Type a founder’s name into Google, and a verdict begins to form within seconds. The search results deliver a first impression long before any handshake, pitch or discovery call. For a growing number of entrepreneurs, that impression is thin, scattered or missing entirely.
For TJ Avazona, founder and CEO of Avazona Ltd, that gap is where most personal brands quietly fail. A bestselling author and personal branding strategist, he has helped more than 1,000 brands earn global visibility and has secured thousands of features for clients in outlets such as Forbes, Entrepreneur and Vogue.
“Most entrepreneurs start with the loudest part: press, podcasts, a viral post,” TJ explains. “But visibility without a foundation doesn’t compound. Google needs something solid to connect it all to. The order you build in matters far more than how hard you push.”
What follows is the sequence TJ used to build his own search presence, and the one he considers essential for any founder who wants to be taken seriously online.
Identity Before Visibility
Before publishing a single post, TJ defined the fundamentals of his public identity: the exact name he would use, one professional title, a consistent bio and a set of professional photographs.
Most founders treat this step as administrative. TJ considers it foundational. Search engines assemble their understanding of a person by matching signals across the web. When a founder appears under several name variations, shifting titles and mismatched bios, those signals fragment, and Google struggles to recognize them as a single, credible individual.
“Before Google can trust you, it has to be certain that every mention belongs to the same person,” he says. “Consistency is what creates that certainty. Choose your name, your title and your bio once, then repeat them everywhere, word for word (sounds like duplicate content but it really helps Google).”
A Home Base That Carries Your Name
With his identity defined, TJ built the platform that would anchor everything else: a website on his own name, tjavazona.com. In his view, a personal domain is the one asset a founder fully owns, and the reference point that every profile, article and interview should ultimately lead back to.
He identifies three elements that separate a credible personal site from a digital business card:
- A comprehensive About page. It should answer, in full, the question of who you are: background, education, books, notable clients and awards. Anything that defines your credibility belongs here first.
- A dedicated media section. A library of professional photographs that journalists, podcast hosts and event organizers can use freely. It removes friction and keeps the right image attached to your name.
- A sound technical foundation. A clear sitemap and Person schema, the structured data that tells search engines precisely who the site represents and which profiles belong to them.
“Schema is invisible to your visitors, but it is how you introduce yourself to Google directly,” TJ notes. “You are stating, in the search engine’s own language: this is the person, these are his books, and these are his official profiles.”
Owning the Social Layer Through Short Video
Only once the website was in place did TJ extend his presence across five platforms: a Facebook page (deliberately a page rather than a personal profile), Instagram, LinkedIn, X and TikTok, each carrying the same name, bio and imagery.
His approach to publishing was measured rather than relentless. A few posts a week proved sufficient, provided they were consistent. The real emphasis, he says, belongs on short-form video.
That focus reflects how search results are now structured. Google frequently gives video its own space on the results page, including a dedicated “Short videos” section. For a founder with clips published under their name, that creates the opportunity to occupy far more of the page when someone searches for them.
“Text posts compete with everyone,” TJ observes. “Short videos are given their own shelf on Google, and most founders leave that space completely empty.”
Building Depth With Long-Form Content
With the foundation established, TJ turned to YouTube and long-form video. Here, he argues, sustainability matters more than volume. Two to four videos a month is enough to build a meaningful library over time.
“Slow is better than nothing,” he says. “A video you publish this month is still working for you two years from now. The founders who wait for a perfect schedule are usually the ones who never begin.”
Long-form content also serves a purpose short clips cannot. It gives prospective clients, partners and journalists a fuller view of how a founder thinks, and that depth is often what turns attention into trust.
Earning Media Once the Foundation Holds
Only after the website, social channels and video library were active did TJ begin pursuing articles and interviews, starting with platforms such as Medium and Canvas Rebel.
The timing, he explains, is intentional. Readers and editors who discover a founder through a feature will almost always search for them afterward. When that search leads to an active, coherent presence, the coverage reinforces everything already built. When it leads to an empty profile, the moment passes and leaves little behind.
The Overlooked Power of Smaller Podcasts
The final stage of TJ’s framework is podcasting, and his strategy here runs counter to conventional wisdom. Rather than pursuing the largest shows, he targets hosts with fewer than 5,000 subscribers.
Smaller podcasts, he has found, are far more receptive to guests, and they account for the majority of his bookings. Each appearance adds another episode, page and link associated with his name, while building the track record that larger shows look for when choosing guests.
“Everyone wants the biggest podcasts on day one,” he says. “Smaller hosts are actively looking for strong guests. Accept those invitations, arrive prepared, and the larger opportunities tend to follow.”
Sequence Is the Strategy
Taken individually, none of these steps is a closely guarded secret. What distinguishes TJ’s approach is the discipline of the sequence: identity first, then a home base, the social layer, long-form depth, media and finally podcasts. Each stage gives the next something credible to attach to, so every new mention strengthens a single, coherent picture.
For founders who feel invisible online, his counsel is to resist the search for shortcuts and begin with the fundamentals. “Your name is already being searched,” TJ says. “The only real question is whether what people find was built with intention.”
