2019 is here… and this means that your ‘online presence’ is more than just a website or a Facebook page. It is in fact, a collection of everything your existing and future customers can find online about your business. Do you have a viable online reputation that delivers on all your business’s promises? Or are those anonymous reviews painting a different picture altogether?

Unfortunately, many businesses are still neglecting their online presence. They think they aren’t big enough, or that their prospects aren’t online at all. Nothing could be farther from the truth, however. It’s time all business invested their time and money to create a systemic approach for building visibility for their brands online.

About a decade ago, businesses only needed a website with a few text-heavy HTML pages to be visible to search engines and online prospects. Now, there are more than 1 billion websites, and millions alone in your niche competing with your products and services, from wherever they are across the globe. Things are harsh, to say the least.

If you want to boost your online presence, you’ll need to master several tools such as blogs, social media, local search, digital ads, YouTube channels and of course, websites. Here are some of our tried-and-tested suggestions for boosting the digital presence of your small business:

Try to Be Present

Your first mission is to get a website if you don’t already have one. Then make social media profiles for your business. Afterward get a mobile app, and so on. According to a study, 29% of all small businesses don’t have a website. They are still relying on traditional methods of marketing to get the word out, and as a result, these businesses are losing out on thousands of prospects.

A comprehensive digital presence is a key to creating a business that thrives. Take a look at this business as it doubled its sales after creating a website.

Now Optimize Your Website for the Best User Experience

For starters, make sure that all the info available on your website is correct and up-to-date. Your products, pricing, contact info, order info, testimonials, and blogs, etc. should be legible. Next, the design is of the utmost importance. It’s a good idea to work with a professional web designer who can also help with branding and logo design services etc.

A good website doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to be mobile-friendly, easy on the eyes, and give visitors the info they need without making them look too hard for it.

Maintain a Business Blog

Your blog is a great place to communicate directly with your website’s visitors, prospects, existing and future customers. Make sure the content of your blog is well-written, relevant to your industry and audiences, engaging and original, etc. It’s best if you attempt to solve your customer’s problems with each blog post. Regularly update the blog, and you will see your website rise in search engine results and also increase in authority, setting you and your business up for online dominance in the industry. This, in turn, will bring in the traffic, leads, and conversions.

Strengthen Your Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

People may be walking right past your store, not knowing all the wonders you have available inside. They will walk into a store that showed up on their ‘businesses near me’ search online. Yes, more than 50% of all ‘near me’ Google searches end up in a store visit.

If you want a robust digital media presence for your small business, it is essential to invest in SEO services that can up your ‘click-to-brick’ game. One-third of all mobile phone-based searches are looking for locations close by. If your online presence isn’t optimized for these local searches, you are missing out massively.

Up Your Social Media Ante

So, the most popular social media channels these include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, Reddit and even LinkedIn for certain purposes. Start off by deciding the right social media channel for you. Social is so important that even the video-sharing giant YouTube is in the process of rolling out community features on its website.

Research, where most of your prospects hang out online and then go, get them. Become active with a separate page for your small business. Share images, deals, ideas, blog posts, etc. to drive traffic to your website. There are millions of people on these channels, and they can spread the word about your business and ensure quick growth for you. Cater to them, give them the content they need to feel inspired and click those ‘Buy’ and ‘Share’ buttons. Build trust, and you will be rewarded fittingly.

Email Marketing and Guest Posts

No matter what anyone tells you, email is not dead! Email marketing is an excellent way of acquiring new prospects. It can be more effective than social media marketing if done right!

Create segmented lists of all the email addresses available to you separating the prospects from existing customers and so on. Create tailored messages for each of the segments and send out emails at the right moment. Then use analytics tools to figure which tactics worked and which need tweaking.

Guest blogging, on the other hand, is an excellent tool for gaining exposure and get the credibility you need to succeed online. It gets exposure for your brand and business. Figure out if you can get a chance to be a guest writer for esteemed blogs such as Entrepreneur, INC., and Forbes, etc. If the readers enjoy what you write, they may also visit your website and follow you on social media sites as well.

These strategies for digital dominance can significantly enhance your business’ presence online. It’s a 3-tier process really: you show up, get noticed, and convince them that your business is better than the competition. There are some amazing big-win opportunities you can take advantage of online, and we have given you the info you need to get started! Good luck.

ABOUT Alycia Gordan

Alycia Gordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on Twitter: @meetalycia