How to Google Yourself and What to Do About Bad Results

Your name is your digital first impression. Here's how to take control of it.

Every day, landlords, employers, dates, and business partners type names into Google before making decisions. What they find in those first ten results can shape their opinion of you before you ever get a chance to speak. That makes Googling yourself one of the most important things you can do for your career, housing prospects, and personal life.

But most people do it wrong. They type their name once, skim the first few links, and move on. A proper self-search takes more thought than that. This guide walks you through exactly how to audit your online presence and, more importantly, what to do when you find something bad.

How to Properly Google Yourself

A casual search of your name barely scratches the surface. To see what others actually find when they look you up, you need to be methodical about it.

Step 1: Use an Incognito or Private Window

Google personalizes results based on your browsing history. When you search your own name in a normal browser window, you see a filtered version of reality. Open an incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome, Cmd+Shift+N on Mac) to see what a stranger would see.

Step 2: Search Multiple Variations of Your Name

Don't just search "John Smith." Try each of these:

Your full legal name in quotes: "John Robert Smith"
First and last name: "John Smith"
Name plus your city: "John Smith" Indianapolis
Name plus your state: "John Smith" Indiana
Any former names or nicknames you've used publicly
Your name plus the word "arrest," "court," or "mugshot"

Step 3: Check Beyond Page One

Most people only look at the first page of Google results. Go at least three pages deep. Background check companies and thorough searchers dig further than the average person.

Step 4: Check Google Images

Image results are often overlooked. Mugshot sites, court records, and old social media photos can surface in Google Images even if they don't rank on the main results page.

What to Look For

As you go through results, flag anything that could cause concern. These are the most common problem areas:

Mugshot and Arrest Record Sites

Sites like Mugshots.com, BustedNewspaper, and dozens of others scrape public arrest records (see our guide on how to remove mugshots) and publish them with photos. These sites are designed to rank highly in search engines and can follow you for years, even if charges were dropped or you were found not guilty.

Court Records and Legal Filings

State and county court systems often publish case information online. Bankruptcies, lawsuits, divorces, and criminal cases can all appear in search results. Some third-party sites aggregate this data and make it even more visible.

Data Broker Listings

Sites like Spokeo, BeenVerified, WhitePages, and TruePeopleSearch compile your personal information (learn how to remove your data from these sites) from public records, social media, and purchased data. They publish your address, phone number, relatives, and sometimes criminal history.

Old or Embarrassing Social Media

That MySpace page from 2007 or those old Facebook posts you forgot about can still show up. Abandoned social media accounts are a common source of unwanted search results.

What to Do About Bad Results

Finding something bad is stressful, but it's not hopeless. There are concrete steps you can take to clean up your online presence.

Remove Content at the Source

The most effective fix is getting content taken down from the original website. Many mugshot sites have removal request forms. Data brokers are required by law in many states to honor opt-out requests. Social media platforms let you delete old accounts. Start with direct removal wherever possible.

Submit Opt-Out Requests to Data Brokers

Every major data broker has an opt-out process, though they don't make it easy to find. You'll need to visit each site individually, locate your listing, and submit a removal request. Some require identity verification. It's tedious, but it works. Plan to revisit these every few months, as your information can be re-listed. See our detailed reputation cleanup guide for a full walkthrough.

Dispute Inaccurate Records

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to dispute inaccurate information on background checks. If a background check company is reporting incorrect or outdated records, file a dispute directly with them. They're legally required to investigate and correct errors.

Suppress Negative Results with Positive Content

When you can't remove a bad result, push it down. Create and optimize positive content that outranks the negative. This includes LinkedIn profiles, professional websites, social media accounts, blog posts, and directory listings. Google can only show ten results on page one. If you fill those slots with content you control, the bad result gets buried.

Use Google's Removal Tools

Google offers tools to request removal of certain types of content from search results, including pages that expose personal information like phone numbers, addresses, or sensitive records. Visit Google's "Remove Information" page to see if your situation qualifies.

How Often Should You Google Yourself?

Don't treat this as a one-time exercise. New content can surface at any time. Set a reminder to search your name at least once a month. If you're actively job hunting, applying for housing, or going through legal proceedings, check weekly.

You can also set up Google Alerts for your name. Go to google.com/alerts and create an alert for your full name in quotes. Google will email you whenever new content mentioning your name is indexed.

See Everything at Once

Manually searching every variation of your name across Google, data brokers, and public records takes hours. A FixMyRecord scan checks them all in minutes and shows you exactly what's out there.

Run Your Free Scan

The Bottom Line

Your online reputation isn't something that just happens to you. It's something you can actively manage. The first step is knowing what's out there. The second step is taking action on what you find. Whether you handle it yourself or use a tool to help, the important thing is to start. The longer bad results sit unchallenged, the harder they become to displace.

You deserve to have your search results reflect who you are today, not the worst moment of your past.