SERP Report 4-17-2012

Today marked the first day that content, that I control, ranks #1. Infact, not only is it content I control ; it’s my very own website. Double points for the SEO! As you can see, I pushed down that facebook account that has been vexing me.

At first, I actually attempted to contact the owner to see if she would make her facebook page unsearchable, and thereby solving my problem for me, but apparently she’s ok with every stalker out there seeing her personal info. And, Ms. Lauren Starling (who is not me) if you’re reading this: My motives may be selfish, but I highly suggest you reconsider. If you’ll notice, you won’t find my personal facebook page, only my business/professional page.

I recommend everyone, especially when setting up your name for branding, immediately privatize your personal facebook page. Instead, consider making a public page for potential employers, clients, admissions clerks or even stalkers to access. That way you don’t have to treat your own personal facebook like your mom is reading over your shoulder every second. While I wouldn’t suggest handing over your password to any hiring managers at least you can feel confident when they search your name the facebook content they see is what you control.

Coming up: I’ve got a few articles in the works. One in particular is going to be especially useful to those looking for good (High PR) sites to list your social profile. So stay tuned.

Google Loves Lauren Starling

Well, apparently Google likes Lauren Starling. I’m flattered, really I am. You see, I ended the confessional post on Friday about how shameful it was that I hadn’t attempted to dominate the SERPs with my own name and mentally prepared myself for a couple of months of SERP dancing. Then, BAM! today this particular site for Lauren Starling is at #3 above the images. Not to shabby, if I do say so myself. I’ve got one more position planned for this site (#2 of course) and then it’s pretty much done. (I’d rather it not come out above the current authority Lauren Starling site, but it very well might do that since this site has the most updated content. ) The results will be interesting to watch, either way.

It will be important to monitor for the sandbox in the next few weeks. While I’m not worried about the competitiveness of the term Lauren Starling, I do have to acknowledge that it is a brand new domain. That, plus the fact that other ORM sites that I have worked on with a similar site model went into the sandbox after a couple of weeks as well. My theory for the reasons why something like this would happen for a relatively low competitive term (like Lauren Starling) is: A term rarely gets indexed or searched for and suddenly there’s all this content is going to get flagged by the SEs. So it hits the top of the SERPs for a few days and then falls off when it’s obvious it’s not a trend or viral. Basically, Google is trying to figure out what the heck is going on. This can be very discouraging for clients, but I just do my best to impose upon them that as long as we keep consistently trucking along, it should all fall back into place nicely.

Next, I need to start planning what I want to take on the next 8 positions. I created a public facebook page for Lauren Starling. I guess I should think about adding some content. Interesting side note: I got a little creative with the current facebook positions, but I’ll expand on that more in a later post. (I’ve got to see if it works first )