Short answer
Build an online reputation by publishing genuine expertise under your own name, keeping the profiles that rank for your name current and consistent, earning third-party coverage and mentions, and responding openly to reviews. Suppressing legitimate criticism or buying reviews carries more risk than the original problem.
Why the search result is now the first meeting
Buyers, partners, journalists and candidates search you before they engage. For most professionals the first page of results is thin — a directory listing, a dormant profile, perhaps a company page written in the third person. It does not say anything about whether you are good at your job.
That page is doing work whether you manage it or not. The commercial question is whether it is helping.
Start with the profiles that already rank
Before publishing anything new, search your own name and see what comes up. Usually there are three to six results you already control or influence: a company page, a professional network profile, industry directories, a speaker or membership listing.
Get those current, consistent and specific. The same role, the same specialism, the same photograph, no gaps that raise questions. This is the cheapest available improvement and most people never do it.
Publish genuine expertise, consistently
The thing that changes a search result is material with your name on it that is worth reading: articles on how you approach a problem, commentary on developments in your field, data from your own work, talks and podcast appearances.
Consistency matters more than volume. One substantial piece a month, sustained for a year, builds a far better picture than twenty posts in one enthusiastic fortnight followed by silence — which reads worse than nothing, because the date is visible.
Write for publications your buyers already read rather than only on your own site. Third-party placement carries credibility that self-published content cannot, and it ranks on domains stronger than yours.
Handle reviews and criticism in the open
Ask satisfied clients for reviews as routine, on the platforms your market actually checks. Most people are willing and simply never asked, which is why review profiles skew towards the aggrieved.
Respond to negative reviews calmly, publicly and once. Prospective clients read the response more carefully than the complaint, and a measured reply frequently does more good than the review did harm. Arguing at length does the opposite.
Do not buy reviews. Platforms detect it, penalties are public, and being caught is far worse than the criticism you were trying to bury.
What not to do
Do not attempt to suppress legitimate criticism by burying it. It rarely works for long, and the attempt is itself a story if noticed.
Do not publish content you did not write and cannot defend. If someone asks about an article in your name at a meeting, you need to be able to discuss it.
Do not manufacture awards or accreditations, and be careful about repeating claims you cannot substantiate. Anything checkable will eventually be checked.
Where content is genuinely defamatory or breaches a platform's rules, use the proper reporting or legal route. That is a legitimate remedy; quietly gaming search results is not.
Key points
- Search your own name first and fix the profiles that already rank before publishing anything new.
- Consistency beats volume — one substantial piece a month sustained for a year.
- Third-party publication carries credibility that self-published content cannot.
- Ask satisfied clients for reviews as routine; answer criticism calmly, publicly and once.
- Never buy reviews or fabricate credentials — being caught costs more than the original problem.
Frequently asked
How long does it take to change what people find when they search my name?
Individual placements can appear within days. Meaningfully changing what dominates the first page usually takes three to six months of consistent output.
Can negative search results be removed?
Only where content is genuinely defamatory or breaches a platform's rules, through the proper reporting or legal route. Legitimate criticism cannot and should not be suppressed.
Should I publish on my own site or elsewhere?
Both, but third-party publication carries more credibility and usually ranks on stronger domains. Use your own site as the permanent home and republish or link from it.
Written by the Softech Team team. Last reviewed September 2026. This guide is general information, not advice for your specific circumstances.