I was having a session with my client, Barb, the other day. She’s 58 and getting back into the dating scene two years after her marriage ended.

She’s already tried meeting someone the “natural way,” but with her work schedule and a teenager still at home, fix ups from friends and casual encounters haven’t turned up Mr. Right.

According to Match.com, People over age 50 make up their fastest-growing segment of users, with a 300 percent increase since 2000. AND a recent Pew Research study shows that online dating with the 55+ crowd has doubled since 2013.

“You should really get online” I told her.

“All the guys online are so creepy!” Barb said.

“You’re going about it all wrong,” I say… “How are you ever going to meet anyone if you don’t go online? You practically work 24/7– you don’t want to date anyone in your company, you don’t want to go out to bars. When is this magic man suddenly going to appear in your life?”

“I don’t know.” Barb conceded.

“Let me take a look at your profile.” I said.

As soon as Barb opened up her profile I knew instantly what was wrong.

Barb was making the #1 mistake I see many women make when getting online for the first time. She didn’t really have a dating profile. She had a laundry list of what she wanted (and didn’t want) in a guy.

“I’m looking for a man who’s tall and has a good sense of humor.
Someone who’s easygoing and is a good communicator.
Please be athletic and take care of your body… recent pictures only please.
I don’t want to arrive on our first date to find that you’re 2 inches shorter,
20 pounds heavier and have aged 5 years from your dating profile photo.
…Oh, and make sure you really are single.”

Her profile didn’t say anything about who she is and what she truly desires in a mate. No wonder she isn’t having any success online!

Online dating is about attracting the partner you most desire in your life right now — whether that is just a friend to date without a commitment or for a life-long partner.

If your partner can’t see who you are and what you want, how will he ever find you? Your man is out there. He wants to find you as much as you want to find him, but if he can’t see you, then how are you ever going to meet?

To meet the love of your life online, you need a rockin’ fabulous online dating profile – one that makes it very clear, who you are and what you are looking for … but it’s not a laundry list of “friends say I’m funny, kind and someone they can really count on.”

It’s also not a list of things you do and don’t want.

A good online dating profile is a story of who you are, the partner you are looking for and what your life is like together.

This is important because you want him to be able to see himself in your story and say, “Hey, that’s me! She’s looking for me!” And if he’s not for you, he’ll know it in the first 10 seconds.

When you work it this way, good connections are smooth and easy and you start weeding out the guys you are not interested in (and who ultimately are not interested in you).

Is your dating profile representing who you are and what you want? Take a look and maybe it’s time to give it an edit.

What other mistakes are you making in online dating? I made a really short video to share with you what to do and not do when looking for love online. Check it out here.

“Think finding love at your age is hopeless? Hardly! 75 percent of women and 81 percent of men in their 50s experience a serious, exclusive relationship after a divorce. So if that’s what you’re looking for, get on out there and you may find The One sooner than you think!”

 What are you waiting for?

Want a rockin’ fabulous online dating profile?

Get my training, “How To Write A Killer Online Dating Profile” here