Are You Ready to Be “Googled”?

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ARE YOU READY TO BE "GOOGLED"?
By Dante Lee
www.BlackBusinessCoach.com

Every single day, millions and millions of people use search engines to find what they are looking for. It is very likely that at some point or another, someone will be searching for information about you.

Being researched or "googled" can be a very good thing or a very bad thing. It all depends on what comes up when your name is typed in. Fortunately, you do have some control over the matter.

Here are some things you can do:

1) Regularly send out press releases. Search engines love press releases and news content. Whenever you send out a PR, it will usually be indexed right away from the distribution company itself and any online news outlet that publishes it. PRweb.com and BlackPR.com (one of my services) are great tools for this.

2) Get listed in online directories. Search engines will generally give content from business directories a higher ranking. This is because information from such sources are viewed as "official". Therefore, listing your bio and/or company description on these sites can help to authenticate what’s "official" about you. Sites like Business.com, SalesVantage.com, and BlackExperts.com (another one of my services) are perfect examples.

3) Make sure your web site is search engine friendly. If you "google" your company’s name, your company’s web site should come up first. If it doesn’t, you need to optimize your web site so that search engines are able to crawl through the content. (see my blog about SEO)

4) Be careful about Myspace/BlackPlanet blogs. Remember that if someone "googles" you, everything will come up – everything. So, if you have a Myspace page with pictures of you acting a fool – you may want to delete it or make it a private blog. You don’t need a potential client to change their mind about your company, because they stumbled upon your personal blog.

Dante Lee is the 26-year old president and CEO of Diversity City Media, a multicultural marketing and public relations firm based in Columbus, Ohio. His daily blog, www.BlackBusinessCoach.com, offers a FREE email and RSS subscription for Black entrepreneurs and business owners.