Knoljacking - Hijacking Your Search Engine Rankings With Knols
Filed under: Internet Marketing, Rants and Raves, SEO, Social Media, Strategic Content
Google Knols are making an impact very quickly. In some cases “duplicate” content on a Knol outranks the original source content. This becomes a big issue if someone deliberately attempts to undermine you by doing the following:
- Maliciously posting your content to their Knol and
- Getting a couple of decent inbound links.
That’s it, these two actions alone can get you filtered out of the search results for your own authority content and web site! Take pre-emptive action and get writing your Knol’s. Alternatively consider hiring a professional and simply say “James, Make My Knol.”
Remember, Knols are a now one more element in the process of defending and developing your online brand and reputation and cannot (and should not) be ignored.
*Inspired by a post from Aaron Wall
Online Reputation Management: Tip #217
Just kidding about #217, but here’s a tip you should take seriously.
Create a shortlist of all the major (and minor) social media sites. Then surf over to them and make sure your name, brand name — and any other important “names” you want protected — are registered and signed up.
You need to make that preemptive strike — take your names before some outsider decides to take them for a ride and damages your reputation…
Searching For You - Online Brand and Reputation Management
Have you Googled yourself recently? Studies reveal half us have sought information about ourself on a major search engine in the last year. More interestingly is the number of us who have gone looking for information about other people (approximately 1 in 3) and the trend continues.
— Turnabout is Fair Play
Businesses and recruiters now regular “look you up online” to see if you are the kind of person they want to work with. That’s correct, it’s not just people vetting businesses anymore, the proverbial worm has turned and now those businesses are looking back at us.
Thursday Thoughts - LinkedIn or not, you should be online
Last night I attended the Toronto Execunet meeting, our host Martin Buckland of ‘An Elite Resume’ service did a fine job of bringing together more than 50 executives and recruiters. Last night’s focus was on networking through using LinkedIn and for those of you who don’t know what LinkedIn is, it’s a web based social networking tool designed for professionals - think of it as a 21st century Rolodex on steroids! Here’s my LinkedIn profile.
Apart from the great opportunity to meet other fascinating people and learn how we can help each other, I realized once again the need to keep promoting strategic content and online reputation management because far too many people still don’t fully appreciate the impact the Internet has on their personal and professional career and job hunting efforts.
Over 80% of people perform a major search engine ‘background check’ before they purchase a product or patronize a business. Potential employers and professional recruiters now ‘Google’ prospective hires too. [Read more...]
The bottom line is this, you need to be pro actively using the Internet to manage your personal and professional marketing message - be it your resume on LinkedIn, your blog with your white papers and other “proof” you are an expert, or any of the the other social sites where you can express the value you bring to the table.
Remember, if you do not manage your brand, someone else will…
*Offer for Execunet attendees* If you’d like to know more about how you can take preemptive measures to ensure your personal and professional brand and Internet presence is managed properly, email or call me for a free consult.
20% of Employers Have Online Personal Presentation Rules.
Filed under: Business Development, Internet Marketing, Rants and Raves
Policies regarding behavior at work can influence choices made in one’s personal online life. At the moment, one in five working North American adults (20%) say their place of employment has a specific policy about how employees present themselves online, including what can be shared and posted on blogs and other websites. [Source: http://pewinternet.org]
This means that if you say something a little off-color today, or something that’s a tad controversial, it may cost you your job. And let’s not forget… it may cost you tomorrow’s job as well - remember the content online is for all intents and purposes… for ever!
See… ignorance is NOT bliss. It’s expensive.
