Controlling or managing search rank for your own name is fairly easy for an SEO (search engine optimizer), but what can the average person do? Below I outline a number of free, quick, easy and effective ways to populate the first page of results for your name. I highly recommend people start creating content for their name now as it will be much more difficult after waiting for someone else with your name to muddy the search results to spur you to action.

1) Create a Blog Even if you build just a one-page site using your name on a free blog network, you can quickly use your blog to create pages about yourself and link to other pages you are going to create on this list. Use your name in the blog name. Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes Free Options: Blogger (blogspot), WordPress, LiveJournal

2) Create a Wiki Several wiki platforms have done a great job of creating publishing tools that are even easier to use than most blog technology. Though wikis are best suited for group collaboration, the will also work well helping you link to your blog and other pages. Use your name in the wiki name. Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes Free Options: Wetpaint, Wikia Wikia

3) Register your domain If you are lucky enough to have [insertyourname].com (or .net, .org, .info) available, snatch them up. The $8 a year fee is well worth it even if you don’t actively build a site using it because, at the very least, you are preventing your competition (other people with your name, or people who don’t like you) from ranking high for your name. Even better, use your domain for the site or wiki you are going to create. Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes Cheap Options: GoDaddy, Yahoo, 1&1

4) LinkedIn Set up a LinkedIn profile and make it publicly available. Add background info like education, employment history, awards or certification (or anything else you are proud of). Add links to your other sites/pages. Estimated time to complete: 5-10 minutes

5) Jobster Some people are a little shocked when they find out their profile shows up in search. Not you, because you want it to! Create a jobster account, allow it to be publicly available, fill out a little employment info, answer a couple questions, but write it keeping in mind that your current employer could come across it. Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes

6) Myspace pages tend to show up in search as well. Though Myspace has probably ruined more people’s reputations than helped, you will create a clean Myspace page for your name and, if you feel the urge, put the racy stuff on a different profile. Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes

7) Flickr accounts and images have a great chance of showing up in the engines, especially for image searches. Creat an account, upload a few photos you like and label them with your name. Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes

Comment on Popular Post Sometimes I see a commenter’s name show up in search. Find a popular blogger site or newspaper site that allows comments, and find a post that you feel comfortable commenting on. Use your real name for the name field. Try this on a couple sites. Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes

9) Employer Site If your employer features profiles on their website, ask them to add one for you. If not, talk them into it or author a post on their blog (if they have one). Estimated time to complete: 5-30 minutes, depending on your company

10) Join a Forum Do a search for a forum that you might want to participate on. For example, if you are into guitar, you should search for “guitar forum.” If it looks like a place where it would be easy for you to make five or six posts, then sign up and use your name for your profile name. Make your five posts and fill out your profile page with information about you and use your name at least once in the profile description. Estimated time to complete: 15 minutes

*Disclosure: I work for Wetpaint, but honestly believe their wiki solution is the best option

In the future, Facebook might also be an option. They recently allowed profiles set to public to be crawled, but they are showing logged-out status of your profile, which is basically your name and picture right now. Eventually, I believe, Facebook will open it up to show your full public profile (probably in ‘08).

Keep in mind, Google usually only shows two results for any one site. That’s why I have you contributing on multiple sites. A couple more tips:

• If you ever receive a great interview or bio online, link to it from your sites.
• For online activity that you don’t want to be associated with your name, use a nickname or “handle” that is completely different from your real name.
• If you have stiffer competition for your name, you may need to spend more time building out and linking to the various options I list above.

Other options:

a) Wikipedia If you have a strong brand you can list your company in the Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Estimated time to complete: 30-45 minutes, depending on your company

b) Press Releases Press releases do well in news search, and if you point a few links at them it could also help them outrank other pages. PRWeb is popular. Estimated time to complete: 30-45 minutes, depending on your company

c) Writing Articles This is another easy way to create content that is highly relevant to your brand or name at places like Article City. Estimated time to complete: 60 minutes, depending on your company

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By: Sue Currie

All of you would know that word of mouth is a very powerful public relations weapon. But not everyone realities that one of the best ways of generating it is through publicity. Publicity is getting free editorial coverage in newspapers or magazines or being talked about on radio or television.

It is very effective when it happens – they say publicity is seven times more effective than advertising.

What is Public Relations?

Public relations includes a variety of tactics that strengthen your credibility, enhance your image or influence public opinion. These tactics, such as speeches, special events, promotional activities, product launches and product give-aways; sponsorship, newsletters, annual reports, articles and media releases are targeted to an audience. PR involves communicating who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you make a difference.

The terms public relations and publicity are often misused. Publicity is only one function of public relations. It is media coverage – news stories, feature articles, radio talk show interviews, television appearances, editorials and reviews.

Publicity can be gained through effective media relations such as media releases or news conferences; press kits, press tours and personal letters or phone calls to editors and journalists.

PR for You

Most large businesses even those with substantial marketing and advertising budgets devote considerable resources to public relations because they realise it is one of the best and most cost-effective ways for them to attract customers and increase their business. Small businesses should look at the benefits of PR and positive media coverage because it can:

• Attract customers
• Increase demand for your products or services
• Gain an edge over your competitors
• Enhance your credibility and prestige
• Get your message across without the expense of advertising
• Create goodwill in your community

Free Publicity

Reading an article about a product or seeing a story on the news has a lot more credibility but there are no guarantees that your story will get a run.

One of the unique characteristics of publicity is that you have little control over whether your media release or news conference will be covered. Editors have complete control over a publicity item. They are the ones who decide if it will be used and they also have the editorial license to alter or use only part of it.

This is where an expert can help – one who understands how to make your media release stand out and be noticed and also someone who has good media contacts and strong working relationships with various journalists and editors. Free publicity is really misleading as it does cost money to employ an expert to promote your product or to pay a staff member or yourself (time is money) to handle what is involved.

The Five W’s

Here’s a few tips on how you can write your own media release and attract interest in your product or service:

• First and most important thing – have something interesting to say – consider the Unique Selling Point
• Write a catchy headline – short, punchy phrase
• Bright opening – strongest point first
• Content – the 5 W’s – What, When, Where, Who and Why
• Use memorable quotes
• Title it Media Release and always include the date
• Include contact details of telephone, mobile, email and website address
• Use letterhead and keep content to one page
• If emailing use strong subject heading and copy and paste release in body of email
• Send your release to the appropriate person – do your research
• Follow up – media liaison
• Suggest a photo or photo opportunity that will add to the impact of having your information publicised

Coordinated Approach

To ensure the success of your public relations campaign, PR objectives should be clearly defined and developed as part of the overall marketing strategy.

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