Blog
Building a strong online presence for your business
- October 19, 2023
Introduction
Everyone consumes different items in some way, and we have all had that one time when we wanted a specific and one-of-a-kind product to satisfy us. In such situations, most people go online, I’m sure you do too. But you don’t stop at that, do you?
After you find this supposed product online, you may want to check the validity of the product through people's reviews, as you are unlikely to know anyone who has tried the product. So, where do you look for this information? Certainly, you look more online! You look up Google reviews or what consumers have said about the product on its social media pages.
Now imagine what a product yet to have an online presence is losing to its competitors. This answers why it is important to build an online presence for your business, regardless of its size or location. The focus on "build" indicates that it is a gradual process that requires commitment and consistency.
You have a fantastic product, nice! You have a physical store, great! However, you must go above and beyond to surpass the competition and achieve your desired target market. This can only be accomplished by establishing a strong online presence. Remember, that’s why Pagesence is here.
What is an online presence?
An online presence or web presence is about establishing the presence of your business online. It is about making your business known on the Internet, helping your audience discover you online, and helping prospects find your business first before competitors. Simply put, it is about your online penetration, visibility, and digital footprint.
So, can you safely say that web presence is all about your online penetration, and establishing the presence of your brand online? Absolutely!
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let's talk about how to create your online presence if you don’t have one, or how to improve your online presence if you already have one, but aren't sure what to do with it.
How to improve your online presence
When people hear web presence, the first thing that comes to mind is a website. But then it’s the same as what we’ve been discussing all along. Building an online presence is the same as building a web presence, and it transcends creating a website only. You’re welcome!
The interpretations above clearly suggest that building a strong online presence is complex, but don’t be afraid, Pagesence is here for you. Building a strong online presence is as complex as a person’s public image, which basically entails where they are from, what they do, and who they associate with.
With an online presence, you are basically trying to put forward content that promotes your brand’s public image, and by so doing, sell your products or services. Take a look at the table below.
Looking at the table above, you can easily identify the core elements you need to focus on to build a strong online presence around your brand. And thus, we have:
Website
Social Media
Blogging
Email marketing
SEO
Let’s look at them one after the other
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Website
The website is your base of operation. It’s where your brand’s web presence begins and ends. Every other aspect of your online presence should direct people back to your website. Hence, you need to put a lot of thought into making your business website as focused, informative, coherent, and on-brand as possible. For more information on how to set up a website for your business,
Blogging
You don’t just create a website for your business, and then forget it. To achieve the goal of building a strong online presence, you need to show up continuously and consistently. This is where blogging comes in. It is unfortunate that many online businesses do not have a blog integrated into their websites. Those who have it rarely update it.
Online presence is all about penetration and visibility, which you can then leverage to drive conversation and sales. For better penetration, more visibility, and more traffic, you need to continuously inject more relevant content into your digital footprint. Regular blogging can do that for you, just as ongoing participation on social platforms can too.
However, it is critical that you shouldn’t just blog for blogging’s sake. The contents of your blog should be valuable. Promoting free valuable material is an excellent method to expand your audience and market prospects. They will always return for more.
Master SEO
Understanding how SEO works is essential for rapidly expanding your internet presence and tracking your success. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing your content and website so that it is available to Google's algorithm ranking.
To successfully build your internet presence, your content and website should appear in top searches for relevant keywords. Ensure you implement essential on-page and off-page SEO, such as keyword research, meta description, URL, back links, and more.
Email Marketing
Say, your website and blog are booming, and you have people flowing in from social media and search engines. How do you keep them coming back? No doubt they will want to return if the content of your blog is valuable. The question is: will they remember to come back?
This is why, when it comes to lead retention, you must be proactive. These days, email marketing is the way to go. Simply sign up for a service like MailChimp, Aweber, and Mailgun. Then integrate an email subscription form into your blog and website, and configure it to actively encourage your site visitors to join your mailing list. Getting them to sign up means you no longer have to wait for them to come to you. Instead, you can take your content, marketing offers, and promotions to them.
Of course, building a strong online presence includes more factors, but these are the five essentials you must address before anything else. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
