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How to improve your online reputation

Pete Kistler, a former Syracuse University student, had trouble figuring out why he couldn’t land even an internship. He had a high GPA, won a couple of scholarships and started two clubs on campus. And while all his friends were getting phone calls and going out on interviews, he got nothing. Why? When he Googled his name he found out. There was a convicted sex offender with the same name.   

He was told the only solution was to pay a reputation management company between 5 and 10 thousand dollars to fix it. That was money he didn’t have so Pete team up with classmate Patrick Ambron to create a company that would do the same thing.

BrandYourself.comrecommends these six tips for improving your search results.

  1. Google Yourself- The first step is knowing exactly where you stand. If you're like most people, you fall into one of three categories: the negative category, the irrelevant category, or the "hey, that's not me!" category.
  2. Claim Your Domain Name-Visit a domain registrar and purchase all domains containing your name. Domain names show up high in searches for your name.
  3. Build a Personal Website-You should have at least one hub on the web that showcases everything about you-your work history, education, accolades, personal interests, and so on.
  4. Get on the Four Main Social Networks-Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ are the credible sites that Google trusts and they tend to rank very high for your name.
  5. Do Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO)-Use your actual name wherever possible, fill your profiles out completely and link them all together.
  6. Monitor Your Results-make sure the search for your name yields the results you want.
Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.