Google Profile might be worth it…if you have an Alias

I took the time to create a profile just to experience what Google profile was really offering and think it has some real benefits that other profiles just don’t offer. The profile is simple and boasts some interesting things you can add to the profile in terms of content.  The differentiator and item of most interest to me though is the ability to enter in other names you may be known by. This is a small but powerful feature that is often over looked by many social networks and social platforms; and the fact that a search engine is the one offering this is I am sure a strategic move.

For those of us who have additional names but feel the need to not rock the boat with any changes, for either SEO purposes or even just wanting to make sure they get found professionally, Google Profile may actually be worth it. Let me explain…as a female I may want to enter in my maiden name and/or married name in the “Other Names” section of the profile.

The benefit of doing this is when people search for me under Angela Benton (my professional name) they may still be able to find me (via my profile which typically appears at the bottom of a search results page) under my maiden name Angela Conyers or my actual legal name (Angela Conyers-Benton).  You can see what the benefit may be for those who go by multiple names or may be going through a life changing event (marriage, divorce, widowed, etc.).

After I submitted my profile, which was instantly searchable and even attributed my full legal name in the search result, I searched for my professional name Angela Benton:

The profile even came up when doing a search for my maiden Name Angela Conyers:

Strangely when searching for my full legal name Angela Conyers-Benton, the profile did not display.  While I like the ability to be found in Google under these various names and have them associated with my profile I’d like the option to make them private to the public.  Google currently does not offer this option so any name you put in “Other Name” be prepared for the world to know about it…if they search for you.  The only real benefit to me and anyone else who utilizes “Other Names” is to be found if someone is actually searching for that person under another name; other than that I’d personally like to keep most of my names private