If you type your name into Google and look at what comes back, you're getting a generic result set shaped by Google's algorithm. It may not show you the data broker profiles that a more targeted search would surface, and it's easy to miss things. Boolean search gives you precise control over what you're looking for and where.
Investigators use Boolean search every day to find subjects. The same skills apply to finding yourself.
The Core Operators
Quotation marks: exact phrase
Putting a phrase in quotes forces Google to find exactly that phrase, in that order. "Eric Neal" will return pages where those two words appear together, not pages that mention Eric somewhere and Neal somewhere else on the same page. For names, this is essential — without quotes, you'll be buried in false positives.
site: — limit to a specific domain
site:spokeo.com restricts results to only pages on Spokeo's website. Combined with your name in quotes, this tells you whether Spokeo has indexed a page about you: "Eric Neal" site:spokeo.com
OR — either condition
The OR operator (must be capitalized) returns results that match either of the connected conditions. This is how you check multiple broker sites in a single search: "Eric Neal" (site:spokeo.com OR site:whitepages.com OR site:beenverified.com)
- minus sign: exclude a domain or term
A minus sign immediately before a word or site: operator removes those results. This is useful when your LinkedIn profile or other legitimate professional profiles are cluttering your self-search results: "Eric Neal" -site:linkedin.com
Building a Useful Self-Search String
For most investigators, a useful starting search looks like this — substitute your own name, city, and state:
"Eric Neal" (site:spokeo.com OR site:whitepages.com OR site:beenverified.com OR site:intelius.com OR site:mylife.com OR site:radaris.com OR site:peoplefinder.com OR site:truthfinder.com OR site:instantcheckmate.com OR site:fastpeoplesearch.com)This search checks ten of the highest-traffic broker sites for any indexed pages containing your name. Each result that comes back is a profile page about you on that site.
Follow that with a broader search that includes your location:
"Eric Neal" "New Hampshire" -site:linkedin.com -site:facebook.comThis surfaces pages anywhere on the public web that associate your name with your state, excluding the major social platforms you're probably already monitoring. Results here might include local news, court record aggregators, professional association directories, or broker sites not on your initial list.
Searching for Your Phone Number and Address
Don't stop at your name. Run searches for your phone numbers and address as well:
"603-555-1234""123 Main Street" "Manchester" "NH"Phone number searches surface broker sites that have indexed your number. Address searches can reveal property listing sites, business registration records, and broker sites that have your current address. Both searches often show different sites than a name search does.
How to Interpret the Results
When results come back, look for:
- Data broker profile pages — Any result from a people-search site showing your name, address, phone, relatives, or background information. Each of these is directly actionable — go to that site's opt-out page and submit a removal request.
- Old addresses — Profile pages often list addresses going back years. If you moved out of a city a decade ago and it's still listed, that data is still circulating and searchable.
- Relative associations — Many broker profiles list associated names — spouse, parents, siblings. Note which family members appear in your profiles and whether that concerns you.
- Court records and public filings — Aggregator sites that republish court documents may surface affidavits, case filings, or other documents you've signed. These typically can't be removed, but knowing they're there is useful.
- Professional directory listings — State licensing boards, industry associations, business registration databases. These often show your employer and sometimes your address.
Use the Tool If You'd Rather Not Build the String Manually
If you want to skip the manual construction, the Boolean Self-Search Tool on this site builds a customized search string from your name, location, and optional employer. It takes about 30 seconds and produces a search string you can copy directly into Google or run from the tool itself.
The tool covers the major broker sites automatically and includes your location in the broader open-web search. It also generates a Google link you can click directly, so you see results immediately rather than having to paste and search separately.
Once you know what's out there, the removal services comparison covers your options for getting it taken down.