We’ve all done it. An idle moment staring at the monitor and the thought pops into your mind, “I should Google myself.” It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, figuring out what results you get when you search yourself online is a central aspect of learning how to market yourself and build your brand.
Many reputation-building sites focus on minimizing negative search results, but in fact it can be much more productive to emphasize building a personal brand by getting your name out there on the web in positive ways. Making yourself “Google-able” (if you will) means that you have successfully moored your professional identity to your search results. This benefits you in a few important ways.
When people can find the things about you that you want them to find through search engines, it builds your personal brand. For example, if the first things people see in search results about you are a portfolio website, your Yasni Exposé, your LinkedIn account, and activity on professional websites, they can see that you are active as a professional and within your discipline. This makes you look more credible to people who are seeking your professional services.
