8 Tips for Managing Your Digital Footprint
Madeleine Gobidas • September 12, 2018
Information about you is collected through your online actions as you browse websites, post on social media, write reviews, and purchase from online retailers. These actions leave a trail of data that make up your digital footprint and has the potential to be available online forever. It is important to be both mindful of online actions and proactive about managing your online presence, because potential employers, coworkers, and others you may want to impress are likely to turn to the internet to learn more about you.
To properly manage your digital footprint, you should implement these simple tips.
- Take an inventory of your current footprint: Search for your name in Google, Yahoo, and Bing to see what sites and information come up on the results pages.
Pro Tip: Also check the image & video search tabs as well as common misspellings of your name. - Drown out negative information with positive social profiles, news articles, and websites: You may find some search results for your name are a matter of public record, e.g. marriage and criminal records, business licenses, property tax assessments, bankruptcy filings, and voter registration. This information is often shared with data brokers, is prevalent in the search results for names, and often includes personal information such as addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. There is little you can do to permanently remove this type of information from the web; it is best to focus on creating positive social profiles and webpages to drown out any negative information.
Pro Tip: Easy profiles to build that tend to rank high: Youtube, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Facebook, Alignable, Glassdoor, Pinterest,Twitter, and Instagram. - Be consistent: Upload a consistent, professional profile image across social media and email accounts. Keep usernames consistent and avoid using an alias or shying away from your legal name.
Pro Tip: Before uploading your head shot, re-name the image file to your full name. - Check your privacy settings on social media accounts: There is no long term guarantee of privacy no matter how secure your settings are on a social media platform, but adjusting your default privacy settings will go a long way in limiting who can view the content you share.
Pro Tip: Take advantage of the option to override default privacy settings on individual posts so your best moments are shown publicly. - Review and update social media accounts: Remove any of your posts, post comments, or images that may cause another person to question your character or values. Be sure to update information and images periodically to ensure your profiles paint an accurate picture of yourself.
Pro Tip: Delete any accounts you no longer use. - Create strong passwords: Aim for at least 8 characters that are a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Pro Tip: A fun (and memorable) way to incorporate symbols is with emoticons from the pre-emoji era ;-) <3 - Clear web browser history regularly: Many popular websites store cookies on your device that enable advertisers to reach you across the web.
Pro Tip: Use the Incognito browsing feature in Google Chrome and Private browsing feature in Safari to automatically have your browser history and cookies deleted when you close out of the web browser. - Routinely install operating system, app and software updates on all of your devices: Not only do updates enable you to take advantage of new features, but many of them are done primarily for security purposes. Tech companies issue updates to fix any flaws that otherwise would leave them (and you) vulnerable to malicious attacks.
Pro Tip: If your PC is running Windows 10, then you automatically have a built in antivirus software, Defender, that removes over 97% of security threats.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is often talked about as one thing, but it actually includes several different types of work. Two of the most important are on-page SEO and off-page SEO . Both influence how your website performs in search results, but they focus on different parts of your online presence. What Is On-Page SEO? On-page SEO refers to everything you optimize directly on your website to help search engines understand your content. This includes things like: Page titles and meta descriptions Headings and page structure Keyword usage in the content Internal linking between pages Image optimization and site speed The goal of on-page SEO is to make your website clear, organized, and easy for search engines to understand. What Is Off-Page SEO? Off-page SEO refers to signals that happen outside of your website but still influence how search engines evaluate it. The most common example is backlinks , which are links from other websites pointing to yours. When reputable websites link to your business, search engines see that as a sign of credibility. Off-page SEO can include: Backlinks from other websites Business directory listings Local citations Online mentions of your business Why Both Matter A well-optimized website is important, but it is only part of the picture. Search engines also look for signals that your business is trusted and referenced elsewhere online. Strong SEO typically comes from a combination of both a well-structured website and credible external signals.
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Most business owners only hear about DNS when something stops working. It sounds technical, but the concept is actually straightforward and extremely important to understand. DNS is the system that tells the internet where your website, email, and other services live. More importantly, whoever controls your DNS effectively controls access to your online presence. That is why every business owner should make sure they own their domain and have access to their DNS settings. What DNS Is DNS stands for Domain Name System. Think of it as the internet’s phonebook. When someone types your website address into a browser, like www.yourbusiness.com , DNS translates that domain name into the numerical IP address where your website is hosted. Once the correct server is found, the website loads. Without DNS, people would have to type long strings of numbers instead of simple domain names. What DNS Controls DNS does more than just point visitors to your website. It also directs other critical services connected to your domain, including: Your website hosting Your business email Subdomains like blog.yourbusiness.com Verification records used by tools like Google or Microsoft In short, DNS acts as the traffic controller for many parts of your digital infrastructure. Why Business Owners Should Care One of the most common problems businesses run into is losing access to their domain or DNS because it was registered under a developer, agency, or former employee. When that happens, you may not be able to: Move your website to a new provider Change email services Connect marketing tools Fix website or email issues Your domain and DNS act as the gateway to your entire digital presence. If you do not control them, someone else does. What Every Business Should Do Every business owner should make sure of three things: Your business owns the domain name You know where it is registered and have login access You can access the DNS settings if needed Even if a developer or marketing agency manages things for you, the account should always belong to the business.
