Add Me to Search: Google Launches Virtual Business Cards

Every one of us at some point has tried to Google ourselves to see what search results show up. If you are a celebrity, then you probably saw a duly updated Knowledge Panel which listed your background, your profession, and your achievements along with links to your website and social media. Thanks to Google’s new People Cards, you can now see the same results even if you are an ‘Average Joe.’

What is Add me to Search?

On August 11, 2020, global tech-giant Google launched a new feature called ‘Add me to Search’ which allows people to make their own virtual business cards called People Cards. Their essential purpose is to help you build a solid online presence by ensuring that the first Google Search Result when people search for your name is your People Card.

People Cards can show your information like name, picture, occupation, location, bio, work, education, and contact details. You can add your website link and social media channel links as well. The more information you provide, the easier it is for people to find you.

Who can benefit from Add me to Search?

“For the millions of influencers, entrepreneurs, prospective employees, self-employed individuals, freelancers, or anyone else out there who wants to be discovered, we hope this new Add me to Search feature will help the world find them,” said the Google Search Product Manager, Lauren Clark.

It’s common for businesses to have SEO-friendly websites that serve a similar purpose. But for self-employed, professional service providers whose living is dependent on being discoverable on Google, this feature will be most helpful in connecting with their intended audience with a simple Google Search.

How to create People Cards?

On your mobile device, sign in to your Google Account and search for ‘Add me to Search’ and click on the prompt ‘Get Started’. You will be asked to register a mobile number and verify it with a six-digit unique code. You can then update any information you choose for people to know about you. If you haven’t uploaded a picture on your own, Google will automatically fetch your Profile image from your Google account.

After you fill in all the information, you will be shown a preview of what your People Card will look like. You can re-edit if need be. Once you approve the content, your People Card will go live in a few minutes. After some time, you can go to Google Search, type your name, and see your virtual business card with all the relevant data ready to go.

Before making your own People Card, keep the following prerequisites in mind:

• Every People Card is associated with a Google Account. Thus you must be logged into your account in order to make your Card.
• As of now, it is a mobile-only feature, so you won’t be able to make your Card from your desktop.
• Currently, it is available only in the English language, however more language support is expected to roll out soon.

What are the unique features of Add me to Search?

Most people are bound to share the same name with someone else in the world. In that case, Google will allow multiple People Cards to pop-up and readers can easily distinguish between them based on the unique and varied details you may have provided in the Card Modules like your occupation or your short bio.

Google has also added safety measures to challenge the trollers and hackers who may make fake People Cards or put offensive content on their cards. To prevent this, Google allows only one card per account and requires a phone number associated with the account to authenticate it. It has also added Report Issue buttons for viewers to pinpoint any offensive content.

What are the limitations of the Add me to Search feature?

Having only tested this feature in the past couple of years, Google is now officially launching it but only in India with no plans for global expansion in the near future. Some ardent netizens outside of India have reportedly used a VPN to use the ‘Add me to Search’ feature which has caused a lot of glitches in their People Card.

This act is frowned upon in some regions and outright illegal in others. Aiwa Digital strongly urges you to use only ethical means to explore this new feature and count down the days with us until we can make our own People Cards in the UAE.