Have you ever googled yourself? Of course you have. And you’ve googled somebody else, and they’ve in turn, googled you. So what do they find when they google you? Today, if you don’t show up on Google, do you don’t exist.
In today’s world, you need to take control and deliberately manage your online identity. It’s one of the fastest ways you can most effectively build your personal brand, and is critical to success. When somebody googles you, they use two measures to decide what they think about you. One is volume. If there’s tons of stuff about you, it makes them believe that you must have something to say. And the second thing they look at is relevance, which is how clearly the results communicate your personal brand and what you want to say.
Are you Digitally Disastrous or Digitally Distinct? Find out where your online identity stands right now. Take the first step, and assess yourself using the free REACH Online ID Calculator to evaluate your Google results. You’ll answer a few questions, then your identity will be placed and measured on the digital scale. You will fall into one of the following profiles:
Digitally Disguised
If you fall into this category, there is absolutely nothing about you on the Web. It doesn’t really mean you don’t exist, but it means that you remain hidden from those who are researching you. This is easy to change.
Digitally Dissed
In this category, there is only a little on the Web about you, and what is there is inconsistent with who you are. Or, the little that comes up could be something that negatively impacts your reputation. This is easy to improve also.
Digitally Disastrous
This means that there is a lot of information about you on the Web, but it has little or no relevance to what you want to say about yourself. It also might include someone else who shares your name, which can create great confusion. Although this can be challenging, it can be managed and improved to move you up to become digitally distinct.
Digitally Dabbling
To fall into this category means there is already some on-brand information about you on the Web that is relevant and consistent with your personal brand. The volume isn’t high, but it’s a great foundation to start building your online identity.
Digitally Distinct
This is truly where you want to be! In this category, there are lots and lots of results about you and most of them reinforce your extraordinary personal brand. Congratulations, and keep being proactive in your commitment to manage and maintain your identity, as your results can change quickly!
Remember, wherever you are on the scale, you can always improve. And if you make a committed effort to expand your visibility and relevance, you’ll be on the right track to becoming Digitally Distinct.
Photo credit, Bisous Darling
