Guide 12 / 50 · Search & visibility
How to Audit the First Page of Google for Your Name
Before trying to change what others find, make a clear record of what they currently see.
Search like an unfamiliar reader
Try your full name, common name variants, your name with an employer or location, and image results. Note the date, country, device, and exact query. Search results can vary by context, so one screenshot is not a universal baseline.
Classify each result
For every visible page, note the owner, topic, date, factual accuracy, and whether you control it. Separate official profiles from third-party reporting, duplicate directories, and unrelated people with the same name. Record the title and snippet as well as the destination page.
Turn the audit into a plan
Prioritise inaccurate or sensitive material, high-visibility profiles you can update, and gaps in your public record. Assign a next action and review date to each item. Repeat the same queries later so that any claimed change can be checked fairly.
Create a repeatable baseline
Keep a simple sheet with query, country, device, date, result URL, title, and brief classification. Repeat the audit under similar conditions after material changes. Search results are personalised and fluid, so a change in one screenshot should be interpreted alongside the source-page record and broader trend.
Take action
A practical checklist
- Choose exact name variants and the markets that matter.
- Record device, location, date and signed-in state for each check.
- Capture result URL, title, snippet and page type.
- Mark accuracy, owner, sensitivity and likely reader impact.
- Recheck the same queries after a meaningful change.
Illustrative example
How this can play out
A founder has a common name. The first page contains an unrelated person's disciplinary report. Before labelling it misinformation, open the page and verify identity. The audit may show a name collision that calls for clearer identifying context on the founder's official pages rather than a correction request to the publisher.
This is a hypothetical illustration, not a client case or a claimed FAMA Bureau result.
Questions people ask
Questions and limits
Why do my results differ from a colleague's?
Search can vary by location, language, device, timing and personalisation. Record the conditions so later comparisons are meaningful.
Should I track every search variation?
Choose the searches real stakeholders are likely to make. A manageable baseline is more useful than hundreds of unstable screenshots.
In brief
An audit is useful when it produces a dated action list, not just a collection of screenshots.
These guides provide general information. Publisher, platform, search-engine and legal decisions depend on the facts of each matter. Where legal advice is needed, consult a qualified independent professional.
A private next step
Discuss your situation.
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