Here are 3 tell-tale signs that you may need to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve and enhance your online presence:

1. You type in your name or your business name in a Google Search and you don’t come up on the first page of search results. People won’t typically search past the first page.

2. You type in a commonly searched term in Google that someone may use to find a business in your industry like “financial advisor” or “investment advisor” along with your city name – and you don’t come up on the first page of search results.

3. You type in a keyword search that is trending on Google (Check out Google Trends) and you don’t come up – like “Investment Protection” or “Retirement Income Solution” or “Alternative Investments.”

If you don’t like what your results are in the above 3 Tell-Tale Signs You Need SEO, here are 6 solutions and most of them are FREE!

1. Have a meeting with your website provider to update your Meta Tags, Site Descriptions, Headers and other things that tell the search engines what your website is about and what keywords to rank it for.

2. Set up Google Analytics (www.Google.com/analytics) so you can find out the search words that people use to get to your site. [FREE]

3. If you haven’t already, make sure you have a completely set up Google Profile for yourself (profiles.google.com) that includes your contact information, website address, services offered, picture and video. [FREE]

4. If you haven’t already, make sure  you have a full local business listing using Google Local (www.Google.com/local/add) as well as other local listings like Bing and Yahoo. [FREE]

5. When you search for your company name, many profiles may appear that you did not create. These could include Yelp.com, insiderpages.com, manta.com, etc. If that is the case – claim these and control the content with your information.

6. Finally, if you have done all of these things and you still are not getting traffic, consider hiring an expert. We do this at Red Zone Marketing as do many other firms. When done correctly, SEO can really help you dominate your market online. Call us for a complimentary SEO review or reach out to SEO firms in your local area and ask for their help. Ultimately, having a focus on SEO is important! It pays to be found!