In the rapidly changing digital space, a compelling online business presence is critical to the success of your company. It forms the basis of your identity online and influences how customers and potential clients interact with you. An active online presence improves customer engagement and retention, and positively impacts the bottom line.
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That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best, most effective strategies to boost your online business presence in 2019 and beyond.
Create and Maintain a Professional Website
Your website is the first point of contact between your business and potential customers online. According to some estimates, most small businesses don’t have a website. Studies indicate that 90% of consumers search for products online before buying. It’s therefore critical to have a functioning, responsive and mobile-friendly website that helps you stand out from the competition. Also, consider incorporating a regularly updated blog on your site. Blog posts are easily shared and reach a wider audience, thus boosting your brand awareness online.
Leverage Online Business Directories
Online business directories provide a powerful medium to promote your business. They aggregate and feature related businesses in one place. As you’ll see in this profile created by Asiaciti Trust, a well-crafted business profile captivates, informs and educates potential clients. It helps customers find and connect with businesses. Online directories like Crunchbase, Yelp, etc., give companies a unique, potent platform to reach a wider audience and improve search rankings.
Connect on Social Media
Social media usage is projected to expand to over 3 billion users by 2021. This offers businesses substantial untapped potential to spread brand awareness and convert social media interactions into potential clients. Study your audience and focus on the social channels they frequent if you wish to tap into this budding market. Share relevant stories and engage with your audience through comments, direct messages etc., to solidify your business presence. You can also run ad campaigns targeted toward potential customers to expand your reach.
Adopt Proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques
Search engine optimization is an effective tactic to improve your online presence. The goal of SEO is to increase search engine traffic to your website by ranking higher in online search results. Research suggests that 71% of users focus solely on first-page search engine results. It’s therefore essential to implement SEO strategies that lend credibility to your business and helps you stand out in a crowded online market. Some of these include:
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- Creative use of local SEO, e.g. Google Local citations
- A responsive and mobile friendly website
- Unique and epic content
Use Guest Blogging to Widen Business Reach
Guest blogging offers businesses a unique opportunity to tap into and leverage other blogs’ audiences to broaden their reach. Your guest blogging campaign must target blogs with a broader influence that also align and appeal to your target audience. A well-placed guest post on one of these blogs can skyrocket your brand awareness and connect you with more potential customers.
Final Thoughts
A dynamic online business presence creates the right brand awareness and attracts a steady stream of new customers to your business. It takes a systematic, concerted effort to build and maintain. Ultimately, it delivers greater brand recognition, higher conversion rates and meaningful relationships with your customers.