I was on the Google keyword tool trying out some keywords for a niche blog and I happened to type my name in the search box. To my surprise, I realised that I was being searched on Google. I was amazed and confused at the same time. There are at least 210 to 390 searches. Why would anyone Google my name? Why would anyone look for Shalu Sharma on Google? There are several reasons why anyone would try to look for me. One thing is that Shalu is a very common name in India. It is derived from the name “Shalini”, almost everyone called Shalini is automatically renamed into Shalu. It’s something like Michael to Mike. The title “Sharma” is a very popular surname in India. So perhaps it’s not me at all.
The question is, how do I find out who’s searching for me? How do you find out if you have been Googled? There are no straightforward ways to do this. There are couple of things coming to mind.
You can set a Google Adwords account and set a campaign with your name in it; if you get impressions, this means you are being Googled.
You can join online address books. You can set an alert service or check the number of views or clicks on your address page.
You can set up Google alerts. Google Alerts is a content detection and notification service. Enter your keyword, notification frequency and your email address. You will receive email alerts if there is anything new on Google or you get mentioned somewhere on blogs, websites, discussion groups, videos etc. Unfortunately it’s not the best way as you will get notifications even if you leave comments.
Are you too being searched on the internet? Are you one of those people who are paranoid about being Googled? Do you want to be searched on the internet? Do you know any other ways to find out if you are being searched on the net?
Please feel free to share your thoughts.
