Do You Have a Google Profile?

Google is the largest search engine out there and odds are pretty good that if someone wants to learn more about you or your company they’ll go to Google to search. Real quick, click on this link to go to google.com and type in your name. What did you see? Were you in the top 10 search results? Were you in the top 20? If your name is John Smith you may have difficulties getting in the first 10 search results but more importantly you don’t want to be mistaken for a John Smith that may have a bad online reputation.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could control how you appeared in those search results and possibly push the other John Smiths of the world to page 2? Now you can by creating a Google Profile. Similar to a Facebook profile, a Google Profile lets you add:

• a profile photo
• contact infomation
• your interests
• a bio
• links to your website, blog, social networks, photo-sharing sites, YouTube channel, etc.

You can provide as much or as little information as you feel comfortable sharing. My recommendation is to provide at least a bio and links to your sites and online profiles. If you share your photos publicly on Picasa, Flickr or some other photo sharing network, link to those as well. If you run a photography business you should fill in the Contact info with an email address, phone number and if you have a retail location, enter that address as well. The more “real” information you provide Google the greater their ability to validate your identity and rank you higher in the search results.

Online Activity Matters

One of the most powerful things you can do to rank higher in Google is to just be active online. In its simplest form, Google is not a search engine but rather a content provider. Users come to Google looking for information (content) and by entering in a term Google provides a listing of content providers. Simply put the more quality, original content you create, the more Google has to index and point users to. By linking your website, blog, Twitter profile, Facebook business page, etc. you are letting Google know that you are the creator of that content. Google will compile all of that content under your profile thus giving you more clout and ranking you higher.

Next Steps…

1. Go to http://google.com/profiles and login to your Google Account. If you don’t have a Google Account you can create one for FREE.

Tip: Your Google account name will be used to identify your profile and will be used in your unique URL. If your Google username is something like SexyPhotog you may want to think about changing it to something a little more professional.

2. Once logged in start filling out your profile with as much information as you can.

3. Upload a profile picture.

Tip: Profile pictures are used to help easily identify you online. I suggest using an image of you rather than a company logo or something else abstract. Your photo should represent you and the image you want to project. Smiling happy faces are always more inviting than a dark sinister ones.

4. Link to all of your sites and online profiles.

5. If you’re not already, get active online. Tweet or post on your Facebook page some useful information daily. Try to write a blog post at least once a week that would be of interest to your clients or potential clients.

Creating your Google Profile is a great way to get noticed online. In an upcoming tip I’ll show you how your Google Profile will be of benefit in Google’s new Social Search.

If you’d like to get more tips like this one, be sure to sign up for our FREE Weekly Tips to Help You Grow and Enhance Your Photography Business.

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Trevor Current

Founder of Current Photographer, co-host of The Digital Photography Cafe Show, Designer, Photographer, and overall tech geek.

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