A New Tool from Google to Improve your Online Image

Are you one of the many people who at some point went on Google.com and typed your name into the search column? Have the results ever frightened you? Chances are that the pictures you posted on your MySpace page senior year of high school are less entertaining to you now that you have graduated college and are trying to make it in the “real world.”  Maybe that hair-do that was great in the 80’s is not the first impression you want to make on potential clients.

If these examples apply to you, then Google has the solution to this problem.  The company has introduced “Me on the Web” as one of their dashboard features for Gmail accounts. This feature provides four easy steps that allow you to create a Google profile and manage how you appear on Google search results. The good news is most of us have already completed the first step – search for yourself.

Next, by creating a Google profile you can provide information that you want people to know about you, including your bio, contact information and even links to your social media sites. If there is content appearing in the search that you don’t want made available to the public, Google provides strategies for removing this content in the third step.

The final step of “Me on the Web” is to sign up for alerts that let you track when you are included in posts. Google has offered this feature in the past but by combining it this new dashboard feature, it is now quicker to track and manage.

Maintaining a positive social media identity is essential to your success in today’s mass media world. Taking advantage of features that allow you to manage your public profile will save you time and help you to maintain the positive image you have strived to create.

Published on: June 17, 2011