Even before the pandemic hit us, consumers were turning online to look for information, discover new products, and make purchases. The COVID-19-related lockdowns have further increased the adoption of online browsing and shopping.
According to a report by Intelligence Node, more than 50% of shoppers perform Google searches before buying anything and 67% of them look up product information online while shopping in-store.
If you want these consumers to find your products and services, building an online presence for your business has become more important than ever. But how? I’ll answer this in the sections below.
1. Build a Website
Every business owner needs to fulfill a number of legal requirements when starting a business. You need to register your business name with the federal and state governments.
When registering your business, you should not forget one thing. And what’s that? You should check online to see whether or not the business name you’ve selected is available as a domain.
If the domain is available, you should buy it right away. If not, I’d suggest that you look for a business name that is also available as a domain. This is an important step in taking your business online.
In fact, the first step to building an online presence for your startup is to build a website and for that, you need a domain. Your website will be the go-to place for consumers to find more about your company and your products and services.
Along with buying a domain, you will also have to choose a website builder such as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace to develop your business website. These platforms provide you with easy-to-use, drag-and-drop page builders to help you design impressive websites without prior coding knowledge.
2. Provide Value by Creating High-Quality Content
Showcasing your startup story and products/services on your website isn’t enough. You should also start a blog to cover topics related to your niche.
You can start your business blog and leverage it to:
- Publish “how-to” guides to educate your target audience and help them do things.
- Address their pain points and provide resolutions.
- Help people understand how your products or services can help improve their lives.
- Launch new products.
- Answer the common questions that consumers in your target market have.
- Build trust and credibility.
- Cover industry updates and trends.
All of this will help you attract and engage potential buyers. It will also improve your chances of driving real conversions.
3. Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy
There are 4.14 billion social media users in the world today, which is more than half of the world’s total population. Being on social media has become a necessity, especially for businesses who want to grab the attention of these users.
You should focus on selecting the social media channels that your target audience visits frequently and create a business profile on them. You should optimize your social profiles with a relevant bio, contact information, a link to your business website, and impressive profile and cover photos.
You will also have to create a strategy to build a reputable presence for your business on social media. For this, you need to understand the needs and preferences of your target audience and meet their demands.
You should create a monthly content calendar to regularly publish valuable content. You can use content scheduling, analytics, and other social tools to find the best posting times and frequency for your brand and identify your top-performing content.
You should also take the time to respond to your customers’ comments and questions. Monitoring brand mentions and providing satisfactory resolutions to your customers on social media can help improve user satisfaction. It can also help improve your brand’s online reputation, which will lead to more conversions and sales in the long run.
4. Invest in SEO Strategies
As stated in the introduction part of this article, consumers often perform Google searches to look for product information. Therefore, it is crucial for you to invest in search engine optimization strategies that can help your content rank in the search results for relevant keywords.
You should harness the power of SEO to rank higher in the SERPs and help people find your business when they are looking for the products or services that you offer.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most effective SEO tips that can help improve your search presence.
You should:
- Make your website mobile friendly and optimize it to achieve a good page load speed.
- Use a simple and clutter-free design to avoid distractions and offer ease of navigation to visitors.
- Optimize the title tags and meta descriptions of all web pages with relevant keywords to tell Google what each page is about.
- Do not stuff keywords into your content. Focus on providing high-quality content that can help your target consumers.
Are You Ready to Boost the Online Presence of Your Startup?
Having a strong online presence for your startup can help you raise awareness about your products and services, attract potential customers, and boost sales. You can also monitor conversations about your brand and respond to customers’ questions and requests online.
To set your startup on the path of success, you should follow the strategies and tactics that I’ve mentioned above. These tips will help you make your brand stand out from your competitors online and grow your business.
Do you have questions about building an online presence for your brand? Leave them in the comments below.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, “Want to Boost Your Startup’s Online Presence? Here’s What You Need to Do” was first published on Small Business Trends