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Professional Names in the Age of Google
If you have a common name, or, even if there is another individual with the same name who consistently outranks you in Google, it's worth considering changing your name.
You don't have to legally change your name. If this is an issue for you, just work under a professional name. "Mark Twain" was an alias of Samuel Clemens, not his legal name.
Find a professional name that "Googleable". And, importantly, one that is unique, so that you can easily be the only result when people type it into Google.
Most people, when interested in an artist, will Google the name of the artist they are looking for, so be sure there's not another artist with the same name.
Doing this will provide a tailwind to your marketing and make your Google and search engine marketing efforts that much easier.
As an example, I have a favorite singer/songwriter. His name is "Sam Johnson". I can never find him in searches because it's a common name and there are even other musicians with that name. Every time he has a new single, I search "Sam Johnson" in Amazon Music or Spotify and keep getting the "other" Sam Johnsons. I've been meaning to tell him that he needs a more unique stage name.
An unintentional positive result of my favorite social media username, "Clintavo", is that it's unique enough that not only do I now own "clintavo.com" but I also "own" the entire first page of results in a Google search for "Clintavo." And that happened without my even trying. So pick something unique.
We might think "Puff Daddy", "P-Diddy", and "Lady Gaga" are funny names, but they're kind of genius in the age of Google.
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