Get Googled And Build Credibility
Copyright (c) 2003 by Angela Booth
Value your privacy? Get over it. The bad news
is that thanks to the Web, privacy no longer exists.
Get Googled, and within a few short seconds anyone
who knows your name will be able to learn quite
a bit about you.
Try it. Go to Google ( http://www.google.com
), and type in your name. I just did a search
query for "Angela Booth" and Google returned a
search of over 95, 000 pages. If you have a Web
site, post a message on Usenet, sell on eBay,
or do much of anything other than breathe, you're
caught, like a butterfly in amber, in the sticky
World Wide Web courtesy of Google.
Bad as this may be for privacy, this is good news
if you're trying to build a business. It means
that if you focus some of your marketing and promotion
time on getting your name out on the Web, you're
building your credibility.
Suddenly all those direct-mail letters that you've
been sending out carry a bit more weight. You're
more than a slip of paper, a stamp and an envelope.
You're a Google-presence.
So how do you build credibility out of being Googled?
The fastest way is to write a couple of information-rich
articles, and post them on your Web site. Sure,
this is a little bit of work, but not much. You
can write, can't you? Within a month or so, your
name will appear on Google.com. Over time, your
name will also pop up on the Web's other search
engines.
You don't have a Web site? You need one, and if
you can type and you've got an hour to spare you
can get one. Many, many Web site hosting companies
offer site hosting for next-to-nothing a month.
These hosting companies are catering to non-technical
people who want a hassle-free site, so they make
it as easy as they can by offering site templates.
All you do is pick a template, type in your information
(or copy and paste), and in less than an hour
you've got a pretty good site that works great
as an online portfolio and information resource
for your clients.
Continue writing articles. Write one a month,
and post them on your Web site. You can also offer
them to other Web sites to publish. You do this
by joining a few article announcement lists and
sending your articles to the lists. To find these
lists, go to Yahoo groups (http://groups.yahoo.com
) and search for "article announce". Ezine publishers
and Web sites owners will pick up your articles.
Suddenly, you're Google-cred goes up.
Note, that I said "information rich" articles.
Some small business owners write puff pieces about
themselves and their business, and guess how much
credibility this builds? People search for information
online, so your articles must contain useful information.
You won't suddenly get a dozen new clients directly
from your online articles. You get them indirectly.
For example, when someone I don't know sends me
an e-mail message and I'm interested in what they
say, the first thing I do is Google them. In five
seconds, I know whether I want to pursue the relationship
or not.
If you're sending out direct mail letters introducing
yourself and your services, you can bet that those
prospects who are interested in what you have
to offer will Google you. If you're revealed as
knowledgeable in your field, you're suddenly credible.
So go ahead, use Google.com to your promotional
advantage. It's a powerful tool to build credibility
for your business.
***
Resource box ***
Veteran multi-published author and copywriter
Angela Booth crafts words for your business ---
words to sell, educate or persuade. E-books and
e-courses on Web site. FREE ezines for writers
and small biz: http://www.digital-e.biz/
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