by Oluwatobi Soyombo

My friends call me the tech guy not because I told them so but because they stumble themselves on some of my articles when searching for help on some tech stuffs.

So, after reading last week’s edition of Technology 101, you realized that people (known and unknown) make decisions about you based on the information they get from Google and other search engines. Did you try to Google your name? If not, I recommend you do it now and focus on the first 10 – 20 results you get. If you’re not satisfied with what you’re getting, don’t worry. I was in your shoes few years ago but I got Google to change what it’s saying about me. I’ll share 3 main things I did to change what Google says about me and how you can too.

1. Start a BLOG: The most important thing I did was to grab a domain name in my full name (www.oluwatobisoyombo). The idea behind this is that the first thing that comes to people’s mind is your full name. Once you have a blog in that same name and get dirty with SEO; that should be the first thing Google will say about you when people ask Google. (“Oh, I know him/her…this is his website, do you mind visiting?”). On your blog, it’s wise to have a page to brag about yourself, you know. I’m talking about your “about me” page. From there, people can discover more about you than Google has to say. For me, I made it a top priority to share with the world via my blog at least once a week, you should too. Isn’t it amazing that the first four results for my full name (Oluwatobi Soyombo) are drawn from my blog?
2. Social Media Platforms: If you tried Googling your name, you must have discovered that Facebook and Twitter ranked higher than other sites (that’s if you used your real name on both platforms). So, your next task is to get serious on these platforms. I recommend you get yourself a space on the major social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others using your real name. Since people are likely to click on your social profiles directly from Google, it’s important you ensure you have good content there too. Imagine your potential employer Googling you and landing on your Facebook wall, I’m pretty sure you won’t want him to see those drunk pictures you posted few weeks back. Hey, I’m not preaching Gospel here – this is strictly for the serious-minded.
3. Write for the web: When I Google myself, I still find an article I wrote for Self Growth about four years ago ranking higher than others. The www is content driven. Every post is an additional page on the internet. Why not get yourself as much as possible. One, you’ll be helping others and making the Internet better. Two, you’re adding more to your brand. Take for instance, if you’re an accountant, you’ll want to share your accounting views with the world. So, when people come searching for you on Google, your articles talk about you. My friends call me the tech guy not because I told them so but because they stumble themselves on some of my articles when searching for help on some tech stuffs. Cool, isn’t it? I rode on that. Don’t limit articles to your blog. Write guest posts for others frequently. You can write for reputable blogs in your industry and ensure they link back to your blog. This will increase your blog’s ranking

The above is not limited to Google but other search engines too.

If you follow the above steps, you’ll begin to see the changes in no time. Evolve!