Due diligence, done in advance of online presence debut, is key.

Why?

Because the online space, like real life space (on land), can be claimed by others.

Take, for example, a name that’s commonly shared, like John Smith. Now say that’s your name, and you want to use it for your online personal brand.

Chances are, the website url for Johnsmith.com is taken.

It is, by the way. I just checked.

In fact, even if you inserted a degree into that brand – advice for professionals often dictates it be done like this, as in Johnsmithmd.com – the likelihood that it’s taken is still high.

And it is. I checked once again.

Same goes for your social handles. Because ideally, everything has to match.

If you’re Drcorriel.com, for example, then you’d ideally want to also stake claim to the handle @drcorriel.

This way, you can, once again, be easily found.

Remember: make it easy for your followers to find you.