With this article, I would like to show you an example of how you can use a specially adapted workflow to find all the information on the net about you and your company. Checking your reputation is an important task. In this post, I’ll explain how taking an inventory of all the information visible on the Internet works.
We can do this self-assessment using a fictitious entrepreneur as an example, and you can then adapt and optimize the search queries accordingly to your own needs. This is a summary of the approach described in the previous articles. This will allow you to conduct an efficient research on your company’s reputation and yourself on the web.
Example of the fictitious entrepreneur:
Mirko Fischer / MFischer GmbH
Hochstr.2
41379 Brüggen
Telephone +49 (0)2163-349 0080
Step 1: Search in search engines
Google / Bing / Metasearch engine
Of course, we can’t get past Google in the visibility audit. Beyond Google, you should add Bing. Also, I would recommend a metasearch engine like eTools. Metasearch engines send the search query to several other search engines at the same time. The search results are then collected, analyzed, and prepared for the user.
We start with our example. For this, there are now various search queries for the person, address, email, username/alias and telephone numbers, which can also possibly be combined as desired.
Search query for person
First name and family name in quotation marks, combined with other search terms such as the place or company name
“Mirko Fischer”
“Mirko Fischer” Brüggen
“Mirko Fischer” “MFischer GmbH”
“Mirko Fischer” “02163-349….”
Search queries address
“Hochstr. 2” OR “Hochstraße 2” Brüggen
Search queries email
Always query mail address in quotation marks.
“mirkofischer@corma.training”
Search queries Username / Alias
“mirkofischer”
“mfischer”
Search queries Phone number
It is essential to divide the phone number into meaningful sections with and without country code
“0049 2163 349 00 80″ OR “+49 2163 349 00 80” OR “02163 349 00 80” OR “02163 34900 80”
With all the above queries, you will get a good picture of how
- What information is available about you on the Internet?
- On which pages are your data mentioned?
- How do people talk about you or your company?
- Which entries should you delete (have deleted)?
- Which sources should you keep an eye on and monitor in the future?
Negative opinions often appear prominently in search results because they are frequently clicked by users and are therefore correspondingly relevant in the search engine’s eyes. We are happy to support you in identifying and removing these entries.
Our offer for the quick search
I have created a special page for you to find the links you need and more tips and tricks.
https://start.me/p/p1dG7E/kurze-eigen-recherche
Step 2: Social networks
Use my specially adapted Google search engine for the analysis of social media channels:
https://cse.google.com/cse/publicurl?cx=017874998417682845014:i8ltcw6n02c
With this custom search engine, you will find all public posts on the search term in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Xing, and some more. Also, it would help if you searched directly in networks that are important to you. To do this, use an account that is not linked to your name and contact.
Step 3: Domain research
Check if, especially for com/net/org domains, the whois data is publicly available with your data:
So, e.g., ask for your email address and name at
http://www.whoismind.com/ or http://domainbigdata.com/
Is your private address published here? Or your personal email?
Despite the strict requirements of the new regulations on data protection, some providers still do not comply.
Step 4: Media research
In addition to reputation analysis in Google and other search engines, also check publications about your name/company via Genios and Google News:
https://www.genios.de
https://news.google.com/
If your name or the name of your company is mentioned in public articles, you will find it via these tools.
Step 5: People search engines
Find out what they know about you and your family. My recommendation is Pipl, one of the leading people search providers. Unfortunately, there is no longer free access here. If the expense of a Pipl annual contract is too high for you, please contact us. We can gladly do these queries for you.
Step 6: Leaked data
Check if your email or username has appeared in known data leaks (Dropbox, LinkedIn, etc.).
Falls yes, please check and change your passwords!
Step 7: Paste Bins
Are your data or keywords included in Paste Bins?
To explain: Paste bins are used to publish texts and that mostly anonymously, e.g., the publication of sensitive data after attacks on websites.
Step 8: Analysis of the results
If you have now recorded all relevant hits in a document about your corporate reputation, you should have a good overview of publicly available information about your search terms. On the one hand, this will enable you to react to unwanted publications on a website or blog and take appropriate measures so that your positive reputation cannot be attacked.
On the other hand, you now know the sources that have many hits to your search queries. It is worthwhile for you to deal with your reputation on the Internet, SEO tools for reputation analysis, and the right strategy for successful reputation management.
This is the only way to ensure that your reputation and that of everyone on the team is not damaged, and ultimately your success and career are at stake. The mentioned sites are now suitable for monitoring so that the new results come to you, and you do not have to search manually again and again.
Read more in the article…Reputation Check Series (8): Monitoring – Online Reputation
