LaraNet Tips

While most entrepreneurs diligently monitor their companies' reputations online, I have found that many fail to do so effectively on a personal level. For serial entrepreneurs who rely on their reputations, this could be very detrimental.

I have spent the past few years developing and protecting my reputation online, not out of vanity but rather out of necessity. You see, a number of years ago, I had a run-in with a special-interest group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), that resulted in some unfavorable (and, I might add, untrue) content about me online. About this time, I also discovered, to my dismay, that I shared a name with a number of rather unsavory people -- according to Google search results.

Related: 6 Keys to a Positive Online Presence and Reputation

Since I could not control content that others were posting online and associating with my name (even if it's not me), I started posting content with positive search results that I controlled.

What I have learned over the past few years is that controlling your online reputation has become a necessity for everyone. Nobody is invisible, and now more than ever, if you do not take control of your online reputation, someone else will.

Building a personal brand takes time, but just getting control of your reputation online can be done in a few straightforward steps.

1. Identify your personal goals.
You first need to have personal goals for your reputation or personal brand. Creating a constant "theme" will help you with search-engine optimization (SEO) and create organic search results.

Write down three to five words that describe how you would like to be seen -- business leader, thought leader, adventure seeker, intercontinental balloonist -- then use these descriptions to guide how you develop your profile and create and curate content.

2. Settle on a consistent username.
To optimize your SEO, you need to have a consistent and unique username across the web. Uncommon names should be easy to secure, but if your name is more ordinary and, hence, already taken on many platforms, then you need to settle on a username that you can use consistently across platforms.

For instance, if your name happens to be Robert Smith, then consider either an iteration of your name (TheRobbieSmith44) or finding a unique name altogether (DonutsAndMarketingGuru). You will use this username across platforms to generate better SEO, though you will set up the details in your profile with your actual name.

3. Secure your personal URL.
Once you have found a name that you can use across platforms, invest in the URL (DonutsAndMarketingGuru.com). Stick with a ".com," if available and avoid getting carried away with the dozens of iterations and domain suffixes you could come up with -- it can get extremely cost prohibitive quickly.

Source: entrepreneur

About LaraNet: We are a web design firm focused to help you to grow your business and communicate with your customers and prospects using two simple but powerful tools: 1) Interactive Website and 2) Internet Marketing Strategy on social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc …
Whether you want to work with just a web page, or launch or improve your presence on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or communicate with your customers through newsletters, or improve the location of your business in the search engines through Search Engine Optimization, or start marketing your products or services online, in LaraNet we can help you.

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