by Karen Post aka the Branding Diva

Have you goggled or conducted thorough Web search with the top search engines on your brand name recently? Other people are doing it after they’ve met you or have been given your name as a referral by a friend or colleague. Take note as to what kinds of things are returned and how you may augment or improve them or have them deleted. Whether you navigate a company brand or it’s your personal brand, see what comes up, you may be surprised. Business expert, porn star or convicted felon are all possibilities. Intentional brand slamming or even innocent name coincidences can be bad first impression when a customer is doing background on you. Prevent this by keeping on top of your search words, secure many URLs around your brand with different spellings and be thoughtful of profile content on social networks too. Make sure that your online presence stays in line with your brand and your offline self.