From Mariana Franco to Maryanna Franco: How changing my name gave me a future in Google and AI
Having a common name is a real issue for those trying to improve their online presence.
And my name was not only very common but it was also shared by known professionals in a multitude of fields.
Just think that when checking the Knowledge Graph, I would find over 200 entries for my name alone: Mariana Franco.
Changing it became a necessity for my own survival in the future of Digital.
How Changing My Name Affected My Visibility on Google and ChatGPT
I didn’t expect a name change to become a business case study. But when I decided (on April 22, 2025) to shift from “Mariana Franco” to “Maryanna Franco”, I realized I wasn’t just updating my signature. I was rewriting how the entire digital world sees me.
And in 2025, the digital world means Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and every other AI system that people turn to when they’re trying to figure out who you are, what you do, and whether to trust you.
What I learned in the seven days that followed should be a wake-up call for every professional, founder, and executive operating in today’s search and AI landscape.
Within a Week, I Went From Identity Confusion to 100% Search and AI Clarity
Seven days after my name change, I searched “Maryanna Franco” on Google as one does, and every result on the SERP was about me.
There were no more actresses, politicians, athletes, nutritionists, but a full, clear, accurate Brand SERP owned by me.
Three days later, I asked ChatGPT about myself and, considering it’s only been days, I was very surprised to see a confident, consistent brand narrative under my new name. I made the same experiment with Perplexity and Gemini just to find the name results.
At this point, I wasn’t just “present” but my name showed as authoritative, aligned and trusted.
That level of precision in 10 days? Nearly unheard of. Most people struggle for months or give up entirely.
Changing My Name Online And Rebuilding My Digital Identity
When I made the switch to Maryanna Franco, it wasn’t enough to just update my LinkedIn and hope for the best. If I wanted Google, ChatGPT, and every AI assistant out there to recognize me correctly, I had to teach them clearly, precisely, and on my terms.
This isn’t traditional SEO. It’s entity-driven, AI-ready digital strategy. You’re not just optimizing a website; you’re crafting how machines understand you.
With guidance from Jason Barnard and the team at Kalicube, I rebuilt my online presence from the ground up:
- My Entity Home became the central source of truth
- Every profile, mention, and reference was reviewed and aligned
- Structured data made my identity machine-readable
- My story was repeated consistently across the platforms that matter
After only a few days of consistent work, I started showing up as me, with clarity, confidence, and authority.
Why This Matters for Every Brand and Business Leader
Here’s the thing: when someone Googles you or asks ChatGPT about you, they’re forming a first impression. In conclusion, that’s your pitch, and you want to make sure you win it.
If the machines are confused, so is your audience. But when your digital identity is coherent and strong, it does the work for you:
- It builds trust before you even speak
- It creates recognition, not confusion
- It starts conversations with belief, not scepticism
I didn’t just get lucky, I planned and executed a careful plan built for the way search and AI function now, not five years ago.
You don’t need to change your name to change your story. But you do need to make sure the right one is being told. Because in 2025, AI isn’t guessing anymore. And the version of you it shows… is entirely up to how well you’ve trained it.
What I learned in the seven days that followed should be a wake-up call for every professional, founder, and executive operating in today’s search and AI landscape.
Why Did I Care About Getting My Name on Google and ChatGPT
I am an SEO Consultant, and such I have been pushing a lot of GEO practices on my clients for a long time. So, what kind of credibility would I have in front of my clients if I couldn’t be found online?
Five years ago, not being on Google meant you didn’t exist professionally. Today, if you’re not showing up clearly in AI results (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and others), you’re being left behind all over again.
AI is no longer a future trend it’s happening now. It’s the default interface for how people search, ask, compare, and decide. And it’s changing how trust is built.
When someone types your name, or your brand’s name, into an AI assistant, what shows up is no longer a list of links. It shows a set of SERP Features, elements of trust. So what your potential clients get is a narrativ, a summary and ultimately a judgment.
If you don’t shape that story yourself, AI will fill in the blanks. And it might pull from outdated info, irrelevant profiles, or even confuse you with someone else entirely (that was exactly my case with so many Mariana Franco’s around).
That’s why I cared. Not for vanity, but for visibility, authority, and the right to own my own story in the places people now turn to first.
If you’re not present and clear in AI results, you’re not just missing out on clicks. You’re missing out on trust, relevance, and the next generation of opportunities.
Most People Struggle Because They Rely on Luck,
but With AI Overviews and LLMs Dominating, If You Don’t Play the Game, You Aare Out!
Here’s the hard truth: most people don’t get this right. Not because they’re not trying, but because they’re relying on luck, old SEO practices and pure belief in a system that doesn’t work anymore.
Right now, you need structure, consistency and demonstration.
The process I followed was refined for more than a decade and uses proprietary data and a deep understanding of how AI interprets brand signals to create results that last. Could I do it by myself? Maybe, but it would take me weeks if not more. With Jason I did it in a couple of days.
In 2025, Your Name Is Your Digital Identity, and AI Is Reading It Aloud
If you’ve ever struggled to explain your value, if you’ve ever lost a deal without knowing why… if you’ve ever Googled yourself and winced, then you already know this isn’t just about visibility. It’s about control.
And now that AI Overviews is out almost everywhere, are you willing to just let your story be made up, or even worse, not even exist in the picture?
You don’t have to wait for a rebrand or a reinvention. You can start teaching the machines who you are today.
Read the full Case Study about my name change on Kalicube.
And my own story on Kalicube’s website.