Just Google me

How to control your first impression on the web

What We’ll Cover… 1.  How important are your search results and why? 2.  What is SEO and how can it help? 3.  Controlling your own results – the most important

tactics to get started 4.  Emergency tactics: How to handle an unwanted

result on your first page 5.  Our Story: Why BrandYourself is dedicated to

making this easy for anyone J

How important are your search results?

1  billion  

75%  names  are  Googled  everyday    

of  HR  departments  are  required  to  research  candidates  online  

Very important:

&

Most people are not represented by well-branded

content about themselves

The Problem:

Most people fall into 1 of 3 categories…

...the negative category

...the irrelevant category

...the “hey that’s not me” category

And It’s not just about suppressing negative content to protect your reputation…

Negative Content

It’s just as important to promote positive content that helps your reputation

Positive Content

What can you do?

Create positive content and make sure it shows up over negative, irrelevant or

other people’s results

Simple, right?

Because, search engines make mistakes

Wrong…

Many people create all types of content about themselves but it doesn't’t show up

• Search engines don’t understand what it’s about • Search engines don’t think it’s a credible source • Search Engines simply can’t find it

Question:

So how CAN you control your search results?

Answer: SEO “Search Engine Optimization” is the process of creating or

improving content to make sure it shows up as high as possible for a specific keyword (YOUR NAME)

SEO Basics: Factors You Should Understand

On Page SEO

•  Structure/architecture •  Keyword/content •  Relevancy: Keep it

active

Off Page SEO

•  Links •  Social Sharing

vs.

•  Cloaking

•  Link stuffing •  Keyword stuffing

Techniques to Avoid:

These are tactics that commercial sites use for high traffic keywords that get them banned

Rule of thumb: If you ever hear anyone guarantee results, run

Manipulative or “black hat” tactics

Now It’s Time to take control

Step 1: Get Your Domain Name •  Cost: $5 a year •  Make sure you use yourname.com or some

variation with your name in it (petekistleronline.com)

•  Register it for as long as possible (2 years or more) –  Even if you don’t plan on using it immediately, it keeps

someone else from taking it and hijacking a result on your first page

•  Where to get your domain: Namecheap.com

Build A Personal Site

•  Wordpress •  Weebly •  Blogger

There are so many free & easy ways to build a site These rank highest:

• Our recommendation: Wordpress (flexible design, very SEO friendly)

Step 1:

•  Tumblr •  About.Me •  Many Others

Structure Your Site Well

Make sure your name exists in all of these places and you’ll be off to a good start:

Tip: Use WordPress All-in-one-SEO-Pack plugin

• Title of website • Headline of each page

• Navigation

Step 1:

Fill it with relevant content about YOU

Tip: Use your name wherever you can

Step 1:

Start Blogging

Google loves updated/active content. Blogging is an easy way to keep your site ranking high

Unless you are an objectively terrible writer with no intention to improve, you should be writing blog posts

Tip: Subscribe to relevant RSS feeds in your industry and write one reaction a week

Step 1:

Step 2: Get on Social Networks

Search Engines love ranking social networks high because they are credible and constantly updated

•  Twitter •  Facebook •  LinkedIn

•  Google + •  Meetup •  Quora

Our Favorites:

Keep it clean or keep it private Keep in mind: Nothing is really private online

Step 2:

Use your REAL name

Good:

Step 2:

Use your REAL name

Bad:

Step 2:

Link to all your other content

Let search engines know they are all “voting” for each other to rank high

Step 2:

Fill it with well-branded content

If you create good content that people care about, people will share it and like it, and

search engines will notice

Step 2:

Step 3: Create Online Profiles & Directories

Here are some high ranking places you can put

your name and bio. ** Use your full name, add your bio,

and add links to everything

Bonus: Emergency Tactics

How to handle negative content…

Create High Ranking Content Quickly

•  Write a press release Might cost you $300 dollars, but it will probably show up in the first page (write about the fact that you just made a website)

•  Comment on relevant news articles Not the most “branded” result, but it shows up fast

•  Throw an Event on MeetUp Use your name in the title. Actually invest in a good event

•  Create profiles on your local college and government sites Search engines love .gov and .edu profiles the best. Be creative. There is somewhere you can create a profile

Get as much new content as possible onto the first page to push other stuff down

Bonus:

Bump it off

Google doesn’t play favorites.

Generally speaking Google only ranks 1 result per domain for your name

“Bump it Off” Example:

Problem

• A bad article is written about you in the Huffington Post.

“Bump it Off” Example:

Solution

• Simply create another result on HuffingtonPost.com that ranks

higher for you.

How to Bump it Off: 1.  Go create a reader profile on HuffingtonPost.com 2.  Optimize it

1.  Make sure you use your name 2.  Fill it out with as much info as they let you (use your optimized

bio) 3.  Link to it from as many of your profiles and websites as you

can 4.  Keep it active: commenting on articles and tweet it out when

you can

Tip: Most news sites let you create a profile, but there are other ways to create a result for your name. Example: commenting on an article using your name.

BrandYourself has a free product that’s easy for anybody to do

“It’s the absolute best - there’s nothing like it - and their management team is handsome and single”

– Patrick Ambron, CEO of BrandYourself

How we came up with BrandYourself

BrandYourself started as a problem, that turned into an idea, that turned into a mission

The  Problem:  Pete  Kistler,  a  co-­‐founder,  was  a  model  student,  but  couldn‘t  get  an  internship  

3.9  GPA  Successful  entrepreneur  Leader  on  campus  Founder  of  mulAple  clubs  Several  relevant  internships  

He  was  being  mistaken  online  for  an  ex-­‐con  with  the  same  name  

This Guy This Guy

Or

He couldn’t change it, because he wasn’t:

A tech genius who could do it himself

A high net worth individual who could pay thousands

for a reputation firm to do it

To help anyone get some control over their search results with a simple and

free do-it-yourself platform  

The Mission:

Accomplishments

Where  we  started  •  Launched  in  2010  from  a  dorm  room  at  SU  •  No  MarkeIng  Budget,  no  resources,  no  idea  what  we  were  doing  

Where  we  are  Now:    •  11  full-­‐Ime  employees  •  Over  160,000  customers  •  Named  top  5  collegiate  entrepreneurs  by  Entrepreneur  magazine    •  Named  #1  Emerging  Business  in  NYS  ($200k  prize)    •  $1.5  Million  in  Funding    

How BrandYourself Works Our tools simplify Search Engine Optimization so

anybody can do it

“But my Google results are fine!”  

Our FREE Product will still: • Alert you if something troubling ever does

appear in your top results • Keep track of your favorite content’s ranking

in search engines and alert you if it changes.

And if you ever do need a boost in results, you can log in and use it for that, too

BrandYourself can still help you!

Check us out at:

www.BrandYourself.com