Tips for Building a Strong Online Presence for Your Small Business
Living in the digital age, we all know how important the Internet is for all of us. But if you’re trying to get your small business off and running, we need to understand more than what the Internet does for us: we also have to understand how we can use the Internet to boost sales, gain traction, and grow our company. How do our customers use the Internet? What are their search preferences? How do we get our business to them in the digital world? Starting to experiment with online strategies can be confusing at first, but let’s break down how an online presence can help boost sales, gain customer attention, and build up our target audience.
What Does it Mean to Have an Online Presence?
Whenever you look up something online, how likely are you to scroll through the millions of options that appear in your search results? Not likely, right? You’re probably only looking at the top first or second results: the ones that answer your questions immediately.
Well, that’s the goal with establishing an online presence for your small business. Whenever your customers search for something in your industry, you want your company to appear first, above your competition. The only question is: how do we do that?
The answer to this is to have a great online presence, one that answers potential customers’ questions, gives them valuable information, and satisfies their online search journey. According to Adaptive marketing, 97% of consumers use the internet to find a business. Think of the potential to gain customer attention not just in your country, but all over the world.
The Importance of Having an Online Presence
In the digital age, the success of your business is tied to your brand visibility. The more people who see your brand, the more likely your business can grow. An easier way to bring your business to potential consumers is through the Internet.
If your website or social media page is listed first in search engines, you have a much higher chance of receiving increased traffic, which is the first requirement to turn your audience into future customers.
Additionally, the higher your page ranks in a search engine, the higher the chances searchers will trust your brand. If Google decides to place your website above others, that means Google trusts your page. If Google trusts you, then so will future shoppers.
4 Tips to Get Started:
The first step to establishing your online presence might seem obvious: get online. But what do we do after this? It’s not enough to create a website and set up a social media account -- you have to go above and beyond to capture your audience’s attention. With these five tips, you can start creating your own strategies by seeing what works and what doesn’t.
1. Create Your Own Website
Websites are essential for every business, no matter what industry you’re in. If you don’t have one yet, you can either build one yourself or hire a professional to structure one for you. Your website should be aesthetically appealing and easy to navigate, but in order to receive traffic and be chosen by a search engine, you must also make sure it’s mobile friendly, contains relevant and interesting content, and has a clear call to action (CTA) such as providing an email list or online shopping.
It may be tempting to forget about your website once you’ve set one up, but remember that leading your business to success is a constant journey. Regularly check your website for monthly traffic updates and visitors. If you’re selling something, then your potential customer is most likely also looking at products from a competitor. Make sure your website shines through the hundreds of others in your industry. Anticipate your buyers’ needs, address their concerns, and stay ahead of online trends to stay relevant.
2. Understand SEO and SEM
SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) are two of the most useful tools to gaining website traffic and earning search engine’s trust. SEO, a component of SEM, and is divided into on-site and off-site SEO.
On-site SEO is all about the content on your webpage. You’ll want to use relevant keywords (words that your potential consumers are searching online), take advantage of internal and external links (links that lead to your own website and to others), and create educational content that matches your target audiences’ search queries.
Off-site SEO is all about the technical side of your website: simple URLS (the shorter, the better), backlinks that build your website’s credibility), and loading speed.
SEO and SEM can get a bit tricky to understand when you’re first starting out. If you want a more in-depth look at these two concepts, check out our other blog here:
3. Convert More Customers with Online Reviews
Many consumers discover new businesses while searching for other companies. Reviews and ratings help to build your online presence because customers frequently refer to these sites. The more other people trust and like your small business, the more future buyers will as well. Whenever you get a new customer review, make sure to take the time to respond to them, whether they’re positive or negative. Remember, customers can also see when owners respond to reviews -- potential customers will have more confidence in your ability to provide excellent customer service if you regularly respond to any comments you receive.
4. Take Advantage of Ad Retargeting
A small online advertising budget is a great investment that can allow you to quickly build your online presence and brand awareness. Consumers usually need more than one impression before they decide to take a closer look at your business. Ads that showcase your products or service serve as additional reminders of the existence of your brand. Retargeting ads help to bring consumers through the sales funnel (closer to purchase). When consumers search for something in your industry, search engines pick up on their recent searches and show them relevant ads. One of these ads could be for your business!
Google AdWords is the most popular platform for search advertising. You’ll pay a small fee every time someone clicks on your ads, known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Think of this small fee as a small investment that could hopefully bring you new customers.
Although we use the Internet almost every day, we never really stop to think about why we see certain search results or ads pop up. However, as small business owners, this aspect is crucial to boost our sales and increase our brand visibility. It can get confusing at first, but as we continue to navigate through this digital world, it gets easier and easier. All it takes is the first step forward.
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