3 Keys to Managing Search Engine Results for Your Name

July 29, 2024

Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps

The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When you meet a potential customer and they show interest in you, your company or what you offer, one of the first things they do is search for your name on Google.

Why? People trust Google, and search results have become a kind of calling card for online branding and marketing. They can make or break a business. In turn, many individuals and businesses trust that Google understands them and can represent them correctly in the results: They expect Google to “connect the dots,” but the algorithms aren't always that smart (at least not yet). In many cases, it's up to you to show them who you are – to control the results for your name.

The following strategies work for Google Search, Google Gemini, AI Overview, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and a host of other new search engines because they all essentially work the same. They give you greater control over your name and reputation across all platforms, bringing an ideal audience into your sales funnel.

Related: I wish I had known this about Google before I tried my growth strategy

You go through three simple (but often time-consuming) steps:

1. Build your home

You must have an online website that you own and control. Search engines will use that website as an authoritative source of information about you, and you can control how they perceive and portray you based on the information it contains.

Such a site is often referred to as an “entity home,” and its maintenance includes keeping all content 100% up-to-date – a place where important facts about you are controlled, compiled, and maintained. It is also important to provide outside references that confirm your statements, allowing for more comprehensive verification of your statements.

Not surprisingly, information on a company's homepage needs to be presented clearly and consistently so that AI search engines and helper engines can understand it. Additionally, prioritize the elements you want the algorithms to focus on. This will more accurately present you to an audience as someone who is capable of solving their problems or otherwise adding value.

Search engines find a primary reference point for every single person on the internet. There are no exceptions. So unless you consciously create a home for a personal brand, they will find one that you don't control and put the rest in the hands of third parties, like LinkedIn. I bet you don't want to give such sites free reign.

Related: How to build an online presence with social media

2. Be consistent everywhere

Once you have your entity homepage set up, make sure you don't introduce any inconsistencies elsewhere. Make a list of all the platforms where you have a profile page and update it.

Social media profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn are the obvious first step. Next, consider profile pages you may have created (and perhaps forgotten about) over the years on platforms like Tumblr, Friendster, Mastodon, Goodreads, Muck Rack, Entrepreneur, and Search Engine Land.

Your company website is, of course, another important source of information. Set up a profile page there (create one if you don't have one) and update it regularly.

Finally, examine publicly editable data platforms such as Wikidata, Crunchbase, and IMDB. Review all information for accuracy, update it, and make sure it all links to your entity's homepage.

Related: Why you should revise and improve your website content

3. Confirmation by third parties

Now comes the hardest part.

So far, you have fed algorithms that have both provided and confirmed all information from multiple sources. The problem is that, just like humans, AI algorithms don't just believe you: they need supporting evidence from other people to make sure you are telling the truth. In other words, they need third-party confirmation. The question is: “Who can/should confirm what I am saying?”

First, find all the web pages you don't control that have your main topic and check the accuracy and consistency of the information, not least in relation to your core message. Of course, not all reports/opinions have to be the same, but all must be correct. If there are discrepancies or you can improve the relevance of the information, contact the site publisher and ask them to update it. However, bear in mind that updating the information in this way may require some creative thinking.

Here are the most important methods for this:

• You do: Target sources that seem independent but are under your control. For example, update profiles on all of your company websites: I have profile pages on my company website (kalicube.com), our educational website (kalicube.academy), and our webinar series (kalicubeteusdays.com).
If you manage websites for associations or organizations related to your field, these can serve as excellent platforms for validation. They provide the impression of third-party validation while maintaining control over the presentation and ensuring accuracy and consistency.

• Friends/colleagues do it: If the site owner or author is a colleague or friend, implementing updates is generally quite easy. These resources are particularly valuable because they come from a relevant and seemingly independent third party, and therefore carry weight with both algorithms and human audiences.

• Ask for a favor: This is the hardest way to go, but often the most valuable. If you are truly a third party, you have no connection to the publisher or author, and search algorithms generally give these the most weight. That said, it is worth making the effort and asking for that “favor” – i.e. inclusion in selected sites/sources.

In the short term, you can outsmart both a human audience and algorithms by posting the same old content on sites you fully (or partially) control, or by asking friends for help, but in the long term, you need to earn third-party validation.

Related: Why zero-party data is the new secret weapon for brands

Search algorithms watch your brand's online activity and simply replicate what they read in AI search engines and helper engines, so if you communicate clearly with the most relevant audience – by presenting them with useful content on the platforms they hang out on – you're poised to win the personal branding game with both a human audience and search engines.