Who is Walter White? Are you Walter White? Breaking Bad, the highly popular show recently ended its stint on television and it got me thinking...when it comes to reputation management or trying to brand your name...how do you do it if your name is synonymous with a known criminal? Branding your own name can be challenging, but it doesn't have to seem impossible. Trevor McClintock Marketing presents some options and advice if you happen to share your name with someone who has questionable morals.

1. Breaking Bad… online reputation:
What if your name is Walter White?
 The name Walter has been in the top 100 names in the UK for most of the
20th century, up until 1975.
 White is the 16th most common surname in the UK.
A quick search online reveals there are 157 people called Walter White in the UK.
That’s 157 people whose name has become synonymous overnight with the meth
cook character “Walter White” in the award winning hit TV series Breaking Bad.
What happens if you share a name with someone famous (or infamous),
such as a celebrity, actor, politician or businessperson, and they gain
some level notoriety due to a negative news event? Your online
reputation is damaged too.
Or, what if a distant relative of yours has the same name as you, and he was involved
with shady business ventures, but people think its you—just as you’re looking to
change careers?
Its hard enough having the same name as someone famous but it can be extremely
harmful if their reputation goes south because of a scandal. This can bring you and
your business down as well through no fault of your own.

2. If your name shows up on the first page of Google search results, there are a few
options that can help:
Change Your Name to a Nickname
Sometimes it’s possible to change your name to an abbreviation or nick name. Often,
this change could be enough to differentiate you from the other person. Or try adding
an initial or middle name to your online profiles.
Note: If your name is Walter White, then avoid using the nickname “Heisenberg”
Claim a New Domain
Purchase a new domain and add content. It usually works best if there is an exact
match with your name and the domain. For example, get www.walterwwhite.com if
your name is Walter W. White. If that name is already taken, make it unique by
adding an attribute or location at the end, such as “Dr” if you are a doctor or “NY” if
you live in New York.
Optimize Your Site for Your Name
If you already have a web site, make sure it’s optimized for your name. Be sure the
Title metatags reflect this and is updated with your name to ensure getting found by
search engines such as Google. Also make sure your contact information is included
clearly on the site.
Blog, blog and blog some more
Spread your name around by blogging as much as possible. Write weekly, or more
frequently if possible, with a focus on topics that truly interest you or you are an
expert in. The better the blog post, the more likely you’ll be treated as an expert in
your field, and this helps generate more site traffic, and in turn, pushes your name up
in the search rankings.
Create New Social Media Profiles
Be sure to sign up for new accounts that are either popular or are in your industry to
help generate site traffic. Facebook, LinkedIn and others can be extremely helpful,
but also look for social media platforms, bloggers or online forums that are part of
your business.
Tell Your Story
Have you won awards? Written articles? Been published? Track down all old
content and make sure to post them online. Search for previous news about you—the
good kind, of course—and promote it to help move it to the first page of Google
search results.

3. The Bottom Line
Having the same name as someone who has a poor reputation can be extremely
damaging to your online reputation, but there are ways to overcome it by changing
your name, getting a new domain, blogging and adding new, positive content about
you.