From Invisible to Unforgettable: How to Rank #1 on Google for Your Name

Let’s be honest: the first thing a potential client or employer does is Google you. What they find in those first few results becomes your digital first impression.

A 2022 study found that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. So if your personal website isn’t at the top when someone searches your name, you’re losing control of your own narrative. As a web developer and SEO specialist, I, Dillon LaGamma, believe that owning your name in search is the most critical first step for any professional.

But often, we’re outranked by old social media profiles, another person with the same name, or worse—nothing at all. So how do we fix this? By focusing on three core pillars:

• Own Your Digital Home Base
• Create and Showcase Authority
• Connect Your Digital Footprint

That’s it. Yet so many professionals overlook these foundational steps. Let’s break them down.

(image: A screenshot of a Google search result for a name, with a personal website ranked #1)

Own Your Digital Home Base

Social media is great, but you’re just renting space. Your personal website is the only platform online that you own and control completely. It’s the definitive source of truth about who you are and what you do.

If a client thinks your LinkedIn is your main presence, they’re getting a resume. If they land on your website, they get your full story.

To make your website the cornerstone of your identity, it must be optimized correctly. The title of your homepage—the text that shows up in the browser tab—should be your name. The main heading (<h1>) on your homepage should be your name. My site, for example, is built around the core keyword “Dillon LaGamma” to leave no doubt in Google’s mind who the site is about.

When your website feels like the central hub, with a clear message and professional design, everything looks more trustworthy.

Create and Showcase Authority

Having a website with your name on it is the start, but it’s not enough. You also need to prove to Google that you’re an authority in your field. The best way to do this is by creating content.

Hint: “Here’s my latest project” is not a good title.

If you’re not giving context to your work, all Google sees is a new page. It doesn’t understand the value you provided or the skills you demonstrated.

How do you showcase authority? You don’t just post a picture of a website you designed; you write a short case study about it. You give potential clients content so valuable, it would be crazy for them not to see you as an expert.

• A bad portfolio title: My Newest Design
• A good portfolio title: Website for a Local Coffee Shop
• A great portfolio title: How We Increased Online Orders by 30% with a Custom Web App for a Local Coffee Shop

The difference? The more specific you are about the problems you solve, the more authority you build. For every project I complete, I make sure the description highlights the specific challenge and my unique solution. This tells both Google and potential clients that Dillon LaGamma doesn’t just build things—he solves problems.

Connect Your Digital Footprint

Gary Vaynerchuk has a great quote about context:

If content is king, then context is God.

This is especially true for personal SEO. It’s not enough to have a great website and great content. You need to show Google how it all connects.

Worst case scenario: Having a dozen online profiles (LinkedIn, GitHub, X, etc.) that don’t link back to your personal website. This creates a scattered, confusing digital identity.

Better scenario: Ensuring every professional social media profile you own has a prominent link back to your personal website. Why is this better? Because you’re creating a network of signals that all point to your website as the central, most important source of information about you. This tells Google to prioritize it.

For an extra boost, you can use “Person” Schema Markup on your site. It’s a snippet of code that explicitly tells search engines: “This website is about this specific person, and here are their official social media profiles.” It’s like handing Google your business card.

Summary

Let’s summarise. The way you’re going to rank #1 for your name is by focusing on these three points:

• Own Your Digital Home Base: Make your personal website the undeniable center of your online world.
• Create and Showcase Authority: Use case studies and blog posts to prove you’re an expert.
• Connect Your Digital Footprint: Link all your professional profiles back to your website.

Nail these, and you’ll be much closer to owning your digital first impression and ensuring that when people search for you, they find exactly what you want them to see.

So how can you easily build a website that does all this? If you need a site that’s not only visually stunning but also technically optimized to rank, that’s where I, Dillon LaGamma, can help. Let’s build a platform that gets you noticed.