Knowledge Center
When someone Googles your name, be ready
Start from your situation: you want to know what shows up, something wrong or mistaken appears, someone with your name keeps appearing, you want to protect your privacy, you’re job hunting, or you run a small business. Each series below goes deep on one of those, with plain-English guides that answer one real question at a time. Guides marked “still being written” give you the short answer and what’s coming; the completed ones are ready to use today — free, no signup.
New here? Start with the complete guide
What is personal reputation management? — what it is, why it matters for ordinary people, what it costs, and how the honest version works. Then pick the series that matches your situation below.
Improving Your Google Search Results for Your Name: The Complete Honest Guide
Complete guide series
To improve your Google search results for your name, give search engines something better and clearer to show: one accurate personal website on a domain you own, your real profiles completed with the same name, city, and profession, accurat…
Guides in this series
- → How can I improve my Google search results for my name?
- → What should I do in the first 30 days to improve my name results? (still being written)
- → How do I make my online profiles consistent? (still being written)
Understanding Your Google Results: What People Actually See When They Search Your Name
We’re still writing this series
Your Google results are a personalized, location-aware mix of profiles, employer and directory pages, news, people-search listings, and namesakes — not a fixed report card. Understanding them means running the searches a stranger would run,…
Guides in this series
- → What does Google say about me?
- → Why do my Google results look different from what other people see? (still being written)
- → How do I check images and news results for my name? (still being written)
Same-Name Confusion: How to Be Unmistakably You in Search Results
We’re still writing this series
When someone with your name outranks you, the fix is clarity, not combat: make the real you easier to identify with consistent city, profession, photo, a site on your own domain, and profiles that link together. You cannot remove a namesake…
Guides in this series
- → What do I do if someone with the same name shows up in my search results?
- → What if my namesake has bad results? (still being written)
- → Should I use my middle name or initial professionally? (still being written)
Negative, Mistaken, and Outdated Results: The Legitimate Playbook
We’re still writing this series
Deal with a concerning result by classifying it first — namesake, false, outdated, or true-but-unflattering — then using the route that fits: publisher corrections, platform reporting, or Google's tools for the categories Google accepts. No…
Guides in this series
- → How do I deal with a negative or mistaken result about me?
- → How do I write a correction request that gets read? (still being written)
- → What do I do about outdated information about me online? (still being written)
Privacy, People-Search Sites, and Data Brokers: Taking Your Details Back
We’re still writing this series
People-search sites assemble profiles from public records and sell attention to them; most offer a free opt-out you should use yourself rather than paying anyone to submit. Google's “Results about you” separately handles results exposing yo…
Guides in this series
- → How do I remove myself from people-search sites? (still being written)
- → How do I remove my phone number or address from Google results? (still being written)
- → Why is my home address online, and how did they get it? (still being written)
Your Personal Website and Domain: The Result You Actually Own
We’re still writing this series
A personal website on a domain you own is the strongest search result you control: you approve every word, it anchors your profiles, and it separates you from namesakes. Buy one name at a standard, at-cost renewal price; skip variations and…
Guides in this series
- → How do I choose a domain name for my personal website? (still being written)
- → What pages does a personal website actually need? (still being written)
- → Why is owning my domain better than just using social profiles? (still being written)
Professional Profiles: LinkedIn and the Profiles You Already Have, Working Together
We’re still writing this series
Your real profiles help or hurt as a set: the same professional name form, current city and profession, and linked website let search engines and screeners confirm one person. Complete what is genuinely yours, delete or merge what is abando…
Guides in this series
- → What should my LinkedIn headline and summary say? (still being written)
- → Should I use the same photo and name on every profile? (still being written)
- → What do I do with old accounts and abandoned profiles? (still being written)
Job Search Reputation: What Employers Find, and How to Be Ready
We’re still writing this series
Employers search names as a routine screening step, separate from any formal background check. Being ready means one clear, accurate presence: a personal site and profiles that agree with your resume, namesakes separated, and nothing rankin…
Guides in this series
- → What should be on a personal website for job searching?
- → What do employers see when they Google you? (still being written)
- → What should I check online before applying for a job? (still being written)
Reputation for Owner-Operators and Freelancers: When Your Name Is the Business
We’re still writing this series
When clients Google the person, not just the company, your personal results are your storefront: an owned site, consistent profiles, accurate business listings, and professional responses to reviews. Keep personal and business facts straigh…
Guides in this series
- → What happens when clients Google my name instead of my business? (still being written)
- → How should I respond to a review about me personally? (still being written)
- → Should I build my reputation under my name or my business name? (still being written)
Students and Early Career: Building Your First Search Presence on Purpose
We’re still writing this series
Starting with almost nothing online is an advantage: you get to define yourself before a broker or namesake does. One accurate site or portfolio page, consistent first profiles, and a thoughtful pass over your own old public posts will put …
Guides in this series
- → What should a student's first online presence include? (still being written)
- → How do I check my online presence before internship applications? (still being written)
- → Should I clean up my old posts before job hunting? (still being written)
Monitoring and Maintenance: Keeping Your Name Accurate Over Time
We’re still writing this series
Reputation is maintenance, not a one-time cleanup: a short monthly check of your core searches, your own Search Console data once your site exists, and updating site, resume, and profiles together whenever your role or city changes. Tools c…
Guides in this series
- → How often should I check my Google results, and how? (still being written)
- → What is Google Search Console, and why does it matter for my name? (still being written)
- → Why did my Reputation Score change? (still being written)
Costs, Timelines, and Choosing Help: DIY, a Service, or an Executive Firm?
We’re still writing this series
You can do the basics free with time, hire individual-priced help like ours (Protect $39 + $24/month, Build $69 + $69/month, Recover $129 + $159/month, credits from $6), or pay executive retainers built for companies. Real timelines are wee…
Guides in this series
- → How much does personal reputation management cost?
- → Should I do reputation management myself or hire help? (still being written)
- → What are the red flags of a reputation scam? (still being written)
Life Events and Online Safety: Name Changes, Career Changes, Impersonation, and Threats
We’re still writing this series
Life changes scramble search results: a new name splits your history, a career change makes old pages misleading, and impersonation or exposure of private details needs safety-first responses, not reputation tactics. This series will cover …
Guides in this series
- → How do I handle my online presence after changing my name? (still being written)
- → How do I rebuild my search presence after a career change? (still being written)
- → What do I do if someone is impersonating me online? (still being written)