Have you ever tried to Google yourself and a photo of someone else with your name shows up? It may not seem like a big deal, but when a recent client told me her story, I thought it was worth sharing.
She is a lawyer and she doesn’t have a photo of herself on her social media profiles or her website. The “hard goods,” the degrees and accomplishments, are listed but the “soft goods” — the photo — were missing. She didn’t think it was a big deal until she received a panicked phone call from a client saying, “I Googled you and I didn’t see your photo. I could only find some other woman who doesn’t look professional and I am afraid opposing counsel will look you up and find the other person’s photo and they won’t take our case seriously.”
3 Reasons Why You Need to Google Yourself Today
To prevent misidentification. Make sure the photo of the ‘real’ you shows up on Google Search. If it doesn’t, be sure to add photos to your profiles.
To observe your brand. See what comes up when you search for your name or your company. Verify that your website and profiles populate the first page of a Google search.
To protect your reputation from negativity. If there is negative content about someone with your same name you may not be able to remove the content. But you can raise your online profile by adding more content and pushing the other material down the page.
What do you find when you Google yourself?
Did you find that your website and social media profiles show up on the first page? Are all the articles and content related to the “real you”? And is it the “real you” that is showing up or someone else with your same name?
What to do if your photo doesn’t appear when you Google Yourself?
Go ahead and try it now. If your photo doesn’t show up, visit Google for help on how to correct it.
Alyssa Peek specializes in professional portraits and branding of women over 40. She is an expert speaker and coach regarding how women can project confidence and presence in all situations. This article originally appeared on her blog.