.
9. Create your own blog - Have a title which is more unique or that suits you. Like what I have is "curious mind" and put your name in the blog's title. This is very important for search engines to pick up. If you have a popular nick name, include that also in your blog's title.
8. Linkedin Profile - Linkedin.com is world's top social network for professionals. You just need a free account for displaying your profile. I found linkedin very well organized for a personal profile.
7. Twitter profile - If' you've read this post till this, you must be having a twitter account and create an account with your own name. Like what I did, my public twitter page is
twitter.com/nivashkumar , you can be certain that this page will show up on top ten results of a search for your name on Google, so on other searches also. If you are accessing twitter from desktop clients or mobile, both twitter.com/yourname and m.twitter.com/yourname will be created and may turn up on search results.
8. Create your Google Profile - google.com/profiles This can be your profile across all google services like Google groups and so on. This could also be made public for search engines to pick up.
7. Facebook profile - Make your facebook profile public so that it is visible to search engines. Facebook has got a good page rank, so facebook.com/people/yourname is likely to hit the top ten search results of your name.
6. Xing.com - You can also add one more result to top ten of your name by creating a profile at xing.com and making it public.
5. Online forums - Fill the page for your profile with relevant information on any online forum that you use. Make sure you link the pages you created above with it. At least two of the pages created above.
4. Do comment on popluar blogs with your name - This will also get listed on search results, include your blog url for the web site in the comment form.
3. Join a wiki site like wikihow.com where you will get a user page and this is yet another page for yourself on search results. Note: Trying this on wikipedia does not work because the user pages of wikipedia are not indexed by search engines. Possibly due to the high page rank of wikipedia not to be taken advantage by spammers.
2. Most importantly, if you are filling a form of your profile on a site mentioned above link your other pages with it. E.g link your web site and blog on linkedin profile and xing profile.
1. Get Creative. This is where its open ended. You can try a lot of options, there are plenty of sites on the Internet. Include important information like your photograph, location and stuff that can identify you uniquely.
By doing the steps above, you are almost certain that 2 or 3 pages of what show above will turn up on the search results on a search for your name. If your name is more unique, then possibly all the pages will show up on search results like what happened for me.
I found a new site recently called yasni.com which is effective to look up people on web. It is a vertical search for people I would say.
Also read Personal Branding Blog, by Dan
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