I think it was Brad Pitt.
He was asked how it might feel to suddenly not feel wanted, or perhaps lose the affinity people have for him, and worse - no new gigs. His answer: (paraphrasing) "Well, I know that if I Googled myself, and I didn't see my name, something would be very wrong, and it would time for alarm!".
Humorous, but nonetheless profound - because this is something we all do more or less of (daily, anyone?). Seeing your name up on the Google first page, while not exactly the silver screen - feels awesome, and is important for your personal brand visibility. (Yeah, I check almost daily - but not like you might think - I'll show you a trick in a second).
Wonder if my neighbor is checking me too?
It gets deeper though. Remember James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson in 2008's "Wanted" movie? He is a super frustrated office worker (with super-human killing abilities we later learn), and, at the top of the movie - he Googles himself - with 'no results' - how low can you get, right?
Read on - here's how we can help ourselves. (And, If you are a brand like Bryan Tracy or Anthony Robbins, you better be there!)
What if your name is Joe Smith?
As a regular Joe, you are fighting for top placement and visibility with tens of thousands others with that same name.
But, if you think about the new ways in which the web leverages social interaction - with pictures, videos, audio, blogs, etc - you can beat out the other "Joes" out there.
How? Type "Joe Smith" into Google right now. Then, scroll down to the bottom of page and take a look at the pictures. Haven't seen that before?
Enter Google Profiles - http://www.google.com/profiles
It's new (search me and click on the first Google promotion link) - and a system that is "in addition" to the regular results pages, it's not a traditional ranking thing. Smart move from Google, they can now push you to Picasa, Youtube, Gmail and more. You'll also notice links to MySpace, Facebook, Classmatest & LinkedIn. Google tests and refines all the time, so expect changes there too.
Here are tips to help your profile be found on Google.
And, no kidding - you can also order business cards to tell your friends about your profile (I did, waiting for mine). A partnership with iPrint.com.
Also, you should ensure that you are looking at the entire 360 view of your (profile) position.
Here are some additional tips for success:
1) Ensure you are in local search (use http://www.getlisted.org to start)
2) Create a channel on youtube with your name and make 10 short videos - could be a simple FAQ about what you do. One question with answers for each video, make it brief, interesting, to the point
3) Create 2-4 articles on your topic, and push to ezinearticles.com, buzzle.com, goarticles.com - change the headlines and the introduction paragraphs
4) Create 1 press release (to start). For $19.95 get on Google News and other using webwire.com (hint: drive the links to your profiles on the other sites too, not always your own website!)
5) Create social profiles with a professional picture and description of what you do on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Ask your friends to join, and tell them why they should. Then, start helping, asking and answering questions. Yahoo Answers is another.
7) Create a squidoo page as well as hubpages -- and spend some good time to make it unique and valuable, don't be another "me too". Keep it updated & fresh.
8) Upload pictures to Flickr and/or Picasa - and reference them on your website, blog, and social media sites. Yeah, you don't have to host all your images yourself.
Too much work? There are social media companies that can help.
Finally, here's a cool trick to check yourself on Google. Search on Google for your name. Then, click on the "Advanced Search" link and look down on the page to the blue link with "+Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more". Select it, and in the first entry field, select "past 24 hours" and click the "Advanced Search" button. This will show you where you are found on the web within Google for that time period. Another, free, automatic way is to use Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts) to email you when your name is mentioned in the "websphere". That includes your competition too!
Learning?
Get into the full spectrum, multi-media of the web, and start by creating profiles in the top networks, add content via text, videos, PDFs, audio and pictures - interlink them, and build out your profiles over time with the authority you deserve.
Jon Rognerud is a search engine optimization consultant in Los Angeles, and is the founder of Internet marketing company Chaosmap.com. His Internet marketing book, Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Optimization, a best-seller in its category, is available at Amazon and in bookstores nationwide.
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