Pre-search helps shape visible results when you’re Googled

“Googling” oneself may be a common pastime for active participants of the wired world, but search is also used with increasing frequency by recruiters and others with more than just idle curiosity. Aiming to give individuals more control over the results that come up when someone Googles their name, Vizibility has created a new tool that lets users shape the optimal Google search for themselves based on their name, employment history and relevant keywords. Vizibility gives each user a unique, personalized “PreSearch” URL and an accompanying “SearchMe” button. Users begin by answering three questions about themselves: their name, where they’ve worked and what information they’d like included in their search results. Vizibility then provides them with a personal, tiny URL that links to the custom search result they requested; irrelevant keywords and inaccurate search results can also be excluded. That URL and its linked “SearchMe” button can be placed on any online profile, web page, email, resume, business card, stationery or other place where personal information is shared. Whereas the URL and SearchMe button are free from Vizibility, a monthly fee of USD 2.95 per month causes Vizibility to let users know when their approved search results have changed; an annual fee of USD 29.95 ensures that Vizibility will send the user an email and/or text message when someone clicks their SearchMe button or PreSearch URL. Analytics of those searches are also available. James Alexander, founder of New York-based Vizibility, explains: “Today’s resume is an online profile in conjunction with the first few pages of a Google search. Having a personalized search result ensures that a career professional can present the results they want others to see first while saving executive recruiters, business partners and others valuable time sifting through pages and pages of irrelevant and erroneous results.” Now in beta, the service has already been integrated into RealMatch.com, giving job-seekers a new way to differentiate themselves. For the 86 or so percent of executive recruiters who use search engines to validate candidates, meanwhile, it can help pinpoint the most important results. Then, too, there are the possibilities for companies and brands to shape the results of searches on their names. Corporate accounts and the ability to purchase packs of PreSearch URLs are coming soon, Vizibility says. Spotted by: Dagmar Gaede