The Internet can be a frightening place – one day your best friend and another your worst enemy. A school achievement to a business compliant, your footy team photo to a survey you took years ago – it can all be found in a single Google search. Therefore building your profile online is a vital part of your online brand strategy.



Here's five steps to help you get your name in lights when people search for you on Google or one of the other many search engines:

Step One – Correctly Index Your Website

Your website is your address on the web, whether online, brochure or a full retail shop – it’s often the first impression that someone will get about your business. Make sure each page of your site is correctly titled, has relevant and targeted information in the first paragraph and metatags or keywords added to the source code. You as the business owner or key stakeholder need to have a profile page too so that it will come up when people 'Google' your name.

Step Two – Start A Blog

Whether you share news about your day to day business or personal experiences you have, creating your own blog is a great tool towards online brand awareness. Keep your blog posts short, relevant and entertaining – always consider the reader and ask yourself ‘why would they care about this story?’.

Step Three – Create Your Online Network

Social and business network portals like FaceBook, Linked-In and Ecademy allow you to establish links with other people across the web. The power of each individual link is that it opens the door to their business and social links and then the links of the people as well – and so it goes on. In no time at all you can build a network of thousands – and all without leaving your computer or handing out a single business card. Once again you need to spend time on creating your profile for each platform and be sure to provide links to your business website and your blog.

 

Step Four – What’s All The Twitter About?

One of the fastest growing networks is Twitter – the online short text forum where you add your ‘Tweets’ about what’s going on in your world. From popstars to politicians, movie actors to business moguls – Twitter offers the opportunity to tap into someone’s personality. You can choose a style, theme or topic for your Twitter account and then attract followers to you as you add tweets from your laptop, email or even mobile phone.

 

Step Five – Spread The Love

As you build up your content you will start to create a library of articles, stories and interesting tips that can easily be shared with others. Try and get them published in someone else’s newsletter, posted on their blog, featured in an online publication or made available as a download – the more you have the more you reap in credibility over the web. One story in a leading online publication can help push you to the front page of Google on a specific search for you, your business, topic or area of expertise.