DOES GOOGLE KNOW YOU?
Are you wondering why some people rank on Google search and other search engines? Do you want to build visibility?
Let’s show you very simple ways that you can make your name or your brand rank on Google Search. If someone ever claims your space, you may have to put more effort.
Being visible is one way to build a brand, not just about having direct conversions but about being trustworthy and appearing very credible. I wouldn’t bore you with motivations and “why” you should be visible on Google.
How does Google work?
Google, like every other search engines, uses bots to index websites. The friendlier these websites are to the bots, the more it’s likely that the information on the websites will rank on search engines. The processes of making this work is what we know as “SEO” Search Engine Optimization. For example, your Facebook name will likely appear on Google if you search but that is if you didn’t turn off a feature that enables your profile to be indexed by these bots. Is Facebook name enough?
You can’t only make your name appear on Google, you can also control the way you want and the image you want it to portray. Let me show you a few steps you could take
1. Start Creating Contents
Content creation isn’t specific. As a medical doctor, you have something to write about! It doesn’t even have to be scientific, it could be your stories and experiences every day as a medical doctor. If you love flowers, you may have to start writing about flowers or if you have a service you are rendering, you may have to start making contents that relate to it. Just ensure the contents you are creating is related to what you want to be known for.
2. Create a personal website
Whether it is going to be a blog or just an info landing page, make sure your metadata and keywords are well written so that Google bots can index your website and know what it is about. A well-created website is not just bot friendly, there is a lot of romance going behind the scenes of your website and bots. You don’t have to be an expert or techie to be able to create a website. You may have to begin from free options like using WordPress dot com, Blogspot and other several options. Getting your own domain will be great but if you aren’t ready for it yet, you can skip this process. I highly recommend it.
3. Set Up Your Brand On Google Business
Do you know Google offers people the options of creating a free business website on Google Business? Although this isn’t just about your business but your name, I thought it could be wise to mention it. When your brand is on the search engine, Google knows you.
4A. Distribute Your Content
You see those beautiful articles you write on Facebook? They are very nice but the efforts will pay off greatly when you start distributing these contents to other places. There are channels that are search engine optimized and your works can rank on Google if you take advantage of them. I’ll introduce a few.
A. Quora – Sign up on Quora and start answering questions that you are an authority in. If you don’t find a question to answer? Ask questions anonymously and answer it yourself. It’s not bad, it’s a way of making your content known. People who have such questions will eventually search on Google and your answers may likely be what they were looking for! If you have a blog, always link back to your blog or website. When bots discover that reputable sites are linking back to your website, they love it and they trust you more.
B. Medium – Medium is another blogging site you may take advantage of. Even as a blog owner, you could put some of your best articles on Medium and link back to your website.
C. Blogs – Guest post or allow a few of your articles to be used on other blogs but ensure they link back to your blog where the original article was posted. You may not need to post a complete article, you may post an intro and add a link back to your site or you may post full articles and add “Originally written at SoSoAndSo Blog” with hyperlink on “SoSoAndSo Blog” linking back to the original blog post. You can begin by building a relationship with other bloggers, follow your desired blogs and leave comments.
4B. Distribute Your Works
It’s good to write books, convert to PDF and send to people who make purchases. But it would be nice to also publish your books on major book stores worldwide. Google bots already recognise Amazon, Okadabooks, Barnes & Nobles and many others and when your book is published there, the bots take up metadata about you which may include knowing you as an author. That’s why you could see a snippet on Google search indicating that someone is an author or a musician. You may have local readers but just put your book on the global scene! It won’t cost you anything if you can design your own book and follow the formatting procedures. For newbies who aren’t technically savvy, checking out Draft2Digital may be the best decision you’ve ever made as an author.
If you are a music artist, you should also consider putting your songs on iTunes, Google Music, Boom Player and various other channels. Using the metadata supplied through these websites, search engine bots will recognize who you are and give you your accolades!
These are few ways you could make your personal name rank on Google especially if you are seeking exposure. We will write a more comprehensive article on SEO later. You may want to sign up for our Newsletter to get it by email.
