A recent Harris Interactive poll said 23% of people will put your name into Google before they have a meeting with you. Do you know what they will find if they Google YOU? A very important question to be able to answer for a number of reasons:

• Being aware what people may already know about you
• Not being taken by surprise
• Knowing if the information fits with your personal brand
• Being prepared to deal with any perceived negatives
• Comparing your on-line reputation and visibility to your key competitors

What did I find searching on the internet for some highly respected professionals?

• Nothing
• A jokey comment made on a friends blog
• A negative story about a court case brought by a client
• A basic listing on the legal 500 website
• Pages of information on a historic person with the same name

None of these people appear to be managing their on-line identity or reputation. Perhaps because they dont know how, perhaps because they are being complacent or are unaware of the negative repercussions.

An associate of mine was recently invited to meet a senior executive of one of the largest international banks. Would he have got the call if the executive had found nothing or little on Google? My associate is sure he wouldnt. A friend of mine got recommendations to two commercial lawyers. She is now the client of the one she found out most about in advance. The relationship was already being formed as she read the information available on the internet.

What can we learn from this?

* Managing your on-line reputation is vital

* Its a key marketing tool for professionals:

• you demonstrate your expertise
• you build relationships with clients etc
• you become more visible than your competitors

How can you build the on-line reputation you want?

What you do will clearly depend on the profession you are in, your personal brand image and the specific audience you want to talk to. The market you want to reach may be very broad or very targeted. Being selective is key. Depending on your aim, some examples of avenues to use include:

• Publishing via article distribution websites e.g. http://ezinearticles.com/
• Putting a personal profile on networking websites e.g. http://ecademy.com/
• Keeping current on websites of professional bodies you belong to
• Using a search engine optimisation expert to maximize your website's effectiveness
• Keeping your website content fresh to encourage repeat visits and recommendations to others
• Googling your name regularly so you know what is showing up

In conclusion

You can let the internet be a murky pool or an ocean of opportunity. Used well the internet is a fabulous resource to build your reputation and visibility. If you actively manage the information made available about you it can provide a massive payback.

Dorothea Stuart 2005