So, this particular blog is nothing special. It’s essentially a breakdown of everything I am personally involved with online. But, it finally made it to the first page of Google when searching my name. And that is noteworthy for me.

Mostly because I share the first page with a lawyer and specific social profile search pages. Still, the majority of page one is all about me. And a large amount of page two is also pointing at my other works.

Kind of sounds vain, doesn’t it?

In reality, it’s all about marketing. I am a professional writer. So as such, I want my name in as many places as possible. At least without some obscure reference.

A lot of my personal search results show the “author” tag for the sites I work on. Most of which are mine, Vocal.Media and GreenGeeks Web Hosting.

And although some might think it odd, it does greatly help ease some of my impostor syndrome.

Why Being on the First Page of Google Matters

As I said, I’m all for positive marketing of myself as a professional. I’ve worked a long time to get anything of mine on the first page of Google outside of the images I use in blog posts.

In other words, I want to be easily searchable. Not only for clients, but for collaborations or if someone wants to verify that I am as professional as I claim from YouTube.

I suppose you can call it a bit of validation of myself that I am, indeed, a professional. And when you have as much of a problem accepting praise or feeling worthy, something like this is epic!

Does this mean that clients will start throwing work my way or sponsors will come knocking down my door? Absolutely not. But, it does greatly increase the chance of some great things happening.

Unfortunately, this also means becoming a better target for hacks and scams. So the more popular I become, the more I have to worry about security.

Now, I doubt I’ll be able to knock the lawyer off of the top position with my own bio snippet. He probably pays for advertising and is far more pronounced. But, I’m still going to give it a shot as my next goal.

This means I need to start writing more and getting something published.

Feeling Accomplished

Two or three years ago, I searched for myself only to find my images shown on the first page of Google. Then again, up to that point, I really didn’t do much to promote myself as a professional…or even an expert.

It all really started falling into place once I started making YouTube videos and became more social on Twitter and Facebook.

When you Googled my name, all you would find is the lawyer and doctor who shares the same. At one point, I was on page three somewhere.

Now, I see that I own 10 of the top 20 positions for my name in search results.

I know, it’s somewhat unlikely someone is going to search for me by name. And it probably doesn’t really hold any awesome accolades. Still, for me, I feel accomplished and it’s pretty amazing that I am now quite visible by name.

I guess I geek out over some of the most mundane things. But, I’m still calling it a victory.

How to Get Your Name on the First Page in Google Search

When you Google yourself, you’re probably in the company of several people who share your name. This is especially true if you have a similar name to a celebrity or someone from a trending news story.

But if you’re interested in self-promotion, you can still strive to be seen on the first page of search results. It might just take a bit of work.

In my case, it took several years to get to this point. But as I said earlier, I really didn’t put in much of an effort in the past.

Connecting Yourself

One of the first things I did was make sure everything of me is connected. This means my blog bios are revamped regularly, I created links from social profiles like LinkedIn, and work to make sure my personal SEO game was telling Google who I am.

I don’t know if it helps, but I also use the same profile pic for everything I do online. Mostly because it’s the best picture of me, to begin with. Still, image detection and alt tags play a major role in identifying photos.

Learning a bit of how structured data works in Google is incredibly beneficial.

Creating Content

I write a lot of content on a regular basis. If I’m not writing for myself, I’m working with GreenGeeks or producing content for other clients. Unfortunately, most of those clients are labeled under “ghostwriting.”

This means I don’t get credit for the content I write for those specific companies or individuals.

However, my blogs and GreenGeeks work has helped propel my name to the first page of Google. I wonder if blogging for almost a month straight on this website is what finally got it into the top 10 search results?

I suppose I’ll find out if that’s the case when I start the next experiment with PracticallyLivingGreen.com.

Demonstrate Your Expertise

I am a professional writer. It’s what I do and what I enjoy. So, a lot of my content demonstrates my ability to create pieces that are searchable in Google.

I can’t stress enough how much of an impact YouTube has made on me as a professional. Not only do I have an engaged audience while helping people, but it seems everything connected to it has also dramatically improved.

Regardless of your expertise, I would definitely suggest creating a YouTube channel. It’s a great way to promote yourself while giving you something to show potential clients.

And blog under your name as often as you can. Even if it’s something for Medium, Hubpages or Vocal.media, it all works to improve your standing in Google.

Is Your Name on the First Page of Google without an Obscure Reference?

I know not everyone cares whether they are searchable or not. In fact, I bet most of you probably feel intimidated by seeing your name in the public eye. For me, though, it helps boost my self-esteem and confidence as a professional.

Not to mention it’s a great way to keep me motivated to continue doing what I do. Now that I own 50% of the first two pages, I am going to work to take over the top position with this blog.