One Viral Moment Can Define You on Google. Here Is How to Prepare.

This past weekend, a Ring doorbell video from an apartment complex near the University of Mississippi was posted to TikTok. It appears to show students making monkey noises and gestures outside the door of Black students. By Monday afternoon, ABC News reported it had been viewed more than 12 million times. The university condemned the behavior and opened an investigation.

One detail in the university's statement stood out to me. Ole Miss said at least one student had been incorrectly identified as being involved. Think about what that means. Someone who was not in the video may now have their name tied to it in posts, comments, and search results, possibly for years.

I have spent most of my career in online reputation management and crisis work, and this is the pattern I see again and again. The event lasts seconds. The search results last far longer.

Google remembers everything

When someone hears your name, the next thing they do is search it. Recruiters do it. Investors do it. Prospective clients do it before the first meeting. Whatever appears on the first page becomes your introduction, whether you chose it or not.

The last two years have produced a long list of examples, and they cut across every kind of person and company.

• The Coldplay kiss cam. In July 2025, a stadium camera caught Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing the company's chief people officer. Within days he had resigned, and she followed. For most people, Astronomer is now known for that clip rather than its product.
• Good Good Golf. In August, an ad made with Callaway showed one of the company's founders shoving a female golfer to the ground. The video was deleted the day it was posted, but it kept circulating. Callaway ended the partnership, Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy pulled the merchandise, the PGA Tour dropped the company as a title sponsor, and the CEO and president left. The PGA Tour's CEO described the company's first response as defensive and late.
• The McDonald's CEO. Earlier this year, Chris Kempczinski posted a video taking a very small bite of the new Big Arch burger and calling it a "product." It became a meme, and Burger King and Wendy's joined in. The stakes were far lower and he handled it with humor, but it shows that even a routine post from a seasoned executive can take on a life of its own.

Not every one of these is a scandal, and that is the point. Misconduct, a bad creative decision, an awkward moment, and a case of mistaken identity can all lead to the same place: a search page you no longer control.

What I recommend to every executive

1. Know what is there today

Search your name, your company, and your name together with your company in a private browser window. Look at the first two pages, plus images, videos, and news. Do it at least once a month. Most people are surprised by what they find, and most problems are easier to address while they are small.

2. Own the first page before you need it

The strongest protection is a set of credible pages that you control and that Google trusts: a personal website on your own name, a complete LinkedIn profile, bylined articles, interviews, speaking pages, and press coverage. When these exist and stay current, a single negative story has a much harder time taking over. Building them in the middle of a crisis is slower and far more difficult.

3. Treat your public content as part of your reputation

Every post, ad, and video should be reviewed with one question in mind: how would this look as a screenshot with no context? The Good Good ad went through approval at two companies and still went out. A second opinion from someone outside the room is worth the delay.

4. If something happens, respond quickly and take responsibility

The first 24 to 48 hours shape the story. A short, clear statement that acknowledges what happened and explains what you are doing about it accomplishes more than a long defense. Avoid arguing in comment sections, which only creates more content for search engines to rank. If you are being misidentified, document it, report it to the platforms, and correct the record in writing on channels you own.

5. Get help early

Reputation work is part communications, part search strategy, and part patience. Bringing in people who do this every day, before the story hardens, usually saves months.

Your search results are your first impression

None of us can promise we will never have a bad moment. What we can control is what surrounds it. People who invest in their online presence ahead of time give themselves room to recover. People who wait often find that one clip becomes the whole story.

If you have not searched your own name recently, do it today. If you do not like what you see, that is where to start.