KYLE ELLIS

Intro: SEO your own name

Part 1 of a series where I will track my steps to properly Page Rank the domain and myself.

I know that I am not alone; in fact there are several other Kyle Ellis(es) out there in the world. I know because I’ve Goggled my own name, its OK to admit that you’ve done it too.

Things started getting awkward when coworkers would send me links to the 3 year old kid who had a tracheotomy. I felt bad for the little guy because he clearly had health issues but I was also a little mad that his parent bought the domain before I could. I recall thinking “Hey I’ve been Kyle Ellis longer then this kid, I should be able to claim my right to the domain.” Ok, that might be a little misplaced entitlement.

Years went by and my professional career began to take shape; I had been interviewed by Billboard Magazine, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, among others. Each time I was asked a common Press question “do you have a bio or a personal website.” While the bio was easy enough to forward along, I would recall the little kid with my name and the sad photos his parents posted online.

I wanted my name back and simply wanted to take control of my own personal brand, so I made a concerted effort to check the renewal date on the domain kyleellis.com. I did this every time I happened to be purchasing another domain, which was often. The strategy paid off and I was able to grab the domain while the registration had lapsed, or more likely the little kid with the same name got older and didn’t want his baby pictures online for the world to see.

I won! Or so I had thought… Check the Project: SEO page for updates.