You are who Google says you are

When I was young*, it used to be that if you wanted to know something about that new girl in class, you had to ask her close friends. They would pass your questions through and return with answers only if they thought it suited the girl in question.

It was hard to get information about someone who you didn’t have direct contact with.

Nowadays, information is at our fingertips – about everyone, everywhere, and especially if you’re in business and growing your reputation.

Nowadays, your prospective clients will Google you before they get in touch.

Even if they’ve been referred to you by someone they trust, they will search you out online and click around the internet to learn more about you.

The results of that search determine whether or not they will call you.

In one sense, this is a call to action to ensure your website and social media are up to scratch, appearing well in search results, and representing you as well as possible.

You must publish content online so that you have your ideas presented in the messages that your clients see.

But it’s not just about what you say, it’s about what others say about you.

We need to recognise that we can’t control the flow of information about us as tightly as we might like. In addition to our own websites and profiles, any number of other sites and people might mention us.

Client satisfaction is more important than ever.

*This wasn’t actually that long ago

Originally published in LinkedIn.