The Internet and its search engines have become so omnipresent that your reputation is becoming defined by what the first three pages of Yahoo or Google search hits turns up. Forget about personal and professional references for making a first impression because the internet search gets done before that.

Think about how often you will do a quick internet search before meeting a prospective company, client or supplier coming to your office. Chances are that you might do a quick Internet search on the company or person to help you prepare. Likewise if you meet someone at a networking event, how often will you look at their web site and maybe poke around the net for a couple minutes or more to get a better sense before calling? People that do not have a web profile do not exist in the business world. Web surveys have also shown that the credibility of profiling on your own website is diminishing rapidly. Everyday, successful business people and business’ miss out on opportunities without even knowing it. You do not know when you are being GOOGLED ! Bad Publicity is No Publicity !