Have you ever Googled yourself to see what comes up? I think we’ve all Googled someone new who we’ve met, personally or professionally, to find out more about them. Take the time to enter your name into a search engine to see what comes up. Chances are this is something your prospective clients, employers and colleagues are doing about you right now.

Google is the number one search engine in the world and an official verb in Webster’s Dictionary—“to search for information about a specific person through the Google search engine.”

Possible search results
Consider these possible scenarios for Google results—you can be the owner of a successful company and yet find that you have no web presence at all, there may be someone with the same name as you who shows up in the results instead. If you jumped on the social networking site “brand wagon” then you might discover that your Facebook or MySpace page comes up at the top of the list. If you have a website that includes your portfolio, have contributed to blogs and/or belong to a professional online networking site, then you will see your visibility and relevancy increase in the results.

Paul Copcutt, Chief Catalyst Officer of Square Peg Solution, Canada’s leading Personal Brand Strategist and author of “Google ME! – how to build your on line personal brand in 10 easy action steps,” writes, "You can be assured that just as you are using the web for your research, your business contacts and prospects are checking you out online through various search engines, including Google. It is critical to know what is being said or not said about you."

One in five will Google you
From the February 2007 edition of E-Commerce & Information Technology, the article "Put Best Cyberspace Face Forward" states, "A survey by Harris Interactive indicates 23 percent of adult Internet users in the U.S. have searched online for their customers, workers, potential employees, supervisors or prospective managers."

Personal Branding is about communicating your authentic self, and online personal branding lends itself to reaching your global audience. Copcutt, who focuses on helping entrepreneurial and executive women get noticed online, suggests that “women are generally more reluctant to brag.”

So ladies, there is a great opportunity here to contribute to the creation of your success via online personal branding. Present yourself, your professional image and accomplishments, let people know who you are and stand out! You can highlight the important things and what you want people to know about you. This is your chance to let perspective employers and potential customers see the real you, raise visibility and take your business to the next level. Take the time to share more than your résumé—and even toot your own horn a little!

Benefits of personal branding
Think about what personal branding can do for you. If you have a new customer, a job interview, a meeting with someone special, chances are they are going to be curious enough to see what they might find out about you. You will be Googled.

"Personal branding is about identifying what are your key skills and strengths and developing your career through effectively communicating this unique combination to the right target audience," says Copcutt.

Imagine being considered for a potential job opportunity and your name comes up at the top of the search results with a link to your own personal website or web folio. If you have a personal brand site and others do not, who will have the competitive advantage? You should be aware of your Google search results and consider the relevance of these results. Does your visibility do a good job of communicating your personal brand?

You can control and choose what you want to share with the world. If you’re thinking you need to have technical expertise or to spend a chunk of money on design and development, think again. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to do.

According to Joe Shillington of www.IT-Mindz.com, who specializes in developing Personal Brand sites, "To ensure your potential employer, client or partner is seeing your very best side, we recommend a personal brand site. The key is to differentiate yourself— to stand out. Identify your niche skills, your hidden talents and exceptional experiences.”

It lets you stand out from the crowd
Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves. It’s how they can stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal. It’s leveraging that unique value proposition across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish a reputation and credibility, therefore advancing their careers and building confidence.

Personal Branding consists of three elements:

● Value Proposition: What do you stand for?
● Differentiation: What makes you stand out?
● Marketability: What makes you compelling?

Steps to get started online:

● Register your domain name
● Create and launch your website
Feel free to refer to other WCDA articles such as Laying the Groundwork for You.com and Networking for your Website.

Donna Messer of ConnectUs Canada, who is considered Canada’s Networking Guru, suggests that the fundamentals of business networking include a business card with a web address—and encourages everyone to have a “yourname.com.”

So, take control, get out there and be seen online the way you want people to see you. There are many cost-effective and timesaving tools to ensure your name comes up. And if you’re not happy with the current Google search results you’re getting, stay tuned for more information on search engine optimization and increasing visitor traffic.