Nowadays, more and more businesses realize that their market and customer base has moved to the internet. As such, it's important to have a strong online presence to be competitive. Not only will a strong online presence increase your chances of landing new clients, it also helps you establish your brand, authority and credibility. It may put you miles ahead of your competitors who don't yet realize the power of the internet to boost their business.
The importance of a strong online presence
Source: Pexels / Pixabay.com
Although the reasons mentioned above may be proof enough that you need a strong online presence, here are a few more reasons why it can benefit you and your business:
- Large scope: The internet has over 3.2 billion people online, and it is where most people look for products and services. In other words, a huge portion of your market is online.
- Affordable: Nowadays, building a website is very affordable and can create many opportunities for your business. Since websites are available 24/7, they can work for you regardless of which country you're located or if you are on vacation or on duty.
- Source of information: The internet now is the first place the majority of people look for information. People use the internet to find recommendations, product reviews, articles or websites that may help them in whatever endeavors they may have.
- Traffic source: Knowing that most people use the internet for information, this can be turned into one's advantage. Search engine optimization can be used to direct millions of users to your website since most people will be using major search engines such as Google.
It can be very easy to neglect your online presence while running the daily operations of your business. However, maintaining an online presence should be part of your everyday tasks and should be high priority, especially since more and more businesses are moving towards the internet.
Boosting your online presence
Nowadays, where almost every business is already online, just setting up a website usually isn't enough to be competitive. But what can you do to make your website a successful marketing tool for your business? Here are 11 tips for boosting your company's online presence:
- Create a central website for your online presence
- Start a blog for content marketing
- Guest-post on other websites
- Be active on social media
- Keep eyes on your social channels
- Post on expert forums in your industry
- Try out pay-per-click marketing (PPC)
- Optimize your website for search engines
- Stay on top of trends
- Offer freebies on your website
- Make your website easily accessible for mobile users
1. Create a central website for your online presence
Every successful business usually has a website, whether you have an actual brick-and-mortar location or do business exclusively online. The business website serves as the central place to share information about what you do and points visitors to your products, social media activities or else. The business website is also the place where potential clients or customers can contact you to gather information about your products and services. In addition, existing customers can get in touch with you if they have any questions or if they need any help.
2. Start a blog for content marketing
Source: 27707 / Pixabay.com
A blog is a great marketing tool and can be a valuable addition to your business website. Not only does a blog provide your visitors with more content and thus establishes your authority, it also shows search engines that your website is updated on a regular basis. That way potential clients will know that your business is active and on top of latest trends while search engines may boost your site as opposed to websites that don't have a blog.
3. Guest-post on other websites
Guest-posting on other websites in your industry may expose you to a new audience which can bring a significant increase in your website traffic. This new traffic can then convert into new regular visitors to your website as well as new clients. It also adds to the credibility factor mentioned earlier.
4. Be active on social media
Source: Pixelkult / Pixabay.com
Social media is another great way to expose your business to a new audience and bring new visitors to your website. Create new content or share existing content on relevant social media channels to push your business. Be sure to share a mix of your content and relevant content from others that will be of interest to your followers. Your content needs to engage your potential clients. Make them thrilled to do business with your company.
Facebook is the most popular social media network there is, but do not forget about other social channels like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and the like. It doesn’t hurt to have many social media outlets for your business. However, if you are just starting out, focus on one or two social channels and grow from there. A great way to establish your brand is to come up with a branded hashtag for your business and use it whenever you're promoting your own products and services.
5. Keep eyes on your social channels
Source: OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay.com
A big part of social media marketing includes being social. This means you have to be active on your chosen social media channels and participate in the conversation with your followers. Monitor your profiles and reply to comments you get as well as any questions. Thank your followers from time to time and tag your followers when you do so they get notified.
6. Post on expert forums in your industry
It's also a good idea to get involved on forums and message boards that cater to your industry. This may create a reputation that will be useful to you in the long haul. You can also create a LinkedIn account and connect with other professionals to further boost your reputation in the industry.
7. Try out pay-per-click marketing (PPC)
PPC marketing may get your brand more attention as well, meaning more traffic to your website. PPC allows you to post promotions on other sites for a small fee per click. This can be a great way of getting new visitors to your site if you do not mind paying money for advertisements. A popular form of PPC is search engine advertising. It will let you place your ad or sponsored link when someone searches a related keyword to your brand. Additionally, this helps you to stay on top of the search results. Popular ad networks that offer PPC are "Facebook Ads for Business" or "Google AdWords".
8. Optimize your website for search engines
Spend time researching the best keywords for your business to optimize your website for search engines. This will assure that people will spot your website through search engines while they are searching for keywords related to your business. Be careful not to overdo it though, as using keywords too often or unnaturally can be seen as keyword stuffing. Over-optimizing your website for search engines may lead to search engines demoting your site.
9. Stay on top of trends
As a business owner, it's part of your job to stay on top of industry trends to stay ahead of the competition. Demonstrate this by publishing relevant blog posts on popular topics related to current trends in your industry. Make sure your topics and posts align with your audience and their interests. This will not only show existing and potential customers that you know what's going on in your industry, but it may also lead to additional website traffic and ideally to more business.
10. Offer freebies on your website
Everyone enjoys freebies. Giving freebies to your website visitors can greatly boost the attention you get from your desired target audience. Offering freebies does not mean giving away your main products for free though. You may opt to include eBooks, free videos, or other non-premium content while visitors are browsing your pages. Through these freebies, non-customers may recognize the value of your brand and hopefully become loyal customers in the process.
11. Make your website easily accessible for mobile users
One of Google’s previous updates may penalize websites that are inaccessible to mobile devices. For that reason alone, you should ensure that your website has a responsive design and can easily be accessed on mobile devices. Another major reason for a mobile-friendly website is the increased usage of mobile devices to access the internet. A responsive website nowadays is a must!
Conclusion: Tips to boost your online presence and business
Your online presence has so much to offer to you and your business, both short term and long term. However, you have to invest the necessary time and efforts to build a strong presence. This includes nurturing your websites, social media accounts, and business relationships. Ultimately, it will be time well spent. Do you have other tips to boost business online? Let us know in the comments.
image sources
- Planning / Research: Pexels / Pixabay.com
- WordPress Logo: 27707 / Pixabay.com
- Social Media Networks: Pixelkult / Pixabay.com
- Networking / Conversation: OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay.com
