Why You Need to Google Yourself

It's no secret: Long before new clients or referrals pick up the phone to call you, they research you online. They Google you, look at social media, read online reviews...

But here's what you might not know: Today, 88% of people trust online reviews more than personal recommendations from friends, family, or colleagues.

Not too long ago, the referral process was much different! You'd work with a customer, they'd be happy, they'd refer someone, and that person would call you. Now they Google you long before they contact you. They want to make sure that what their friend said about them is, in fact, true.

Do you know what your online identity is and what it says about you? You have an online identity whether you've taken the time to create a purposeful one or not.

To find out, Google yourself!

What do the results say about you? Chances are, if you haven't taken the time to shape what comes up on Google, the results will misrepresent you in one or another. So what can you do about it?

Create a Bio / Byline that Gives Clients a Reason to Work with You

Improving your online identity can feel daunting... There's so many different places to consider, and so much that goes into ranking on Google! So let's start with something small: improving your byline / bio.

Your byline or bio will show up in many of the places you're featured. Blog posts. YouTube videos. Social media pages. By improving your bio, you can control the first impression given by many of the places you show up.

Here's an example of Garry Wise's bio showing up on a Google result:

Ultimately, you want your bio to say who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique. To improve yours, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Look at what other people are doing so you can see what they're doing well and how you can differentiate yourself from them. Try Googling other agents in your area or other agents you respect.
• Step 2: Write in the third person and use a professional tone.
• Step 3: First words of your bio should be your name, first name, last name, and what you do. As you can see from Garry's example above, it clearly says, Garry Wise–Luxury Agent!

Once you've written your bio, make sure you include it in "About Me" sections of social media pages, as your byline of posts, and so on!

To view the original article, visit The Paperless Agent blog.