Paul Castain's Blog

Are You Making This “Google” Mistake?

Posted April 10, 2012

I’m going to go ahead and assume that you understand that your prospects and clients “Google” you.

If by some chance you didn’t understand that, then please allow me to tell you . .

Your  prospects and clients “Google” you and for the hearing impaired . .

YOUR PROSPECTS AND CLIENTS GOOGLE YOU!

Now that we have that out of the way . . . I might have caught you!

Caught you red handed responding the way many people respond to that statement.

Please allow me to be you . . .  or in my case, an almost 47 year old balding version of you.

“I don’t have any incriminating pictures of me with a lampshade on my head etc. In fact, they won’t find anything on me!”

To that I say . . . “Bravo” because there’s nothing worse than having to explain some online episode as “I wasn’t so young but I still needed the money” but . . .

If a prospect or client attempts to “Google” you and they find nothing, nada, zip and especially no online footprint . . . you might be in trouble!

Why?

Because if that’s part of their “getting to know you” process and if you aren’t showing up, they can’t check you out . . . Anonymously!

For those of you who don’t “get” all this online stuff and disagree that this should be a part of the process, please understand . . . nobody cares what you get!

Sorry if that’s harsh. Not trying to be an a hole about it but the bottom line is that your prospects and clients aren’t sitting around thinking about what you “get”, they simply show up!

Please don’t forget that and while you ponder that, here are a few thoughts to improve your “Googleability” very quickly.

1)    Complete Your Linkedin Profile and then . . . set that sucker to “public” This will get you one Google result when people “Google” you.

2)    Embrace The Power Of “OPB” (Other People’s Blogs) by commenting there. Now I’m sure you know that the blogs you comment on should be ones where you can demonstrate your expertise in a way that underscores what you want people to see when they “Google” you.

Bonus Tip: Yep, I could have just written “#3” but I get great feedback from my clients on this one so what the heck . . .

When you leave comments on those blogs, you can hyperlink to your website. You do this by filling in your website on the quick form most blogs require you to fill out when leave a comment.

Time Out! The mistake most people make here is that they link to their company website. That’s OK if you own the company or if you have your own website or blog but what if you don’t? What’s an aspiring rock star to do?

Simply cut and paste your Linkedin Profile as your website and guess what happens?

Someone reads your comment, they think “Let me check this dude/dudette out”, they click on your name and low and freakin behold they are magically whisked away to a virtual online “getting to know you fest” featuring none other than . . . wait for it . . . YOU!

Don’t get me wrong folks, there are other ways you can work on your “Googleability” but for today, let’s just keep this so simple that you actually give it a whirl.

Come on, don’t make me triple dog dare ya!

For more information on my coaching programs, corporate training and keynote speeches, either click here for the lengthy version or here for the 15 second “at a glance” version. Perhaps its time for us to roll up our sleeves and work together?

33 thoughts on “Are You Making This “Google” Mistake?”

  1. Paul

    Following your advice here I am – posting a comment.

    Your observations seem obvious as soon as you say them and yet the expression ‘common sense yet not common practice’ comes to mind.

    Great advice as usual from you Paul

    Angela 

  2. I am quite shocked by the sarcastic and nasty comments that individuals routinely make on LinkedIn in response to questions or other people’s suggestions.  Just because someone is good at sarcasm doesn’t mean they should highlight that “skill.” 

    Good suggestions and warnings today.  And utilizing your tip on using the LinkedIn Profile for my website for the first time…now!

    1. Great point Mary Beth. The people who engage that way miss a few key things:

      1) They aren’t exactly operating in the “cone of silence”. They are behaving this way in front of 10’s of thousands of people. Not smart!

      2) Repetition is the mother of brand in other words, whatever they do, repeatedly gets associated as “their brand”. So we can have someone who is a brilliant widget maker, but repeatedly acts like a fool . . . we won’t see the widget maker because its shadowed by the fool.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mary Beth!

  3. Paul, this is a great post I am amazed that people dont realize that potential clients and employers will Google you. I teach a class on networking and I always say you have a right to your online opinions but I have a right to be offended by them and not do business with you. Thanks for the post

  5. Thanks Paul! Great reminder. Now what do you suggest to another balding 40-something sales guy who continually pops up below some deadbeat on Google search results that you don’t want tobe confused with? That’s right folks, feel free to click my LinkedIn and ten Google my name. How would YOU like to be confused with the guy in the top search result spot.

    I am not that guy … I’m the other one. Been working on my Internet presence for a few years now to counter this nonsense.

  6. Great points Kevin!

    I’ve “Googled” otherwise mild mannered people only to find really inappropriate Facebook pictures, Youtube videos denouncing God, political opinions etc.

    The things I found didn’t exactly underscore their brand.

    I believe having a zero online presence can be equally damaging.

    Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to share your thoughts!

  7. Thanks again Paul! I am studying your writing style – I LIKE reading your stuff, I LIKE tweeting your blogs. You tweek imagination with your titles and copy and then motivate folks to engage. Because it’s so fun and personable, I am experimenting with modeling my own posts after your style to increase engagement. Wish me luck . . .
    Cheers!

    1. This was a really kind note Kristine . . . I can’t thank you enough!

      Thank you for making my day and helping Uncle Paul stand a little taller today 🙂

      Rock on!

  9. Thanks Paul for this lesson. So simple and evident, and yet not done in many cases. Would it be because you don’t have to pay for it ? Like one says : K.I.S.S. (please note the reference to other Rock Stars !).

  10. Yikes Eric! I had a look!

    While I’m no expert on this, I do have a few thoughts.

    1) Perhaps you could start using a middle initial
    2) Use a tagline or nick name. One of my clients is known as “The Mayor Of Hardware” My friend Chris Rollins is The Sales Train Conductor on Twitter he is “TheChrisRollins”. As you can imagine there are lots of people sharing that name.
    3) Start showing up more than the other person so you begin to get ranked higher. 
    4) Visit and comment on well known sites such as BusinessWeek, FastCompany, Inc or certainly the equivalent in your target markets.

    I’m hoping some of my readers see this and add their 2 cents as well.

    Good luck with this Eric!

    1. Thanks Paul.  Great suggestions.  I appreciate the feedback.  Love the blog and the advice.  

  11. “I wasn’t so young but I still needed the money”  ….that is so funny!

    Thanks for starting my day off with a laugh, and as always, great advice.

    Hope you have a great day!

    Traci

  14. I have to say that I enjoy reading your blog. It is great and the information is always great. Thanks.

  18. Great post.  When we founded HR pros incorporated, Linkedin profiles were key to get higher ranking for our company’s website.  It is obviously important to be found but don’t forget to optimize your profile for key search terms that will also improve traffic. 
    Finally, if you want to be found and you want people to remember you, post a picture of yourself. I am amazed that some people still don’t do that. 
    Now I will embrace “OPB”: http://www.hr-pros.ca/
    Keep up the good work! I enjoy reading your newsletter!

  19. Minor technical point – linking to your blog or LinkedIn profile in blog comments won’t do much, if anything, for your Googleability. Almost all blog software adds the “no-follow” tag to links in blog comments, so search engines won’t follow the link and you won’t get any search engine juice from associating yourself with Paul here. People will follow the links, so you still have that going for you.

    For the record, I am not the actor that was Robin in Batman & Robin, and is now currently starring on NCIS-LA.

    As far as you know 😉

  20. Great post as always Paul. I have kind of the same issue as Eric, but maybe in reverse. If you Google my name, you find pages and pages of a very popular clothing designer, which my two teenage daughters will confirm, is NOT me.  I love your suggestion to post your LinkedIn page. Your blog is always worth reading. Thanks Paul.

  22. Hi Paul,

    Another gem, I had thought about employers using Google, but had not considered the next step, linking my profile??? Silly when I now think about it, but it is just not something that comes to mind, now I will follow your advice and link my Profile on linked in..

    Again simple tips explained well and a great result, Thank You  .

    Grant 

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