Most people only find out what the internet says about them when someone else mentions it. A colleague spots an old forum post. A client asks about a review. A friend sees your address on a people-search site.
You can find out first, with a few free tools and fifteen minutes of setup.
Free tool 1: Google Alerts
Google Alerts emails you when Google finds new pages matching a search.
- Go to google.com/alerts.
- Type your name in quotes, for example "Anna Reyes".
- Open "Show options". Set how often to "At most once a day", sources to "Automatic", and "All results".
- Create the alert.
- Add variations: name plus town, name plus profession, and any former name.
What it misses: a lot. Alerts catch some new pages but not all, and rarely catch social media, people-search sites or reviews.
Free tool 2: Google's "Results about you"
In the Google app or your Google account, "Results about you" can watch for search results that show your phone number, home address or email, alert you when they appear, and let you request their removal.
What it misses: anything that is not contact information, such as reviews, news or old posts.
Free tool 3: A monthly self-search
Once a month, open a private window and search your name, then your name plus town and profession. Check images and news. It takes five minutes and catches what the tools miss. We explain how to read what you find in what employers and clients see when they search your name.
Free tool 4: Review site notifications
If you are a professional, claim your profile on the review sites in your field, and turn on email notifications for new reviews.
What free tools add up to
With all four, you will catch most new contact-information listings, some new pages, and new reviews on the sites you have claimed. You will still miss people-search sites relisting you, and anything on sites Google does not crawl quickly.
When a paid service makes sense
A paid service is worth it if:
- Your name is searched often for work, for example as a doctor, lawyer, adviser or founder.
- You have had your address listed and want it to stay gone.
- You do not have time to repeat opt-outs every few months.
Look for services that tell you exactly which sites they cover, show you the requests they send, and let you cancel easily.
How Reputfy Personal helps
Reputfy Personal watches search engines and people-search sites for your name, alerts you to anything new, prepares removal requests, and tracks reviews of your work, all in one place. It costs $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly. If you just want to see where you stand, start with opting out of people-search sites.
