Now is a time when creating an online presence has become crucial for businesses. Whether your company is established or still in the growth stages, the pressing matter remains that an online presence is imperative for the success of any business.

  • What is meant by online presence?

Before we delve into the ways you can best establish your online presence, let us explain what is exactly meant by online presence. Online presence of an individual or a business is the sum total of all the identities that are created by the individual or the business in the world of the web. It also encompasses the relationships established by that individual or business in the online sphere.

  • Why is online presence important?

The online presence of a person or business shall always have much broader reach, will create ease of interaction, create followers, leads and consequently, customers. However, Patience is the key here. It takes time and constant interaction and monitoring to develop and nurture an effective online presence.

It is a common notion that the concept of online presence is for companies related to software development. This is not true!

Investing in creating an online presence has become crucial in this age of social media and Internet connectivity.

For example, suppose you have been running a successful business like a restaurant for maybe ten years and have that experience to back you up. Why not take advantage of that? Create your online presence on the experience that you have had as a highlight to rope in more customers. You might have a loyal following but why not increase it?

  • Create your own Website

This is the most basic step. It might seem a daunting task for many but it needs to be done as without a website, online presence will be minimal. True social media posts on Facebook and Twitter can help, but imagine what a well-organized website can do.

For example, someone sees your social media post and seems interested in your brand. They want a better understanding of the products and merchandise you offer. Just imagine what a difficult task that would be without a website.

How many posts would you need to send forth and back to make them understand your brand’s offerings? By the time you have completed this to and fro of posts, they might have lost interest completely.

On the other hand, if you had a website all that the prospective customer wanted to know would be a click away.

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The task might seem difficult but it is not. You do not need to know Java or C++. Various online tools are readily available that are free and help you develop your website. Weebly, Doodlekit, and Wix are just some of the tools. These tools give you the freedom to drag and drop in elements that you want your website to feature in the amazing templates they have developed for you.

For example, website 1&1 is a well-known hosting provider that takes you through the process of developing a website step by step.

Some websites also offer personalization of the standard templates on subscribing to the plans that they have. If your budget permits then you could consider contacting a developer to do the job. This aspect is great as then your website will have a unique look unlike the ones created using templates.

  • Set Goals

This is imperative for the successful development of your online presence that you have clarity of thought about what you want out of your online presence. If you do not have a clear idea about the objective behind development of the website or any other form of online identity, then it will all be useless.

For example, a restaurant that wants to develop the online process, the owners need to think about why they plan on doing so:

  • Is it to increase inflow of customers at the restaurant?
  • Or, is it to increase outflow of food through online delivery system?

The two scenarios are completely different so the design will also differ; one will help customers understand how great a restaurant they are with delicious food while the other needs to be developed with menu, payment options and an efficient delivery system.

Though the second option might seem complicated but do not worry, services provide payment gateways and shopping cart scripts to make the life of the website owner easier

Some examples of such services include: Volusion, Shopify, and Bigcommerce. These are all-in-one platforms which lend you the ability to create an online store quite fast.

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While choosing the design of your website, make sure that you do not compare your website to others as their priorities and goals maybe different to yours.

  • Establishing Presence

As soon as you create your online presence,  you need to get the word around. Without promoting about your online account (Social Account or Website), it would be difficult to build a good enough web presence. Here are a few ideas that can help you do that:

Submit the link or sitemap of your website to search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo just to name some.

Another great way is to get it search optimized. SEO (search engine optimization) is a great way to get word around using search engines.

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Just think about it: Higher number of inbound links along with a high amount of relevant content for a certain search query will all lead to an increase in your website’s visibility.

For example, if you have an auto repair shop, then make sure that the inbound links and content has keywords related to auto repair business. This ensures that when anyone searches with phrases like “auto repair shops”, your website is bound to pop up among the top contenders.

  • Create Value by being Consistent

According to Lumify, if you have decided on a habit then do it regularly if you want to achieve your goal.

If you remain consistent then the visitors will feel like coming back again and spread word about your website. So, if you think about blogging or about Instagram-ing then make sure that you do what you had promised to your viewer/prospective client. In fact so much so is the importance of consistency that Facebook shows frequency in which a business responds to its prospects to their target audience.

If customers are disappointed, then chances are they will not come back and not talk about your website reducing visibility.

  • Focus on One or a Few Avenues of Promoting the Website

Ryan Hanley, Content Marketing Speaker says that being everywhere online can never help your business but rather destroy it.

He says that inactivity on social media can impact your brand negatively, as followers see the inactivity as a disregard to communicate

It will also be impossible keep up the quality as well. You can never be everywhere as it can definitely reduce quality of work.

  • Utilise the Power of Social Media

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One of the easiest, cost effective and almost sure shot way of establishing your brand in the world of the web is establishing your identity in the world of the Social Media. There are two parts to this – the first is to create and present your content; and the other is to listen to the relevant feedback and feel the pulse of your audience. Since more and more people are taking to following their favourite brands on Social Media, it is but imperative that these social channels have to be used as tools for branding.

The SMART way of utilising Social Media

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A study showing response that businesses derive from Social Media —

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  • Use Forums

Make sure that you get your presence known in relevant forums.

Use these online forums to your advantage. This is how:

  • Share practical advice
  • Contribute to conversations in an intelligent manner by providing advice on matters that others might not be able to solve but make sure that you are well versed in the matter.

As you do the above your audience will, increase and then you can ease in the mention of your website without coming across as a pushy.

For example,

Suppose you have a website about Gardening, the forum that you have joined is about the same so keep an eye on the discussions. As soon as you see a relevant discussion that involves products from your business jump in to contribute.

Ensure that the advice you offer is useful and unique so that they feel interested as to how you know so much and then is when you can casually mention about your business and website.

Conclusion:

Online presence is crucial to your business reaching the heights of success. It might seem a time-consuming task but it will be totally worth.

It is being used by other businesses so why not you? Create an online presence for your business

Here you will be able to find the avenues that lead you to successfully develop the presence. Use the above points and see how your business takes flight.

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