If you aren't sure about your visibility online, an easy way to check is to Google yourself. That will tell you a great deal about what other people see (and if they see you at all).
If you find that you don't have a great deal of visibility online, your situation doesn't have to stay that way permanently. There are several different ways in which you can strengthen your visibility online.
Leave comments on blogs: It is critical that you read other people's blogs and that you leave comments for them that will generate a lot of discussion. Having engaged and enduring conversations online will do a great deal for your reputation. It will allow people to get to know you better and to learn to regard you as a subject matter expert in your niche. It will also make people trust you eventually and your professional credibility will be strengthened, as a result. Leaving comments on blogs does not necessarily have to be tedious or arduous. It can be fun to engage in animated discussions on topics about which you share a passion with other people. You will start to feel (and continue to feel) that it is well worth the time and effort that you put into it. If you truly have a desire to increase your online visibility, keep leaving blog comments. You should also understand that if you leave blog comments, the engagement can certainly lead to other really important things, such as relationships that are mutually beneficial.
A good-quality, professional profile photograph: If you think that your profile photo doesn't mean a lot, you are totally incorrect. You should attach your photo to absolutely everything you do online. It is obviously an important part of who you are and it gives people a visual association of you that will stay with them forever. Your photo should be recent (no 20-year-old photos, please) and it should be a good-quality headshot of you and only you.
Make a video: Making a video on YouTube is an incredible way to increase your online visibility. You can make a really short and really effective video that will entertain people and get them thinking at the same time. Most people love to watch videos and you really have no way to tell which of your videos may end up going viral. Let's hope that all of them will!
Use strong and effective keywords: Keywords and key phrases are critical to the success of your business. They are what people type into the search engines when they are looking for a product and/or service such as yours. If your keywords and key phrases are not rich enough, those prospects will choose someone else with whom to interact.
Give more than you get: The more you give to other people, the more they will trust you and want to interact with you. Additionally, the more you give, the more other people will want to get from you (in the form of valuable and interesting content). As part of the content that you share with others, you should try to share links to valuable content that other people have shared. Everyone loves be honored in this way.
A wide variety of social media channels: If you are not on several social media channels already (some of the most popular ones as well as some more unusual ones), you need to connect with them as soon as possible. You should start with LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter and then do some research to help you determine which additional social media channels might be appropriate for your business and your niche. Once you have established connections on your social media channels of choice, start interacting. Remember that your approach should always be how you can help the other person.
Widen the scope of your diversity: The more social media channels with which you connect, the more people will interact with you and get to know you. You may want to consider some social media channels that are geared more toward graphic images as well as others that are geared more toward the written word. Having a variety of capabilities is extraordinarily important.
Conclusion
The wonderful thing about your visibility online is that you have some control over it (unlike many other things). It is really up to you if you want to have a strong online presence and visibility or if you don't want people to be able to find you. Considering that you are in business, it is most likely safe to assume that you have a vested interest in getting out there online and making your visibility as strong as it can possibly be.